Spice Up Your Life #2: The Benefits Of Cinnamon

Second episode of the “Spice Up Your Life” series: today we’re going to talk about cinnamon and all the health benefits that it brings along.

First of all: do you know what is cinnamon? I used to ignored it an just found out that it’s a small tree that grows in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Egypt and Vietnam.
I also discovered that cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known to humans. To prepare it, the bark of the tree is dried and then rolled into the very well-known cinnamon sticks (also called quills).
Cinnamon can also be dried and ground into powder which is the most common use in American households.

The flavor and aroma comes from a compound in the essential oil of the tree bark called cinnamonaldehyde.

Spice Up Your Life!

Do you know that herbs and spices have more disease-fighting antioxidants than most fruits and vegetables? This means that they may help protect against certain chronic conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Most of the evidence exists for cinnamon, chili peppers, turmeric, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary.
For instance anti-inflammatory compounds contained in cinnamon have been linked to lower inflammation, as well as reductions in blood glucose concentrations in people with diabetes. We are going to explore some of the most used herbs and spices in the next days for now let's just get a general idea on them.

The Water Trick (aka Are You Hungry Or Just Thirsty?)

Especially for those of you out there trying to lose weight, this trick can prove to be really helpful.
It is known that most people mistake low-level thirst for low-level hunger.
Try this: when you’re feeling hungry (and it’s not breakfast, lunch or dinner time), drink a glass of water and only if you’re still hungry after 20 minutes later then maybe it’s time to think about eating. Truth is, half the time you were just thirsty.

Calorie Restriction: Our Future?

Already in several posts we have mentioned the concept of calorie restriction but we never went into much detail about it.
In fact, even if I had a general idea, there were still some technicalities about it that I ignored. I mean, when you’re talking about restricting calories, to what extent should you limit your food intake on a daily basis?
We know that you should be careful with what you shovel down your throat and that overeating is never good but what worried me is that there is always a fine line between being healthy and unhealthy: you want to restrict but not missing on necessary and precious nutrients.   
With that idea in mind I did some research and found quite a bit of literature on the topic.

Mustard May Help You Build Lean Muscles

If you’re trying to going from fat to fit, or from fit to even better fit you might want consider adding mustard to your diet. A recent research from the Human Health Institute, FBNS at North Carolina University in Kannapolis, N.C. has found that a compound called homobrassinolide (found in plants like mustard) helps proteins synthesis in muscles cells and this leads to increases in lean body mass, muscle mass and physical performance.

Mustard seeds

X-Factor's LeRoy Bell: Looking 30 at 60

I don’t know whether you watch X-Factor, as for me, I never did until last night. But one of my roommates was watching it and I joined him.
All of a sudden a contestant named LeRoy Bell took the stage and started his performance: great voice and pretty fly look. While watching him I thought to myself that this dude must have been in his late 30s, early 40s tops. But then it came out that Mr. LeRoyBell is actually 60...no joke he’s 60 years old.
I was speechless, at the most, because I never ever saw in my life somebody looking that good at 60 (the pictures below will give you an idea!)
Since at TheIronYou we take inspiration from others I couldn’t resist digging into this TV reality show contestant and discover what’s his recipe for eternal youth.

What Is Gymnorexia?

Some people are addicted to drugs, others to cigarettes, others to alcohol, others to sugars as for myself I guess that my addiction is exercising.
I can’t deny it, I have an addiction and I’ll admit it. Everyday I have to sweat it out by either running, swimming, biking, practicing yoga, hitting the gym...but I have to do something. If I don’t I just feel miserable: I need my daily dose of endorphins and that’s final!
I always thought that among all the dependecies a person can possibly have mine was probably the best one.
Actually I thought it was not even worth of calling it addiction (a word with an underlying negative meaning) but more of a good habit.
I was happy about this until I found out that there is quite some literature on this “addiction”...to the point that lately it has also been officially labeled as “‘gymnorexia” or “exerciseorexia” or “exercise bulimia”.
And some doctors started warning about the serious damages people can do themselves  through developing a compulsion to workout excess.
In the UK, at Berkshire’s Huntercombe Hospital, people addicted to exercise are treated as strong as any associated with drink or drugs.
I personally think that this might be little bit too much so it's best to find out more!

Olive Oil: Do You Really Know Me?

In the last two decades olive oil has made its way into almost every household in the U.S. (not to mention in Europe) not only has a condiment for salads but in a lot of recipes: sauces, cakes, breads, pies, etc...
And that’s really good news as olive oil is one of the building blocks of any healthy diets. Why? Because it’s a primary source of what are usually referred to as good fats.
So let’s discover more about it!

Fight With The Gods: The Immortals' Workout

On 11/11/11 “The Immortals” will be released on theaters worldwide. I have personally high expectations since the producers are the same of the “300” (movie that I absolutely loved) also I’ve been fond of ancient Greek mythology since I was a little kid and, in particular, of the myth of Perseus hence I can’t wait to see it!

Working Out And Dieting According To A Calvin Klein Model

I'm not sure whether the name Garrett Neff rings any bells to you, probably not. But you might remember him as the face of Calvin Klein fragrance “Body” or in Trussardi S/S 10 campaign or in last summer H&M campaign or in this fall Express campaign or or or or, the list could continue endlessly as Garrett is one of the most successful male models of his generation.

I had the chance of briefly meeting him before a show, and he’s a very nice down to earth dude, absolutely grounded and not at all full of himself.