Eating For Health

Cinnamon, does it have any health benefits?   Last week we talked about turmeric and the many health benefits spices have.   Cinnamon is a spice that also has health benefits.   Like turmeric, cinnamon has been around for a long time , “since 2000 BC in Ancient Egypt”.   In the U.S. cinnamon ranks just behind black pepper as a popular spice.    What can cinnamon do for your health? Diabetes- some research has shown that cinnamon can help those with type 2 diabetes.   How?   By lowering blood glucose levels and also improving lipid levels.   Researchers monitored 60 people with type 2 diabetes who added cinnamon to their diets for 40 days. Those taking cinnamon lowered their blood glucose, their bad LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol.   Another study found taking 1/4 th teaspoon of cinnamon a day lowered the LDL bad cholesterol.   However, other research indicates that adding cinnamon didn’t help lower blood ...

We all have heard of natural remedies for many health conditions.   Go to any drug store and walk down the vitamin aisle.   You will see hundreds of bottles of vitamins and minerals but also many so-called “natural” remedies for certain medical conditions.   Some of these remedies are bogus, unproven, and can even be bad for one’s health.   But other “natural” remedies seem to have some promise.   One of these natural remedies is a spice.   Spices have been known for a long time to have health benefits as spices are full of those healthy antioxidants.   Not only do spices make our food taste better, they provide few calories while providing good nutritional value.   One spice in particular, turmeric, is getting a lot of attention and praise from those in the health field. What is Turmeric? Turmeric is a yellowish spice , known for 4,000 years and used often in Indian cooking and the spice used in curry.   The chemical   in tur...