Spice Up Your Life!

I have now gone back to work and was immediately hit with a giant todo list. I am really missing my quiet computer time where I could Facebook stalk, blog stalk and peruse Pinterest all the live long day. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to go back, because I was getting a little stir-crazy (on top of my normal crazy, that is) but I am finding it terribly difficult to keep up with blogs and Pinterest with all this working, you know?

I am blog-swapping, though! Which I am very excited about. I don't know who my partner is just yet, but will very soon!! YAY!

So to make this short and sweet- much like yours truly, I wanted to share with you yet another Tip of the Week from My Fit Foods
(If you would like to recieve the weekly newsletter from My Fit Foods, go to their website and signup at the bottom of the page, only your email is required!)

This one is on one of my FAVS- Cinnamon! It's a spice for all seasons!!
I love cinnamon and everything that cinnamon is found in. It just says warmth and coziness, right?- I know, like Texas needs any more warmth right now (we'll take some rain, though!!!!) however, when I say warmth I kind of mean like someone is hugging you from the inside. :-) and I love hugs!
Here it is:

The Power Of Cinnamon
My Fit Foods "Tip of the Week"

When I began hearing the benefits of cinnamon years ago, all I could think about was the delicious cinnamon toast that my mother used to make for us and the way the aroma filled the house making our mouths water.  Of course, this was on white bread with sugar and butter!  Now years later, the research on cinnamon and it's endless health benefits just keep piling up.  And nowadays instead of having French toast, I'm adding cinnamon to everything from smoothies to sweet potatoes.  I also take 1,000 mg a day in capsule form, which is equal to approximately ¼ to ½ of a teaspoon.

Antioxidant Power: 

Cinnamon has an ORAC value of 267,536.  That is higher than blueberries, turmeric, and the popular Acai berry.  That means there is some heavy duty free radical fighting going on protecting our cells and repairing damage.  Not to mention that when we up our antioxidants, we lower overall inflammation which helps everything including weight loss.

Blood Sugar Power:

A now almost famous study was conducted by researchers from the US Department of Agriculture in 2003 that showed that 60 people with Type 2 diabetes who ate 1 gram of cinnamon each day over a period of 40 days, experienced a significant decrease in their blood sugar levels, LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides.  As everyone knows who has ever been through our 21 Day Challenge, controlling blood sugar is the key to burning fat and increasing energy.

Nutrient Packed:

Would you believe that a mere teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 mg of calcium, almost 1 mg of iron, over a gram of fiber, and quite a lot of vitamins C, K, and manganese? It's true. It also contains about half a gram of "usable" (non-fiber) carbohydrate.

Other Benefits:

Cinnamon is also known for its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-clotting, and anti-inflammatory properties.  Just an overall anti-sickness, anti-aging food!

A few years back I was listening to a lecture from a well respected doctor in the field of nutrition and it was right after lunch.   The choices at lunch had been limited and many of us had the pasta salad and were experiencing a serious after lunch slump.  She stopped the seminar and made each one of us take a blood sugar supplement composed of mostly cinnamon.  I will never forget how within fifteen minutes I felt more alert and felt very focused for another four more hours!  That made me realize yet again the power of blood sugar but the power of cinnamon as well.

To Your Health,

Meg McCall B.S., M.S. Candidate

Corporate Nutritionist

My Fit Foods