Health is Wealth
·
There’s no spice quite as cozy as cinnamon. Turns out, this kitchen staple can provide a boost not only to your meals, but also to your body.
There’s no spice quite as cozy as cinnamon. As the weather gets colder, it becomes an ever more appealing addition to baked goods and savory dishes alike — and it turns out that this kitchen staple can provide a boost not only to your meals, but also to your body.
The health benefits of cinnamon may surprise you. Studies show that it has anti-inflammatory properties and may help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol. So, why not work this versatile spice into your meal rotation? Here are a few tasty ways to do so.
Spices and herbs are the stars of this Baked Cinnamon-Thyme Chicken, with cinnamon providing a sweet nuttiness and thyme bringing an added earthiness. The end result is a healthy, flavorful dish that packs plenty of flavor and health benefits.
Looking for an alternative to applesauce? Kiddos and adults alike will gobble up Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce, with its similar texture and bold, red berries. Loaded with vitamins C and E, it’s delightful as a standalone side or atop your turkey.
Subtly sweet and buttery, Baked Cinnamon Acorn Squash is a fall treat packed with beta carotene. Eat it as a side dish or snack — either way, it melts in your mouth. It’s also got powerful antioxidants that help your body kick free radicals to the curb.
Gluten-free and surprisingly simple to make, Spiced Sweet Potato Quick Bread combines the cozy flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and mace. But there’s one ingredient you won’t find in this recipe — sugar.
On cold nights, there’s nothing like a hot beverage. Green Tea Infused With Apples & Cinnamon is a brain-healthy choice that’s steeped in flavor. Tea is a great source of potent antioxidants, and cinnamon adds both flavor and antioxidants.
Cinnamon pairs perfectly with all varieties of apples for an autumnal combo that can’t be beaten. Whether you’re seeking a healthy dessert (or breakfast) like Warm Apple Cinnamon Cranberry Crisp, whipping up a quick batch of No-Bake Apple Cinnamon Bites to munch on or looking for a guilt-free snack like Chewy Cinnamon Apple Rings, the opportunities are endlessly delicious.
Tame inflammation and ease your soul by sipping on Almond Gold Milk with Apricots and Cinnamon, a unique blend of flavors made for soothing inflammation. Try this creamy concoction once, and you’ll want to enjoy it again and again.
Cinnamon for dessert! Get kids involved in making Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Honey Yogurt Dip, a simple dish made with fresh fruit and a cool dipping sauce. It’s a refreshing, healthy and delicious way to end any meal.
OK, OK, cinnamon isn’t necessarily the standout star of these Fudgy Black Bean Brownies, but the spice is a key component that gives a subtle kick of taste and sweetness to these flourless treats. The black beans add texture but don’t interfere with the chocolate, we promise!
Loaded with fiber and heart-healthy polyphenols, Savory Seasoned Popcorn is one of the healthiest snacks around — and it’s not drowned in butter. Cinnamon makes for a tasty topping that brings antioxidant power and adds hardly any calories.
A new way to incorporate salmon into your weekend brunch
Ironically, not every pear is “pear-shaped.” One variety, Asian pears, is actually shaped like an apple. But no matter their shape, all pears are rich in disease-fighting nutrients.
“Pears are so healthy, and most people tolerate them very well,” says registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD, LD. “They’re terrific for your digestion and have other impressive health benefits. They’re a perfect snack if you’re craving something sweet.”
Pears are members of the Rosaceae plant family, along with apples, apricots, cherries, peaches and several other fruits and berries. Pears can range in texture, color, crispness, juiciness and sweetness. Common varieties you may find in the grocery store include:
Are pears good for you? Absolutely. Pears are a great source of antioxidants, fiber, potassium and vitamin C. But they’re not just full of nutrients — they also may lower your risk of some diseases. Here are five ways pears boost your health.
Like most fruit, pears are a source of good nutrition. One medium pear has approximately:
A medium pear also gives you:
Nobody enjoys the dreaded crash that happens after sugary foods spike your blood glucose. Steady blood sugar means a steady supply of energy, which is healthier for your body. Blood sugar management is even more important if you have diabetes.
Czerwony says pears may help stabilize blood sugar and even reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes. How? Fiber, for starters. A medium pear offers nearly one-quarter of the fiber you need in a day. Fiber helps keep blood sugar steadier by slowing your body’s absorption of sugar.
Pears also contain anthocyanin, an antioxidant. An observational study suggests a link between eating anthocyanin-rich foods and a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Another study showed that eating pears could significantly lower your odds of developing Type 2 diabetes. For each serving of pears eaten per week, researchers found a 3% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.
In addition, pears are a low-glycemic food, which means they won’t spike your blood sugar like sugary foods and some fruits can.
Fiber adds bulk to and softens your stool, which helps things move along in your gut. Lots of foods contain fiber, but pears are a particularly excellent source.
A single pear contains 6 grams of fiber (more than 20% of what an adult needs in a day). And pectin, a type of fiber in pears, has some specific benefits. Pectin is a soluble fiber known to help:
To reap the fibrous benefit of pears, don’t skip the skin. “Pear skin contains a significant amount of the fruit’s total fiber content,” notes Czerwony.
Inflammation happens when your immune system tries to protect you from something — an infection, a toxin or some other offender. Some temporary inflammation is actually a healthy response to these things. But when inflammation hangs around, it can contribute to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, asthma, cancer and Type 2 diabetes.
Antioxidants are nutrients that can prevent some of the cell damage that leads to inflammation. Pears are rich in powerful types of antioxidants called flavonoids.
Research shows that flavonoids can reduce inflammation and lower the risk of:
Pears are an excellent part of a heart-healthy diet. Nutrients in pears that can benefit your heart include:
In addition, a study examining the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption suggests eating pears lowers your risk of stroke. And one large clinical trial showed a link between eating pears and a lower risk of dying from heart disease.
“In general, fresh fruits are best because they have the highest amount of nutrients,” explains Czerwony. “Frozen is usually a close second to fresh. The heat of canning, though, can break down certain nutrients.”
But don’t avoid canned pears completely. They’re still good for you. She advises looking for pears in water rather than syrup, which adds unneeded sugar.
“You might be surprised by what you can do with fresh pears,” she adds. “Think of how you use apples — sliced raw, in pies or baked — and you can do all those things with pears.”
Try making this poached pear dessert, include pears in your stuffing or make some interesting salads with pears.
(Arx0nt/Moment via Getty Images)
By Michael Merschel, American Heart Association News
Let’s admit it: Oatmeal is a total nerd. It lacks fashion sense – the color they named after it is somewhere on the drab side of beige. It’s often seen with Sesame Street’s Bert, who also loves bottle caps, paper clips and pigeons.
But when it comes to healthy eating, oatmeal and the oats it comes from can definitely hang with the cool kids at the breakfast table.
“It has many, many good qualities,” said Candida Rebello, director of the nutrition and chronic disease research program at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.
Extensive studies have associated oats and oatmeal with plenty of heart-healthy benefits, such as lowering cholesterol (both total and “bad” LDL cholesterol) and helping with weight control.
Oatmeal has a host of vitamins and minerals. Two examples: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a one-cup serving of cooked oatmeal has about 1.8 milligrams of vitamin B1, or thiamin. That’s close to 15% of what an adult needs each day. It also has 1.36 mg of manganese, which is 59% of the daily recommendation for men and 76% for women. Manganese has roles in immunity, blood clotting and the way cholesterol and blood sugar are metabolized.
But that’s not what makes oats stand out, Rebello said. That same cup of cooked oatmeal has just 166 calories and nearly 4 grams of dietary fiber.
And the type of fiber is where oats start to distinguish themselves. It’s called beta-glucan. Put that in the conversation, and it’s like the scene in a movie where oatmeal takes off its glasses and everyone realizes just how beautiful it is.
Not literally. It’s a soluble fiber, which means it dissolves in hot water, where it thickens. “When you eat oatmeal, the kind of sliminess that you see – that comes from this viscosity that beta-glucan generates,” Rebello said.
That helps you feel full longer, she said. And it helps undigested food travel farther down your digestive tract, where it feeds the friendly bacteria living there.
Beta-glucan is abundant in oats and barley and has been shown “quite unequivocally” to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, Rebello said.
Oats also are rich phytonutrients – plant-derived substances that may boost health. One class of such phytonutrients is avenanthramides, which are found only in oats. Avenanthramides may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, although Rebello said their possible benefits are not as well-researched as those for beta-glucans.
Oats have been linked to heart-health benefits since the 1960s and come in many forms. The differences involve levels of processing.
Oats grow in an inedible casing called a hull. Inside the hull is a seedlike groat. That groat is encased in bran. “In other whole grains, like in wheat, you can remove that bran layer,” Rebello said. “But in oats, this groat is very soft, so that bran layer cannot really be removed.”
That means oats are almost always a whole-grain food, and those are a key part of a healthy eating pattern.
If oats are labeled “steel cut,” it simply means they were processed with a steel cutter, Rebello said. Rolled oats are steamed first, then pressed with a roller. “If the roller crushes it into thinner flake, then you get quick-cooking oats,” she said. “If it is then rolled into an even thinner flake, you get your instant oats.”
Rebello said that nutritionally, there is little difference between steel cut and rolled oats. Instant oats, however, have a higher glycemic index, meaning they raise your blood sugar faster.
When oats are ground to flour, the coarser portion is extracted and called oat bran. The beta-glucans will be concentrated in the flour rather than the bran, she said.
Oat milk is derived from oats and water, but processing may add ingredients such as sugar, salt, oil and more. Oat milk has some dietary fiber, Rebello said – commonly 2 grams per cup – but the amount of beta-glucan is rather small.
Unfortunately, Rebello ruled out sugar-filled oatmeal cookies as a healthy food (although she’s not averse to having one as a treat now and then).
How, then, to embrace oats? “Just eat regular oatmeal,” she said. Half a cup of rolled oats cooks up quickly and will keep you full a long time.
Oatmeal with your favorite fruit can be a sweet way to start the day. Cook it in low-fat milk for creaminess and add unsalted nuts to bolster its heart-health value. If you’re time-pressed in the morning, try a healthy version of overnight oats, which can be prepared the night before.
It’s important to remember that no single food, even oats, can do it all, Rebello said, noting that if you eat a nutritious breakfast but then load up on sugar and fat the rest of the day, “that’s really not going to help you much.”
But you should go ahead and invite oatmeal into your breakfast club, Rebello said. “I definitely recommend eating oats.”
If you have questions or comments about this American Heart Association News story, please email editor@heart.org.
Grain-free, sugar-free and dairy-free
Do you miss seeing a stack of pancakes on the brunch table? Now you don’t have to. These grain-free, sugar-free, dairy-free pancakes are the perfect guilt-free treat. They’re easy to make, and the whole family will love them. Yum!
3 large omega-3 eggs
¾ cup almond milk
½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of sea salt
¼ cup roughly chopped walnuts
coconut oil, for greasing the skillet (about ¼ cup)
1 pint fresh blueberries
½ cup arrowroot
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Makes 2-3 servings.
Calories 423
Total Fat 19 g
Protein 12 g
Fiber 14 g
Sugar 14 g
Sodium 416 mg
— Recipe courtesy of Mark Hyman, MD
Healthaware 