Oatmeal for cholesterol: improving on a good thing
I'm sure you've heard the news that eating oatmeal every day can help you lower cholesterol. Those folks at General Mills work hard to make sure that we never forget! But your heart-healthy breakfast doesn't have to be bland and boring. Adding a quarter teaspoon each of powdered ginger and cinnamon to every serving of cooked oatmeal amps up the health benefits—and the flavor—of your daily bowl.
In addition to being one of my favorite spices, ginger is a potent anti-inflammatory agent. Reducing systemic inflammation has been shown to lower your risk of heart disease andmany other illnesses. Cinnamon is a terrific complement to ginger, in terms of both its flavor profile and its health benefits. Cinnamon helps you maintain healthy blood sugar levels by enhancing your sensitivity to insulin. As heart disease and diabetes often go hand in hand, cinnamon and ginger make a delicious dynamic duo for heart health.
Have you come up with interesting or unusual ways to use cinnamon and ginger in healthy recipes? Post them below!
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Posted by: Lea Emmanuel Mgonja | Mar 24, 2009 12:44:36 PM
The information is very useful thanks so much.
Posted by: jpatti | Jul 10, 2007 7:35:43 AM
More informaiton on the effect of cinnamon on bg can be found here: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/15877514.php
As for the oatmeal, if your bg can handle it, great! However, keep in mind that research has shown that average bg levels are a stronger predictor of cardiac health than triglyceride or cholesterol values.
This is true even for non-diabetics! Controlling bg does more for your heart health than controlling cholesterol! See: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/15945839.php
Posted by: Erik | Feb 21, 2007 2:14:01 PM
You can make a pretty potent salad dressing out of ginger and cinnamon. Add lemon juice, vinegar (rice wine works well), and/or sesame oil, in whatever proportions float your boat.
You can cut it with some water or nonfat yogurt if desired. You could also add garlic, onion, maybe some horseradish or mustard. If you like it sweeter, you could use honey.
Shred some napa cabbage, mix in some bok choy, and you've got a nice salad. Toss in some lean chicken or pork, maybe some edamame and/or mushrooms and it's a complete meal.
Posted by: Erik | Feb 21, 2007 1:31:58 AM
Ginger and cinnamon would probably also work well with:
Shrimp
Fish (especially white meat fish)
Chicken
Squash (especially winter like butternut, acorn or pumpkin)
Apples
Pears
Chick Peas (garbanzo beans)
Couscous
Rice (maybe baked brown rice)
Chai Tea
Sweet Potatoes
Cabbage
Mushrooms
Ribs
Tuna
Turkey
Peaches (especially a peach salsa)
Scallops
Cornish Hen
Lobster
Yogurt
A lot of that is conjecture. Some of that might be perfectly horrid. Good luck!
Posted by: Erik | Feb 20, 2007 1:42:07 AM
Ginger and Cinnamon are two of the components of Five Spice Powder, and would probably work well with any recipe that otherwise calls for Five Spice.
Ginger and Cinnamon are great on Asian Pears, which are giant honkin' things, usually from Korea. Asian Pears are much tastier and generally more nutritious than domestic pears.
Ginger and Cinnamon go great in a mango / pineapple salsa which in turn goes great on lean pork or chicken. Heck, try it on cardboard. Basic components are mango, pineapple, onion, ginger in whatever proportions that suit you.
If you're into Inflammation Factor, chili powder (especially hot), garlic powder, turmeric, onion powder and curry powder also pack a punch. (BTW, so does Aspirin, but I probably wouldn't use it as a food supplement). For onion and garlic powders I have dedicated pepper mills. I discarded the pepper and put dried minced garlic in one and dried minced onion in the other. I'll probably do ginger and cumin that way in the future.
All of these spices are readily available cheap at a mexican grocery store or the mexican food aisle of most megamarts. If you go to the spice aisle, the price sometimes goes up by a factor of 10.
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While you're there, be sure to pick up some Mexican Oregano, which is much much much more flavorful than regular Oregano.
Another spice worth picking up is filé, which is ground sassafrass leaves used in a variety of southern dishes. It has a robust flavor similar to thyme, and it can thicken soups / stews / sauces. If you buy it, check the ingredients. You want only filé, not some mixture of salt and thyme and lord knows what else.
In the south, filé is everywhere. However, I couldn't find it here except in a whole foods co-op type market.
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By the way, rolled oats go great with super lean meat. Lately some of the stores have been offering some extremely lean ground meat - in the 96% fat free category, which is lower in fat than soybeans. Examples are very lean ground pork, beef, buffalo, turkey breast, chicken breast.
The meats can be fairly dry, but they are great when mixed with rolled oats, onion, spinach (frozen, thawed, water squeezed out) and some egg (or egg white). The mixture can be rolled into meatballs and baked, formed into patties and cooked like hamburgers, or it can be used as a meatloaf.
From there, add anything you like - tomato sauce, barbeque sauce, teriyaki, sweet & sour, curry, lemon-ginger-cinammon, you name it.
