Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Another Reason to LOVE Green TEA!

Ladies!

Green Tea has been proven to prevent breast cancer
by 50%! WOW!

We need to drink 3 cups a day to achieve this benefit!

I need to thank my body for giving me a coffee allergy thus promoting
my massive consumption of Green Tea over the years.

Start Brewing Ladies!

....and Gents too!

Green Tea is on the list for cancer prevention.

DRINK UP!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Cinnamon....A special flavor with powerful benefits.

This time of year provokes my senses and my taste buds to
search out culinary delights that contain cinnamon.
I love it!
I love the way it smells and the way it tastes.

It is a classic that always evokes a sense of home or nurturing,
not to mention a luxurious almost exotic flavor.


What you may not know is that cinnamon has been proven in recent studies to promote health.

Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine have always touted cinnamon for it's ability to warm the body and stimulate the appetite.

Recent studies have shown that cinnamon works as a potent antioxidant. Yay! We could always use more antioxidants. In fact, out of 300 foods tested, Ceylon cinnamon ranked 3rd for it's antioxidant capacity! ....
Cassia cinnamon was found to have a powerful effect on blood sugar levels. It lowers the blood sugar of type 2 diabetics by a whopping 29%. Cassia cinnamon was also found to reduce the LDL and total cholesterol levels. A huge benefit for diabetics since they also suffer from an increased risk of heart disease.


Although the benefits are powerful be careful not to overdose on cinnamon
as a means to achieve health benefits. Cassia cinnamon contains 5% coumarin
which can cause liver irritation in some people. We shouldn't eat more than
1/3 teaspoon a day of Cassia cinnamon for every 100 lbs of body weight.
However Ceylon cinnamon contains much lower levels of coumarin.
In any event, don't ingest it as medicine.

Simply use it to flavor food and you are set!




Find ways to incorporate cinnamon into your diet.
Here are a few ideas:


My personal FAV... Cinnamon toast with your morning tea/coffee.

Search out some wonderful Moroccan Food dishes as they often contain cinnamon and taste amazing!

Toss cinnamon sticks into stews and meat dishes. They will add an exotic flare to your dish!

Another FAV... use cinnamon sticks as stirring sticks for mugs of hot cocoa or mulled cider. Perfect time of year for sipping hot drinks.

Add ground cinnamon to your coffee grinds before you brew the pot.... this one is simply fantastic! You must try this to understand.

Search out a delicious cinnamon ice cream, or make your own. YUM!

Use a grater to grate fresh cinnamon sticks. Grate the cinnamon on top of top vanilla ice cream, or soy ice cream...add some chocolate shavings for an additional kick.

Make some homemade banana bread...be sure to add cinnamon. I even add a bit of cinnamon
to my chocolate chip cookie recipe. Sounds odd but tastes amazing!


Take time to read the label on your jar of cinnamon, or go to the market to by a fresh jar.
It might be interesting to know whether you are eating Ceylon or Cassia cinnamon.
This way you will more clearly understand how the Cinnamon is effecting your body.

Happy Cinnamon shopping!