The Science Behind Holiday Spices: Cinnamon

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As you enjoy that cider spiced with cloves and nutmeg, we’ll finish with the most traditional spice of the holiday: cinnamon. It’s used in many sweet and savory dishes all year long, but when it comes to smells that conjure up the holidays, no spice really does it better than cinnamon. Not only does cinnamon add a characteristic flavor to many foods, it’s one of the most researched spices in health today.

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum. Harvesting the cinnamon involves removing branches from a . . .

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The Science Behind Holiday Spices: Nutmeg

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One of the signature spices of the holiday season is nutmeg, and nothing says nutmeg more than eggnog. For me, it can end right there but in doing the background research, I found nutmeg is used in a variety of holiday dishes from cookies to main dishes to holiday-spiced lattes.

Nutmeg is a commonly used spice derived from the seed of the Myristica fragrans tree. A little nutmeg goes a long way, so it’s used sparingly especially when grated fresh. Just like cloves, nutmeg is being researched for its health properties. In the past year, research studies have . . .

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The Science Behind Holiday Spices: Cloves

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No one has to tell us that Christmas and the New Year are coming; it’s in the air. You can smell the holiday season this time of year. This week, I’m going to cover three spices used this time of year and talk about some of the potential health benefits of each. I’m not suggesting their use makes foods healthy if they’re also high in sugar and fat—just that there’s some interesting science behind these spices.

If you prepare . . .

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The Answer to the Sugar Conundrum

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Whether you have prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, or are just concerned about the calories in the sugary treats this holiday season, what should you do? Go without and feel deprived, or indulge and pay some sort of price? Let’s take a look by beginning with a few questions.

Why do you want to reduce your sugar intake? Do you want to reduce your caloric intake? Is it because you know you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes? Are you concerned about gaining weight over the holiday season? Once you know why you want to avoid sugar, you can start . . .

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Sugar Alternatives

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Dealing with our sweet tooth this week, let’s look at sugar alternatives that may give us better choices if we don’t want to use artificial sweeteners.

Sugar alcohols are one alternative; xylitol, sorbitol, and other sugar alcohols are often used in candies and other treats. They can be a reasonable alternative to regular sugar, but there are a few things you need to know. First, they have a pronounced aftertaste; it feels like a cool sensation. Second, they’re not calorie free but . . .

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The Sugar Conundrum

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During the holiday season, there are plenty of sugary snacks available. Candy, cookies, pies, all kinds of treats. But can something as simple as jam on toast, let alone the holiday treats, be an issue for someone with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes? With close to half of all adults afflicted with one condition or the other, any kind of sugar stops them in their tracks. I see people reading labels carefully in the grocery store and often hear the words “No good. It has sugar!” In the prediabetes and diabetes groups I . . .

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Dreading Thanksgiving?

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Thursday is America's biggest eating holiday, and a lot of us who need to watch what we eat are dreading all the choices we'll have to make. How do you handle it?

Here's my suggestion: give yourself a moderate serving of everything that appeals to you and enjoy it thoroughly. If you absolutely must take a serving of Aunt Minnie's casserole, take a tablespoon or two; as long as you eat some, tradition is maintained and no feelings are hurt.

Then take a breather. Sit and talk with everyone for 10 or 20 minutes. If you . . .

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Power Up with Vitamin B12

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The final supplement I’ll cover this week is vitamin B12, sometimes called the energy vitamin. Many vitamins are involved with energy production, but a lack of B12 can certainly cause problems with energy and other issues.

Vitamin B12 is also known as cobalamin and if you’re wondering, yes, this vitamin does include the mineral cobalt. There are two primary functions of B12 in the body. The first is to help reduce the chemical homocysteine to methionine while helping folate be converted into a usable form in the same reaction. Without enough B12, homocysteine increases inflammation in the body . . .

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Do You Make Enough Coenzyme Q10?

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There’s one major difference between coQ10 and other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients such as omega-3s: we can produce coQ10 ourselves. The problem is that we may not produce all the coQ10 we need, especially as we get older.

CoQ10 is used in the production of energy from both carbohydrates and fat in the mitochondria of the cells. You remember mitochondria from science class; they’re often called the powerhouse of the cells. And coQ10 is the substance that’s used to produce that power. It’s critical in the steps where oxygen is used to produce ATP, the . . .

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What You Need to Know About Omega-3s

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This week I’m covering basic information about three supplements.  One of my favorites and one I don’t ever leave home without is omega-3 fatty acids.

There are three basic forms of omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentanoic acid or EPA, docosahexaenoic acid or DHA, and alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. The body cannot make omega-3 fatty acids, so they have to come from food and supplements. ALA is an essential fatty acid—the body can make EPA and DHA from it but not very well—so getting EPA and DHA from diet and supplements is critical.

EPA . . .

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