Which Spice Helps Control Blood Sugar Levels & Fights Belly Fat?

By Paul Scicluna

 
 

Could this very common but largely overlooked spice be called the top fat burning spice? Well if you use it daily it has been shown to help people shed that stubborn belly fat.

It's also been used throughout history for it’s medicinal properties as far back as the ancient Egyptians. It was very valuable and was considered as the spice for kings.

I’m talking about... Cinnamon. Yes you read that correctly. Just about everybody has heard about the spice cinnamon but many people would hardly use it these days.

It’s not only a very healthy spice, but it’s also very versatile to use in a wide range of meals that you can add it too.

Some of the benefits of cinnamon are:

         * Helps with insulin sensitivity

         * Helps to control blood sugar levels

         * Helps to control cravings

         * Anti-bacterial

         * Anti-fungal

         * Powerful anti-oxidant

         * Anti-inflammatory properties

         * Protects against diabetes

         * Protects against heart disease

         * May prevent against cancer

So as you can see, it’s wise to introduce cinnamon into your diet as not only will it help with weight loss, but it also provides so many more benefits that will help your body over the long term.

So how does this amazing spice help with weight loss?

Well cinnamon doesn’t actually burn fat directly. How cinnamon helps with weight loss is through it’s powerful effect with controlling the blood sugar levels in your body. This is one of the main benefits with cinnamon for those wanting to lose weight and become leaner.

Studies have shown that cinnamon reduces the amount of glucose (sugar) entering the bloodstream after meals. It also showed that cinnamon lowers the fasting glucose levels by up to 29%.

Cinnamon has been shown to improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin. More and more people these days are becoming resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin. This condition is known as insulin resistance and can lead to diabetes as well as metabolic syndrome.

Just remember that blood sugar that is not burned as energy is turned into fat, resulting in weight gain or increased body fat storage, and as many of you may have experienced, more and more of that fat storage ends up around the abdominal area.

So, by improving insulin sensitivity as well as controlling blood sugar levels, cinnamon helps your body to reduce fat storage. And it protects your body from insulin resistance which could have led to other health issues that I am sure you don’t want.

So How Can You Exploit Cinnamon For Weight Loss…

To exploit the benefits of cinnamon, start introducing this super tasty splice into at least one of your daily meals.

Now you could add cinnamon to a freshly made smoothie or juice, fruit salad, yogurt, oats and even in curries and stir-frys. There are plenty of ways to get cinnamon into your daily diet.

By doing this you’ll be helping to control your blood sugar and insulin levels which in turn will help with body fat storage, resulting in better weight management and weight loss over time.

Personally I add one teaspoon of cinnamon to my morning smoothie everyday so I can get the amazing benefits from this awesome spice.

BEWARE...

Not all cinnamon is created equal. The best cinnamon to buy is “Ceylon”. This variety of cinnamon has much lower levels of the compound coumarin. Coumarin has been shown to be potentially harmful in large doses.

Unfortunately the cinnamon stocked in most supermarkets is the cheaper variety of cinnamon called “Cassia”. This has much higher levels of coumarin, so try to steer clear of the Cassia variety of cinnamon and go for the Ceylon variety of cinnamon.

To great health,

Paul Scicluna