Want To Lose Belly Fat? Eat This Precious Spice Daily

I like the taste of cinammon along with nutmeg

I like the taste of cinnamon and the smell of napalm in the morning.

My current favorite is cottage cheese with a little sugar and lots of cinnamon. Cinnamon tea is also very good!

But nothing beats cinnamon rolls still warm from the oven!

beats cinnamon rolls still warm from the oven

First discovered these in a bakery in the station concourse at Grand Central DC years ago when we touring the US by Amtrak. Heaven sent - and heavenly scent. Nothing to beat the taste.

My mother used to make cinnamon rolls when I was growing up. The whole house would be filled with the delicious smell as they were baking. They were so good!

I can make them, but have not done so in years. I enjoy eating them to much!

Cinnamon rolls are the most favorite food item in our house but they're only around for a special birthday breakfast treat. How nice to know they're healthful too. Funny, most things in natural form are terrific in ways we are just beginning to understand. Nature is perfectly amazing and cinnamon rolls are Nature at her best!

raat,

funny you should mention. The one time I allow myself that 800 calorie bundle of sugar, fat & oh yeah cinnamon known as a Cinnabon is while waiting in NYC's Pennsylvania Station for the Amtrak home to Cleveland, which is once or twice a year.

something similar that you get in some places in Scotland (although it is really more a doughnut) is called a yum-yum, locally. Not as good but almost as yummy. And just as fattening:-)

yeah, & then those skinny, fit NYers point at us fat midwesterners with knowing sneers. it's a conspiracy i tell you!

Sounds like a steak rub to me.

I toss a little cinnamon in with the coffee grounds when we brew our own. It infuses the cinnamon into the coffee -- very aromatic and tasty too!

Indian tea is brewed with tea and spices. Cinnamon is a key ingredient with cloves, ginger and black pepper. All crushed together in a powder. It is the heat that releases the goodness.

Very informative Gideon. True blue tip:-)

Great post Gideon.

Wow Gideon, thanks so much for that. I'd never looked into it and it's a dandy one to know. :~)

I love cinnamon - add it in everything - food or drink. Hasn't made an ounce of difference to the belly fat but that is probably because I just love food too much.

I have a similar problem! :)

LOO - both of you!

backroads

I wonder whether there's any money in dumping a barrel of the stuff on the floor and charging people to roll in it.

That would make a great youtube video

Success would be based on how spicy the finished video really was. *smirk*

I think you would make more money charging people to watch.

I was about to ask the exact same question?

spiffie's link includes this:

European health agencies have recently warned against consuming high amounts of cassia, due to a toxic component called coumarin

It doesn't specify what a high amount is. Coumarin is a blood thinner, I believe. It's a potent medicine.

Even water is toxic, if one drinks too much.

Not sure if it toxic. More a case of too much and the body has to work far too hard and there is a danger that it starts washing off nutrients instead of ingesting them into the system. Kidneys for even a perfectly fit and healthy person rarely operate at 100%. Or so I understand as a layman.

It's not as much the water washing off nutrients, as it is diluting the level of sodium in the blood, causing hyponatraemia and ultimately death.

Probably exactly the same.

I've noticed that most Americans will find a any way to lose weight if it's simpler than the the true, proven, sure-fire way to do so--eating healthy and getting enough exercise.

It's not most Americans, it's most people in general look for the easier solution that promises to require less effort on their part.

Unfortunately, what works is not a simple "Do this and you will lose weight" formula. Like anything else, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another person.

Cutting calories and exercising is an excellent start. But for some people, cutting calories enough to affect weight instead just lowers the metabolic rate. Lowering your metabolic rate is counter productive (and can even be dangerous).

Low fat diets work well for some, low carbohydrate diets work better for others.

There is no magic bullet.

Exactly, jpark... just saying, "eat some cinnamon and you'll lose weight" is nutty! Hmmm... actually, that's not a bad idea... maybe I should write a book about the Cinnabuns Diet? Who wouldn't want to eat nothing but fresh, hot, gooey, stickey, Cinnabuns?!

Actually it is pretty much as easy as "eat a balanced diet and exercise". The problem is that is easier said than done. Unfortunately, we have a lot psychological impediments both conscious and subconscious that make it very difficult to change.

Actually, it is really simple. Consume less calories than you expend and you will lose weight.

The drop in basal metabolic rate that occurs when an individual restricts calories is only temporary.

Years ago, I tried to lose weight on a low calorie, low fat diet.

Began developing flu-like symptoms. Excessive weakness, muscle pain, etc. Body temperature was 94 degrees.

The drop in basal metabolic rate is may not be at all temporary.

FDBryant3,

eat a balanced diet and exercise

Ask 23 nutritionists what a 'balanced diet' is and you will get at least 23 different responses.

This is an interesting idea - just one more piece of the puzzle. I lost 50 pounds last year simply by limiting my beverages to mostly milk and water, and running a mile each day (0.5 in the morning, 0.5 in the evening)

I think the fact that I had drastically reduced my sugar intake helped things. However, I am now at sort of a plateau, since I have gotten lazy. :) (Of course, 17 days with over 100 degree weather doesn't exactly help motivate me)

I have switched from 2% milk to 1%, though. No effects yet, but at least I've gotten used to 1% now.

You will likely do better with standard milk (3.5%). Low fat milk has more lactose in it.

Whole milk has 9-12g of lactose per cup, whereas 1% milk has 12-13g per cup.

Actually the combination of healthy eating and enough exercise will work for most people if they know what they are doing and put forth the effort. Yeah true there may be differences in what works for everyone...it will take a little trial and error on the individual's part. The problem is that when people want to lose weight, all they focus on is tons of cardio and drastically cutting back calorie intake because they want results immediately. However, it must be a gradual reduction in calories and exercise must include some sort of strength training which will greatly boost your metabolic rate (not to mention help keep it off)... reversing the risk of lowering it which most fad diets only promise.

I tend to disagree with the "it's easier said than done" argument as I have been through the whole process. I lost 60lbs in a 7 month period a few years ago, kept it off since then and have gained a considerable amount of lean muscle mass all because I did my research, tested to see what worked and stuck with it. It's more of a psychological change that must take place... don't look at it as a diet (which suggests a temporary solution) but rather a lifestyle change. This will help you stick with it and actually keep it off. I've had friends who've tried to lose weight and get frustrated and quit since they were not seeing results after two weeks--patience and persistence is key!

Very true. Great post urban10.

I tend to disagree with the "it's easier said than done" argument as I have been through the whole process. I lost 60lbs in a 7 month period a few years ago, kept it off since then and have gained a considerable amount of lean muscle mass all because I did my research, tested to see what worked and stuck with it. It's more of a psychological change that must take place... don't look at it as a diet (which suggests a temporary solution) but rather a lifestyle change. This will help you stick with it and actually keep it off. I've had friends who've tried to lose weight and get frustrated and quit since they were not seeing results after two weeks--patience and persistence is key!

I think I'll stick with my easier said than done argument. Congratulations on your success.........but for your success I'll see you my lack thereof. I'll then raise you several friends who have similar experiences to mine. I'll also take to my side your friends who are frustrated and finally just point to the general fattening of America (and the world?) in general. Your right when you say it is a lifestyle change and that is what makes it so difficult. I'm not saying it can't be done - just that it isn't easy. The problem is more psychological than physical though. If it was easy we wouldn't be seeing stories every other day about obesity.

I totally agree that it's more of a psychological issue than anything, primarily because we only think results happen physically (thus the strong desire to actually see results immediately). My friends, whom I helped and educated on the topic, ended their struggle because of this not because they couldn't do it. Almost every day they would tell me that they didn't see results, which I replied it takes time and will definitely see some results after a month. The recommended weight loss rate is 1-2 pounds per week, which definitely will take about a month to see the effects.

Since we are such an appearance/physically-driven society I understand how it can be frustrating for most. However, it helps to look at it for the health benefits rather than physical appearance, which should only be the result of your work and not the goal. I wouldn't even recommend going on a diet per say, but just making small, gradual changes to your diet can have a great influence on your weight loss. This article (as well as many other sources) does a good job at the details.

I also agree that it's not easy which is why there is a huge obesity problem arising, but which is also the reason people seek out any other solution that doesn't involve putting in the hard work via exercise and diet changes. I would say a large percentage of the population doesn't eat right and that an even larger population doesn't exercise nearly enough. I often hear the reason "I don't have time." If you make it an actual part of your lifestyle and find something you enjoy doing (walking, hiking, biking, running etc) then it becomes less of a hassle and you stay motivated. Trust me, once you get into a normal routine then it's pretty easy to stick with it.

...but for your success I'll see you my lack thereof. I'll then raise you several friends who have similar experiences to mine.

Well, I wish you and your friends luck in reaching your goals :)

Rhodezone --
Can you post a recipe here for those of us (most of us) who are deficient in Middle Eastern cuisine?
Thanks!

Sure...raw or cooked, or should I even ask that question? :o)

For the shell, you'll need

2 cups medium bulgur, soaked for a while in water, put in the fridge, drained, then chilled
About 2 lbs. ground lamb (lean beef or turkey work just as well)
3/4 of a small onion, chopped fine
A couple cloves of garlic, really finely diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper (to taste...I use cayenne)
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon (to taste)
1/2 tsp allspice (to taste)

You can make do just with that and eat it raw or cooked, but the stuffing's the kicker:

1/4 cup pine nuts
About a half pound additional ground meat
A few sprigs of mint or basil, chopped
A sprig of fresh parsley, chopped
A lil' olive oil to fry up the mixture
The other 1/4 of the onion, again, chopped fine.

Throw the shell ingredients in a blender or food processor until it's a nice paste. Spoon it out of there and mold into football-like shapes that fit in the cup of your hands. Set aside.

Combine and fry the stuffing ingredients over medium heat, and break it up well in the pan, until the meat and pine nuts are just just brown. Let it cool a bit.

Take the footballs, indent them with your thumb, insert the stuffing, then repatch each one.

You can deep-fry the final product like falafel, but baking them at 375 until crispy on the outside assures that my relatively healthy foodie effort here isn't in vain.

I usually eat mine with a side of rice, hummus, salad and pita bread, or za'atar, but they're also good topped with a yogurt-garlic-cucumber concoction of some sort, olive oil, or tahini.

Cool. Thanks so much, rhodezone.
And football shaped too - a good alternate to pizza and gooey dips with chips during the fast-approaching football season. Actually football season is upon us already.

Real tiramisù is dusted with shaved chocolate or cocoa powder, not cinnamon.

not my tiramisu. no cocoa either. strictly marscapone ladyfingers espresso a little sugar & marsala or some other alcohol. anyway that's how i do tiramisu.

Interesting, I will have to try that.

I make mine at home, and it's not fluffy like many restaurant versions either - no whipping vream for me. It's not so sweet either.

Here goes:

make double strength espresso. make a simple sugar syrup and combine with the espresso (sorry, i don't do quantities). in another bowl, beat marscapone cheese with powdered sugar and a little bit of marsala wine (or amaretto, or rum, or cointreau - you get the idea). dip ladyfingers in the espresso/syrup mixture and place in a serving dish in one layer. spoon the marscapone over the ladyfingers. repeat another layer of ladyfingers followed by the marscaopne. if you must garnish, use finely powdered espresso or turkish ground coffee. refrigerate overnight. the ladyfingers will absorb the espresso & become like a dense syrupy cake.

enjoy

ps - in a crunch (so to speak), vanilla wafers will do

hmm...latte