Can This 1 Unique Spice Help to Fight Abdominal Fat?
Richard Gayle Body n Rich Fitness - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
This spice that I'm going to mention is one of the most overlooked, but healthiest spices in the world...
You might even call it a "fat burning spice"... in a roundabout way.
And yes, it can actually help you win the battle against abdominal fat if you use it daily...I'll explain why.
Here are some other benefits of this miracle spice:
•controls blood sugar levels
•helps maintain insulin sensitivity
•a VERY powerful antioxidant
•may have antibacterial and antifungal properties
•and dozens of other benefits
So what is this miracle spice that beats abdominal fat?
Well... it's good old tasty Cinnamon!
Although cinnamon does NOT directly increase fat burning (such as by increasing metabolic rate, etc), it CAN actually help you to burn off abdominal fat and get leaner in an indirect way.
Here's how...
Although cinnamon has dozens of health benefits, the main benefit that will help you to get leaner is through it's strong effect on controlling blood sugar levels in your body.
In a study published in 2003 in the medical journal Diabetes Care, groups were split into people taking 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon per day in capsule form (the equivalent of approx 1/4th to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon).
The results of the study showed that all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting blood glucose levels by 18-29% after 40 days.
Cinnamon can also increase insulin sensitivity, which essentially means that it is helping your body to control blood sugar while simultaneously allowing your body to produce less insulin.
As you know, chronically high insulin levels can make your body pack on the blubber.
How to harness cinnamon to lose stubborn belly fat...
One possible way to benefit from cinnamon to lose more fat is to use cinnamon daily in your meals when you can, such as in yogurt or cottage cheese, in smoothies, oatmeal, or anything else you can think of where it would go well.
Also, you could use a cinnamon capsule before each of your meals.
This could help to control blood sugar and insulin response from your meals and thereby control your appetite and cravings throughout the day... hence, helping you to lose body fat more effectively over time.
So now you can see that not only is cinnamon a powerful antioxidant that can help you stay youthful longer, it can also help you to control blood sugar and get a leaner body!
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The Importance of GI to an Athlete
The Importance of GI:
An athlete should quickly replace glycogen stores after intense exercise. The speed at which the stores are replenished is where the GI of the food being eaten comes into the picture. Rapid replenishment of glycogen is a must for athletes who have to perform repetitively after small time intervals (e.g. during heats in sprinting). Such athletes do not have much time before the next event and must eat foods that immediately shoot up their blood glucose levels (high GI foods). Consuming high GI carbohydrates (approx. 1 gram per kg of body weight) within 2 hours of the exercise speeds up glycogen replenishment and recovery. In sports that require performance for long durations (over 1 hour), it is wise to keep the athlete replenished with glycogen consistently throughout the day. This can be done by eating low GI foods 2 hours before the exercise or competition. The food will slowly supply blood glucose and shore up the stores of glycogen and keep the athlete full of energy for longer. It is always a good idea to keep eating carbohydrates throughout a competition to keep the glycogen and blood sugar levels high and constant.
The GI of some common foods (The GI of glucose which is always used as the reference food is 100): GI is measured on a scale where the GI of glucose is 100. Foods have been categorized as low, medium and high GI foods.
Low GI = 55 or less,
Medium GI = 56 - 69,
High GI = 70 or more
Breakfast Cereals
Oatmeal 49
Shredded Wheat 67
Quaker Puffed Wheat 67
Grains
Brown Rice 55
Long Grain White Rice 56
Short Grain White Rice 72
Noodles (instant) 46
GI of Fruit
Apple 38 Banana 55
Grapes 46
Papaya 58
Pear 38
Pineapple 66
Plum 39
Watermelon 103
GI of Vegetables
Broccoli 10
Cabbage 10
Carrots 49
Corn 55
Green Peas 48
Lettuce 10
Mushrooms 10
Onions 10
Potato (baked) 93
Potato (mashed, instant) 86
Parsnips 97
Sweet Potato 54
GI of Legumes/Beans
Baked Beans 48
Broad Beans 79
Lentils 30
Red Kidney Beans 27
Soy Beans 18
GI of Breads, Muffins & Cakes
Bagel 72
Blueberry Muffin 59
Croissant 67
Donut 76
White Bread 70
Whole Wheat Bread 69
GI of Pasta
Spaghetti 43
Ravoli (meat) 39
Macaroni 47
Rice Vermicelli 58
GI of Dairy Foods
Milk (whole) 22
Milk (skimmed) 32
Ice Cream (whole) 61
Yoghurt (low-fat) 33
GI of Snack Foods
Cashews 22
Chocolate Bar 49
Corn Chips 72
Jelly Beans 80
Peanuts 14
Popcorn 55
Potato Chips 55
An athlete should quickly replace glycogen stores after intense exercise. The speed at which the stores are replenished is where the GI of the food being eaten comes into the picture. Rapid replenishment of glycogen is a must for athletes who have to perform repetitively after small time intervals (e.g. during heats in sprinting). Such athletes do not have much time before the next event and must eat foods that immediately shoot up their blood glucose levels (high GI foods). Consuming high GI carbohydrates (approx. 1 gram per kg of body weight) within 2 hours of the exercise speeds up glycogen replenishment and recovery. In sports that require performance for long durations (over 1 hour), it is wise to keep the athlete replenished with glycogen consistently throughout the day. This can be done by eating low GI foods 2 hours before the exercise or competition. The food will slowly supply blood glucose and shore up the stores of glycogen and keep the athlete full of energy for longer. It is always a good idea to keep eating carbohydrates throughout a competition to keep the glycogen and blood sugar levels high and constant.
The GI of some common foods (The GI of glucose which is always used as the reference food is 100): GI is measured on a scale where the GI of glucose is 100. Foods have been categorized as low, medium and high GI foods.
Low GI = 55 or less,
Medium GI = 56 - 69,
High GI = 70 or more
Breakfast Cereals
Oatmeal 49
Shredded Wheat 67
Quaker Puffed Wheat 67
Grains
Brown Rice 55
Long Grain White Rice 56
Short Grain White Rice 72
Noodles (instant) 46
GI of Fruit
Apple 38 Banana 55
Grapes 46
Papaya 58
Pear 38
Pineapple 66
Plum 39
Watermelon 103
GI of Vegetables
Broccoli 10
Cabbage 10
Carrots 49
Corn 55
Green Peas 48
Lettuce 10
Mushrooms 10
Onions 10
Potato (baked) 93
Potato (mashed, instant) 86
Parsnips 97
Sweet Potato 54
GI of Legumes/Beans
Baked Beans 48
Broad Beans 79
Lentils 30
Red Kidney Beans 27
Soy Beans 18
GI of Breads, Muffins & Cakes
Bagel 72
Blueberry Muffin 59
Croissant 67
Donut 76
White Bread 70
Whole Wheat Bread 69
GI of Pasta
Spaghetti 43
Ravoli (meat) 39
Macaroni 47
Rice Vermicelli 58
GI of Dairy Foods
Milk (whole) 22
Milk (skimmed) 32
Ice Cream (whole) 61
Yoghurt (low-fat) 33
GI of Snack Foods
Cashews 22
Chocolate Bar 49
Corn Chips 72
Jelly Beans 80
Peanuts 14
Popcorn 55
Potato Chips 55
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