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Kitchen - Cooking Tip of the Month
Now that the holidays are over it is time to get back on track with healthy eating habits. One of the biggest challenges is to get back off the sugar! Yes, all those holiday cookies, cakes, candies, 'you name its', throw our blood sugar levels all out of whack. So what can we do to help get them stabilized?
One thing that can help is adding cinnamon to your diet. Studies at the Department of Human Nutrition, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan have concluded that cinnamon, consumed in 1, 3, or 6 gram amounts daily can actually reduce blood sugar levels and increase the natural production of insulin in patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Dr. Richard A. Anderson and his colleagues at the Human Nutrition Research Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in concert with Pakistan, came to the same conclusion. They found that, "from a selection of 49 culinary and medicinal plants, cinnamon was far more effective than any other plant in fulfilling insulin's appointed role."
Not only is cinnamon healthy for blood sugar levels but the aforementioned studies have also shown it is beneficial for the reduction of LDL, that bad cholesterol.
So, why not start adding a bit to your diet? Here are some ideas:
- Add a cinnamon stick to your favorite herbal tea
- Make a mixture of hot water, lemon juice, agave and a cinnamon stick
- Sprinkle a teaspoon or two on your yogurt, granola or whole grain cereal
- Add it to baking
- Experiment with Indian cooking
- Sprinkle it on squashes such as acorn before baking
- Add it to chicken dishes that include citrus
- Mostly find creative ways to add it to your daily diet!
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