Here is one spice that we take every day--Cinnamon.
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| Bob DeMarco |
Let me preface my article by saying this, all of the things I do are designed to benefit my mother, but just as important - keep my body and brain healthy.
Since I know that I am genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's, I decided I should do as many things as I can do, right now, to protect my brain and increase cognitive activity.
Cinnamon is good source of manganese, fibre, iron and calcium. Several studies indicate that cinnamon may help prevent type II diabetes, lower blood pressure, lower LDL cholesterol, and lower blood sugar. Cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant. I should say, cinnamon is very high in antioxidant activity--when I read this we started ingesting cinnamon every day.
In my article Five Ways to Keep Alzheimer's Away, I wrote about how high cholesterol and high blood pressure increase Alzheimer's and dementia risks. Cinnamon lowers cholesterol and blood pressure.
Many researchers believe that one of the best ways to protect the brain is through the ingestion of antioxidants. Cinnamon fills the bill. You might also find this article about antioxidants interesting--Drinking juice could delay onset of Alzheimer's disease.
My entire family has high tryglicerides, so cinnamon is an excellent substitute for sugar and sweeteners for us. Research studies show that cinnamon enhances the ability of insulin to metabolize glucose, helping to control blood sugar levels.
Studies indicate that smelling cinnamon increases brain activity. There are also some who believe that cinnamon is an aphrodisiac. One thing for sure, it is very pleasant to smell.
I now shake the cinnamon into our coffee each morning.
You could try this in the morning. Whole wheat toast, shake on the cinnamon, and add a little honey.
Side note. I was born and raised in Philadelphia. The cinnamon bun, cheese steak, soft pretzel, scrapple, hoagie, butterscotch Krimpet, and Goldenberg Peanut Chew were all invented in Philadelphia.
All an essential part of my diet when I was growing up.
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Bob DeMarco is the Founder of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. The ARR knowledge base contains more than 3,811 articles with more than 306,100 links on the Internet. Bob lives in Delray Beach, FL.
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room