Spice it Up for Health, Vitality, Longevity & Fat Loss
There’s a medicine cabinet right in your kitchen with powerful, healing, therapeutic and medicinal properties that will increase your level of health, vitality, longevity and fat loss.
Spices and herbs including cinnamon, turmeric (curcumin), cilantro, oregano, cayenne, garlic, basil, lemon grass, milk thistle and ginger are super high in antioxidants, have potent anti-inflammatory and anti-aging benefits, and studies have even reported that one of my favorite spices, curcumin is more advantageous than prescription drugs! Other studies report that those who include turmeric (curcumin), cinnamon, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder or paprika with their meals have a 21% reduction in insulin levels and 31% lower triglyceride levels.
Ginger. Healthy and spicy, ginger is one of the most common medicinal and culinary herbs. It can be added to marinades, fish or chicken, salads, soups, vegetable dishes, tea and some desserts. One teaspoon of fresh ginger has similar antioxidant levels as one cup of spinach. I love adding fresh ginger root to my green smoothies, water or grating fresh ginger root on chicken or salmon.
Health Benefits of Ginger
- Helpful for nausea, motion sickness, morning sickness during pregnancy and side effects from chemotherapy
- Reduces inflammation
- Therapeutic remedy for balancing blood sugar, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
- Prevents and decreases free radical damage
- Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, reducing risk of heart disease
- Preserves glutathione levels
- Eases muscle soreness associated with exercise by 25 percent
- Produces bile, making ginger helpful for digesting fats
- Prevents blood clots and reduces risk of stroke
- Increases perspiration and elimination through the skin
- Helpful as a digestive aid
- Helpful for the urinary tract and lining of the heart blood vessels since ginger is a great source of the mineral, manganese
- Beneficial for those with allergies and asthma (acts as an antihistamine)
- Increases circulation and lymph flow
- Treatment and prevention of the common cold and cough with anti-viral and anti-fungal properties
- Eliminates mucus from the sinus area and upper respiratory tract
- Helpful in removing/detoxing parabens from the body
Cautions: Best to avoid ginger and garlic 3-4 days before any scheduled surgery because they can make blood platelets less sticky increasing the risk for bleeding. Start up again right after surgery. Ginger can interact with certain medications. Ginger is contraindicated in those suffering with gallstones.
Cinnamon is one of my favorite powerhouse spices. Just 1/4 to one teaspoon of cinnamon with food metabolizes sugar up to 20 times better than without cinnamon. Another study showed that just a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon daily lowers blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in those with type 2 diabetes.
Sprinkle cinnamon in your tea or coffee (organic coffee, of course) or one of my favorites is adding a sprinkle of cinnamon to my post workout shake. Spice up chicken breasts with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Or, slice a green apple, add some almond butter and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Health Benefits of Cinnamon
- Stabilizes blood sugar by stimulating insulin receptors preventing insulin resistance and promotes insulin sensitivity
- The scent/aroma of cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory
- Anti-inflammatory compounds helpful for arthritis and stiff joints
- Regulates blood sugar and cholesterol
- Anti-clotting effects on the blood
- Helpful in lowering insulin levels, Hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and reducing blood sugar levels after meals
- Boosts metabolism
- Helps reduce sugar cravings
- High in manganese, a trace mineral that helps form connective tissue, bones, blood clotting factors and sex hormones, and also plays a role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption and blood sugar regulation.
- Supports digestion
- Anti-fungal properties (helpful for those with Candida)
- Excellent antioxidant source protecting cells from oxidative damage
- Cinnamonum cassia (a.k.a. Cinnamonum burmanii) is the type of cinnamon that has the most beneficial effects.
Turmeric (curcumin) is another one of my top favorites that comes with an endless list of health benefits. I add fresh turmeric root to my green smoothies every day and also take a curcumin supplement every day. Curcumin is the bioactive compound found in the Indian curry spice turmeric, a member of the ginger family. Turmeric is an excellent source of iron, manganese, vitamin B6, dietary fiber and potassium.
Health Benefits of Curcumin
- Powerful for reducing inflammation and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels
- Preventative and helpful for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. A study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry found that curcumin prevents the destructive formation of proteins that seem to be present in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease
- Potent remedy for liver disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, Cystic fibrosis, diabetic wounds, runny nose, cough, and sinusitis.
- Ability to cross the blood brain barrier making it highly beneficial for the brain
- Anti-cancer properties and suppresses cancer growth
- A study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research reported that curcumin may be used as an effective and safe therapy for treatment in those with mild depression.
- Prevents cellular aging
- Helpful for reducing stubborn belly fat
- Reduces risk of developing type 2 diabetes
- Reverses some of the damage associated with type 2 diabetes
- Lowers cortisol and oxidative damage from stress
- Limits kidney damage in diabetics
- Promotes healthy looking skin
- Preventative for memory loss, joint stiffness, osteoporosis
- Healing properties for the liver while helping your body metabolize fats by reducing the fat storage rate in liver cells.
- Helpful for cataract formation, liver injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, immune function, and the damage that results from heart attack and stroke
- According to the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy turmeric may be useful in inhibiting Candida
- Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed. Absorption increases when taken with black pepper, which contains piperine, a natural substance that increases absorption by a whopping 2000 percent!
- Curcumin absorption is also increased when combined with fat especially fatty/oily foods (avocado, olive oil, fish oil, nuts/seeds, coconut oil, butter).
- Curcumin is rapidly cleared from the blood, usually within one to four hours of ingestion. Taking it in divided doses helps maintain blood levels of curcumin.
- When heated during cooking many of the beneficial properties of turmeric are lost. When taken orally, it’s poorly absorbed and the amount required for these health benefits is so high that it would be hard to achieve orally.
- Caution: It’s best to avoid curcumin 2 weeks prior to surgery because curcumin inhibits blood clotting. Curcumin can interact with certain medications. Curcumin can aggravate those suffering with gallstones, bile obstruction and those predisposed to kidney stones.
Curcumin is one of the many supplements in my daily supplement arsenal. As with everything, quality matter. Check out some of the curcumin supplements I recommend here.
As a holistic nutritionist and functional health practitioner, my philosophy is to identify the root cause of any underlying health issues, slowly "peel away the layers of the onion," and design a healing protocol and comprehensive LIFESTYLE plan specific to your unique biochemistry so you can heal, experience vibrant health, balanced hormones and look, think and feel better than ever for a lifetime.
I consult with men and women around the world, all over the U.S. and with clients locally in the Phoenix area. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation!
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