Positive Health Online

Are you looking for a simple and very low-cost way to lower your blood sugar, get an antioxidant boost, reduce inflammation and manage cholesterol?

There are 3 common dry foods which you can easily add to your cup of tea or smoothie.  Not only are they cheap, they are backed by research and they don’t have any side effects. One word of caution, if you’re on medication, check with a practitioner first!

Ginger, cinnamon and cacao (a less processed version of cocoa powder) are well deserving, in my opinion, of being described as evidence-based superfoods!

The research is impressive.

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Ginger

In one study, participants were given 1.5g of ginger for 12 weeks (that’s about half a teaspoonful). These were the results:

• Improved blood sugar management (including reducing HbA1C, a commonly tested marker for pre-diabetes);
• Reduced CRP (a marker for inflammation);
• Reduced total cholesterol.

Improvements were significant compared to the placebo group

A quick and easy way to reap the benefits of ginger is to add powdered ginger to herbal teas such as camomile or green tea.

For the stronger and more potent ginger “hit” try a daily shot.  Use 15g of fresh ginger root to 100mls of water. Simply blitz the ginger with the skin on in a blender with the water. Use a fine sieve to remove the fibrous bits. You can make in bulk and freeze in ice cube trays or keep in the fridge for four days.

Cinnamon

Another spice that goes well in tea (or sprinkled into yoghurt or a smoothie) is cinnamon.

• Cinnamon reduces inflammation and boosts the level of disease-fighting antioxidants in your body.
• It’s beneficial for heart health, a particular important concern for women post-menopause, because it has been shown to reduce cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar levels. Cinnamon has also been found to reduce blood pressure in doses of 2g daily when given for 8 weeks.
• An analysis of 35 clinical trials found that cinnamon significantly reduced total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and serum glucose. Doses used were up to 1.5 g (about three-quarters of a teaspoon).
• Cinnamon provides a burst of antioxidants which help your body fight off harmful free radicals associated with inflammation and chronic disease.

Cacao

Cacao powder is a less processed version of cocoa. It is great for giving the taste of chocolate without the added sugar and it contains superb levels of antioxidants called flavanols and polyphenols.

Unlike beans that are made into cocoa, which are heated to high temperatures when they are roasted, raw cacao powder is made from cold-pressed beans. This means many more of the nutrients and beneficial plant chemicals are retained intact. Here are some of the benefits of cacao:

• Flavanols support heart health, which is particularly important for women in peri and post-menopause. Flavanols have been shown to be beneficial for cardiovascular health by helping to lower blood pressure, maintain the elasticity of blood vessels and reduce inflammation;
• Cacao powder is a rich source of fibre and protein and contains iron, magnesium and potassium.

You can make cacao into a drink with hot milk of your choice. Or you can sprinkle it onto yoghurt or add it to a smoothie. Check out my cashew cacao smoothie recipe  https://nutritionistlondon.co.uk/dairy-free-cacao-cashew-smoothie-nutritionist-london/