Articles in the Health Benefits Category
Hi, y’all! It’s been a while, I know. How have my fantabulous readers been doing?
Summer is here! Woo hoo!
You may think cinnamon is only for a hot bowl of oatmeal in the wintertime but it isn’t. And I’m feeling cinnamon love lately so I decided to share with you the health benefits of cinnamon and give you a few ideas of how to incorporate this delicious, healthy spice during the warmer months. 
Fun Fact!
“Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known. It was mentioned in the Bible and was used in ancient Egypt not only as a beverage flavoring and medicine, but also as an embalming agent. It was so highly treasured that it was considered more precious than gold. Around this time, cinnamon also received much attention in China, which is reflected in its mention in one of the earliest books on Chinese botanical medicine, dated around 2,700 B.C.” – WH Foods
Cinnamon is more than just a spice you can mix with sugar for your toast or something you can sprinkle on your oatmeal in the morning (just a couple of examples that seems to be pretty familiar with folks overall). It not only packs a powerful punch on taste, but provides some cool nutrients our bodies definitely appreciate.
A few health benefits that may come from consuming cinnamon:
-
enhanced brain function
-
more stabilized blood sugar
-
preventative colon and heart health
Cinnamon is also known to have anti-clotting and anti-microbial properties.
“Seasoning a high carb food with cinnamon can help lessen its impact on your blood sugar levels. Cinnamon slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating. Researchers measured how quickly the stomach emptied after 14 healthy subjects ate 300 grams (1.2 cups) of rice pudding alone or seasoned with 6 grams (1.2 teaspoons) of cinnamon. Adding cinnamon to the rice pudding lowered the gastric emptying rate from 37% to 34.5% and significantly lessened the rise in blood sugar levels after eating. Am J Clin Nutr. 2 007 Jun;85(6):1552-6.” – WH Foods
For even more information on cinnamon and its nutritional value, click here.
Some of my favorite ways to get the health benefits of cinnamon follows….
Overnight Oats
I’ve made a pretty wide variety of overnight oats concoctions but haven’t only posted a couple of my recipes. Both recipes are below and make for a super yummy, cold and refreshing breakfast or snack during the hotter months.
Coconut Peanut Butter Overnight Oats <—Click link for recipe.
NuttzOats <—Click link for recipe.
Fun Fact!
“Cinnamon is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, which when dried, rolls into a tubular form known as a quill.” – WH Foods
Cinnamon-Honey Tea
Ingredients:
1. honey of your choice
2. cinnamon of your choice
3. cup of hot water
Directions:
1. Pour 1 teaspoon of honey in your cup.
2. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in your cup.
3. Pour hot water, stirring as you pour to mix well.
4. For hot weather, add ice and a wedge of fresh lemon. In colder months, sip while hot and warm the bones!
Note:
You can add honey and cinnamon to your tea of choice (whether it’s plain, old-fashioned Lipton or green, nettle leaf, etc.).
Other Cinnamon Ideas
1. herbal tea concoctions
2. sprinkled (generously) on a baked sweet tater
3. in iced coffee
Did you run and check your cupboards only to find you’re fresh out of cinnamon and/or honey? You’re in luck! With a few clicks, you can order and have it delivered right to your front door.
If you’ve found yourself needing them, you can order honey here and order cinnamon here.
What’s your favorite way to consume cinnamon? Do you love the spice? Hate it? I love to smell it, eat it, drink it… What about you? Do you love adding honey to cinnamon like I do? Spice up the comments with your answers!
Credits:
Cinnamon Benefits and Nutrient Chart: WH Foods
Photo source
Hi, y’all!
Glad you enjoyed my Berserk for Bazura post. How fun, huh? It’s super cool to have a good time while educating about the environment and sharing creative, awesome products!
But let’s get on with the yumilicious topic at hand: blackstrap molasses. 
Fun Fact!
“It is not often that a fateful tragedy occurs that centers around a food, but unfortunately, in 1919, one such event did occur. The event is referred to as the Great Molasses Flood and occurred when a molasses storage tank holding over two million gallons of molasses broke, and its sticky content came pouring throughout the city streets of Boston, Massachussetts, traveling as fast as 35 miles per hour and creating a thirty foot tidal wave of sweetener. Unfortunately, this was not a sweet matter as twenty-one people died and significant amounts of property was destroyed.” – WH Foods
That is SO wild to me. Can you even imagine a RIVER of molasses? I mean, a TIDAL WAVE?! Isn’t that just insane? And such a sad fate that people lost their lives. Gosh, the things we learn as we blog, eh?
So what about the goodies in blackstrap molasses? There’s quite a list of vitamins and minerals – nutrients galore!
Vitamins
- B2 (riboflavin)
- B3 (Niacin)
- B6 (folate)
- pantothenic acid
Minerals
- copper
- calcium
- iron
- manganese
- magnesium
- phosphorus
- potassium
- selenium
- sodium
- zinc
Health Benefits
So what actually comes from absorbing the above nutrients?
Just to get an idea…
According to WH Foods, energy levels may soar: “In addition to providing quickly assimilated carbohydrates, blackstrap molasses can increase your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores.”
And the calcium found in blackstrap molasses will help with strong bones, teeth, removing toxins from the colon, and so much more!
All this provided by just a couple of spoonsful says WH Foods: “Two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses will meet 11.8% of your daily needs for calcium.”
Other benefits may include ridding your body of free radicals, healthier joints and nervous system, and improved cholesterol levels.
“Look for blackstrap molasses that is unsulphured since not only does it not contain this processing chemical to which some people are sensitive, but it has a cleaner and more clarified taste. Blackstrap molasses made from organic sugar cane is also available in some markets.” – WH Foods
Check out my Blackstrap Smoothie recipe over at the Mainline Gardening blog.
What about you? Are you a molasses person? Do you drizzle it over your pancakes or bread? Do you splash some in your smoothies? How about stirring some in your oatmeal? Yum-O! Get sticky in the comments. Do tell!
Credits:
Photo: Wikepedia
Hi, y’all! How are my fantabulous readers doing?
Did you catch the winner of the PeopleTowels giveaway? Be sure to check out their site (www.peopletowels.com) and also see if those awesome reusable hand towels are sold at a location near you!
And I’m excited to bring a guest post to you today. She recently shared freelance business tips on my writing blog, Writing the Cyber Highway (How to Stay Pumped When Working from Home), and today she’s bringing “Berry Good News” to you. Make Maria feel welcome, y’all! (She’s also recently discovered how wonderful fresh, raw juices really are!) 
Berry Good News
By Maria Rainier
Hear ye, hear ye, listen up berry lovers! Berries have become the top of the “fruit” chain due to new research that has revealed berries to fight and prevent multiple diseases. Sweet, tart and tantalizing, berries are as good for you as they are good. Here are a few of the top of the top when selecting which berries to buy.
Blueberries
They’re little, they’re plump, they’re sweet and no, they aren’t smurfs. Blueberries are the cancer fighting super fruits that have become the heroes of the berry world. Delicious and worth every over priced penny, blueberries contain unique properties that help to lower blood pressure, prevent nerve aging, fight cancer, strengthen your heart and the list goes on and on. Most recently, the antioxidants in blueberries have been proven to neutralize free radicals and protect the body against chronic diseases.
Cherries
Ok, so they aren’t a berry, exactly, but these tiny tree topping fruits are also topping the list of super fruits. The highest levels of anti-oxidants and highest amounts of iron found in any fruit, cherries have been found to significantly lower cholesterol and blood sugar and insulin levels. Cherries have been proven to stimulate the regeneration of red blood cells and cure anemia. Not bad for tiny, red berry wannabe.
Blackberries
Excellent sources of soluble fiber, vitamin B1, B2, E and C, blackberries are a circulatory systems dream! Nutrients found in these bubbly little berries have been proven to prevent cardiovascular diseases, dementia and multiple cancers. More powerful and effective than apples or strawberries, blackberries are gaining popularity in the health world and make a mean cobbler!
Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education, researching the best paying engineering degrees and what it means for the gender wage gap. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.
Thank you for sharing your berrylicious enthusiasm and wisdom, Maria!
Berrylicious Blending
Check out my Berry Blackstrap Smoothie Recipe. I LOVE this combo!
Or my Blueberry Blackstrap Bomb Recipe
Giveaway Reminder
You can still enter my NuNaturals Giveaway — FOUR of you will be lucky winners!!! ENTER HERE!!
Photo Credits:
Disclaimer: The information in this post isn’t meant to diagnose or treat illness. Consult your licensed physician for medical advice.
