sushi and cinnamon

Hello all! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend, even if you just stayed in the boro! I definitely stayed here this weekend and even though I was sick a majority of the weekend, it was still nice! Friday I spent a little time with Buck in the lab and for the first time I was able to see what he actually does for hours on top of hours. Needless to say, my mind was blown. After sitting in the lab we decided to go out for some sushi :D I cant tell all of you enough how much I ALL THE SUDDEN LOVE sushi. I guess Buck has instilled this in me, but its a new obsession. Its just an awesome combination of great things that my metabolism LOVES. Seaweed, veggies, and rice.... all good stuff!  We also had seaweed salad... YUM! Quite the date night... haha sitting in the lab with phytoplankton and eating sushi :D Saturday I woke up and headed over to Sugar Magnolia and had some brunch! Followed by a farmers market visit with my SOAR partner, Keonnie! Finished the day off with the pool (+a burn), pizza with Bucky, and a good nights rest! Woke up Sunday, had some Easter breakfast, did homework ALL day, and had a nice dinner prepared my Bucky. Definitely a good weekend in my eyes ! Here is the remainder of his homemade sushi... I think I'll keep him

So today, I thought I would write on something I found pretty awesome. I came across this article entitled "9 Spices with Super Healing Powers" . Last week I happen to turn on the TV to Dr.Oz. He was doing some show on alternative cures, naturally I tuned in. I have this really bad habit of picking hangnails, its a bad nervous habit, and Dr.Oz happened to be talking about it. He said applying Tumeric to the surface would help this. You all know my stance on the healing power of food, so I thought I would look up more cures in the form of spices. So, here is some things I found!

Cinnamon-- (my FAV!)

Packed with all sorts of good things, Cinnamon is a powerhouse of antioxidants. These antioxidants keep cells from oxidative stress and all the free radicals we come in contact with. Also, LOTS of studies have been done about this spice and its effect on Diabetes. With 1 and 10 Americans suffering from Type 2, cinnamon has been linked with lowering blood sugar levels-- yay, the power of food :D Last but not least, studies have shown that it helped restore cognitive levels and correct movement problems in the animals: possibly helping prevent Alzheimer's. So, aim for a quarter- to a half of a teaspoon, a couple times weekly. Whether its on your oatmeal or sprinkled over apples, this is definitely a yummy and healthy choice!

Tumeric--

"Turmeric's health benefits are through the roof," says Reardon. "If I could only have one spice for the rest of my life, it'd be turmeric." Used in Indian cuisine and medicine for a millennium, Western medicine is FINALLY catching on to this wonderful antioxidant. Tumerics active ingredient, curcumin, has been shown to fight off cancer, amyloid plaque development, etc. This spice is helpful with things such as regulating triglyceride levels, regulating the immune system, and protecting the cardiovascular system. This is my favorite part-- Tumeric contains something known as COX-2 inhibitor -- like a non steroidal anti-inflammatory. Studies have shown that a daily dose has the same effects as Ibuprofen on patients with osteoporosis of the knee. So, like I said, applying this to my red/inflamed hang nail would be very effective!! Aim for a teaspoon of turmeric at least three times a week, not too much more than that because this can have some negative effects on your body as well --- effecting things such as: blood clotting and exacerbating existing gall blabber issues. So just be careful :D

Ginger--

Along with my new obsession of sushi, comes a new taste of Ginger. They always place this with your sushi to 'cleanse your palate" , but I guess it has a lot better things going for it than just your palate! With just the right amount, Ginger has been used for quieting nausea, speeding food through the digestive tract, and protecting against gastric ulcers. With the same properties or Tumeric, COX inhibitor is found in Ginger. This can help with just about any type of pain, from menstrual cramps to migraines (haha both of which I suffer from). Make sure to check with your doctor before consuming much more than a dose a day. This could possibly cause drug interactions, gas, heartburn, and exacerbation of existing gall issues.

Chili Peppers-- (another fav!)

Used for almost 10,000 years, chili peppers have been thought of as an ingredient to spice up your food or speed up your metabolism... while each of those is true, chili peppers hold some other pretty awesome qualities. Capsaicin, the active ingredient in CP, has been linked to a great topical pain reliever for headaches, arthritis, and other chronic pain problems. Inhibiting the release of things called "P-Proteins", chili peppers interrupt the pain signals getting sent to the brain. Just 1/8 of a teaspoon has the health benefits you need... so eat up !!

MMMM! feel free to look at the rest of these spices, I just thought I'd spark your brain a little! Have a wonderful Monday and if you'd like a little workout tonight, come see me at pilates! 5:30 tonight :D

Brianna