Here is another cinnamon article I had saved..

Glucose-Lowering Cinnamon Tea
Excerpted from Diabetes: Prevention and Cure, by C. Leigh Broadhurst, PhD, Kensington Books, New York, 1999, pp. 192-193

“In the laboratory where I work at the US Department of Agriculture, we have investigated over 60 plant extracts in a special cell culture test that determines how much a particular compound stimulates the uptake and utilization of glucose. While these tests are no substitute for human or animal studies, they are important because they identify safe compounds that act directly on cell metabolism. Plenty of plants and individual phytochemicals can lower blood sugar, but many accomplish this by imposing toxic effects on the body. Cinnamon was by far the most active compound in our assay, so we focused on it.

From an extract of commercial cinnamon, we identified new phytochemicals called chalcone polymers that increase glucose metabolism in the cells twentyfold or more. In addition, cinnamon contains anthocyanins of the type thought to improve capillary function, and an extract similar to ours has been shown to inhibit the formation of ulcers and increase blood flow to the stomach in rats. As chalcone polymers strongly inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species in activated blood platelets, we also know them as antioxidants.

A number of antioxidant phytochemicals have already been identified in cinnamon, so that cinnamon may have all three of the beneficial actions mentioned previously. Since the first published results that identify cinnamon as a potential therapy for diabetes, we have heard from hundreds of people who found that it works. Since cinnamon is very safe, there is little harm in trying it yourself.

To use cinnamon to help lower blood sugar and broadly improve Types I and II diabetes, put 3 rounded tablespoons of ground cinnamon and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking soda (use a lesser amount if sodium is a problem for you) in a 32-ounce (quart) canning jar. Fill the jar with boiling water and let steep at room temperature until cool. Strain or decant the liquid and discard the grounds, and then put a lid on the jar and refrigerate.

Drink 1 cup (8 ounces) of the tea 4 times per day. After 1-3 weeks, drop to 1-2 cups per day or use as needed. For those with Type I diabetes, start with only 1-2 cups per day and increase by 1 cup per week, monitoring blood sugar closely. Buying cinnamon in bulk is cost-effective and highly recommended....”
.... I WOULD HAVE TO GUESS AT THE REASON FOR THE BAKING SODA IN THE RECIPE; SINCE BOTH POWDERS ARE ALKALINE, I DOUBT THE SODA IS ADDED TO PROTECT THE LIPS FROM IRRITATION. FOR THAT, I'D SUGGEST SIPPING THE TEA THROUGH A STRAW. BUT GIVEN THE AUTHOR'S CREDENTIALS, I AM NOT INCLINED TO QUESTION THAT SHE HAS A SOUND PURPOSE FOR THIS. MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT THE BAKING SODA EXTRACTS THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS INTO THE WATER MORE EFFECTIVELY AND TAKES OUT SOME OF THE MORE QUESTIONABLE COMPONENTS.

This beverage is easily portable. If pre-chilled, it will stay fresh and palatable enough for a few hours (as long as you are not in a high temperature environment). Or of course you can carry it in some kind of cold pack and keep it fresh all day. To put the tea into a carry-along plastic water bottle, be sure to allow it to cool down at least until lukewarm before you pour.

Regarding cleanup: Cinnamon can be difficult to launder out of fabrics, so avoid dripping this tea onto anything of value. The only other thing of note is that the sludge actually does not clog the drain. The strainer and the jar or teapot can be rinsed out and hand-washed normally. I wouldn't put a cinnamon sludge-filled item in a dishwasher, though... rinse it first.

AT FIRST I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE TEA MIGHT STAIN TEETH, SINCE ITS COLOR IS SO DARK. THIS HAS NOT MATERIALIZED.

Thanks Jennifer for the recipes

jen,
i have never given my son goat milk. i am not sure if there is casein in it. He does drink soy milk, almond milk and rice milk though. Maybe i could try making the almond milk yogurt for him, or maybe i will just keep giving him his probiotics and forget the yogurt..lol
karen

Karen,

Would your son eat raw cultured vegetables? They are also excellent as probiotics. According to the Body Ecology Diet and also Nourishing Traditions, raw cultured veggies are a super nutrient, and they re-culture the intestinal flora in a most healthy way.

There's a brand at the health food store called "Rejuvenative Foods." I love the Kim Chee. It's like sauerkraut. Just like the ghee, it is also very expensive. I usually eat half a cup per day or less. These are the only veggies I ever eat. These are excellent with any type of protein.

Most commercial sauerkrauts and pickled products are not raw and truly cultured; they are heated or pasteurized. Basically, they're dead and only serve to feed candida. You have to get the 'real deal' or make it yourself. The Rejuvenative Foods brand is the 'real deal.' There may be others.

On probiotics, there's a thread on the General Health forum started by Nancy LC, where she is testing refrigerated probiotics from the health food store and finding them to be dead. It's titled something like "Probiotics are a rip-off." Very interesting!!

Jen,
unfortunately my son has some sensory issues and wont eat many foods. he hates anything soft or squishy..i actually have a nutritionist coming to my house tomorrow to evaluate him and she will probably start coming every few weeks to work with him on his sensory issues to try to get him to try more foods. So, no the cultured veggies isnt something he would eat, he wont eat any veggies at all.
karen

I am attaching a link for a great article here. It is a medical research article on kidney health and protein intake. I thought some may still be afraid of m/e because of the myth about kidney damage. It is a pdf so you need Adobe Acrobat to read it. I hope you find it helpful. Have a great day. I'll CBL.

http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.c...3-7075-2-25.pdf

Here is an article right on topic. I hope it isn't a repeat:

More Saturated Fat = Less Coronary Artery Disease!
Anthony Colpo, November 9, 2004.

The latest issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has just published a study that gives saturated fat-defending heretics like yours truly something to smile about.

Researchers took 235 postmenopausal women with established coronary heart disease and performed coronary angiographies at the start of the study and after a mean follow-up of 3.1 years. A total of 2243 coronary segments were analyzed. The women were also divided into four categories according to their level of saturated fat intake. Saturated fats found to be protective After adjusting for multiple confounders, a higher saturated fat intake was associated with less narrowing of the arteries and less progression of coronary atherosclerosis during follow-up. Compared with a 0.22-mm narrowing in the lowest quartile of intake, there was a 0.10-mm narrowing in the second quartile, a 0.07-mm narrowing in the third quartile, and no narrowing in the fourth and highest quartile of saturated fat intake.

Carbohydrates found to be harmful

The protective association of saturated fat was more pronounced among women with lower monounsaturated fat and higher carbohydrate intakes. Carbohydrate intake was positively associated with atherosclerotic progression, particularly when the glycemic index was high. Polyunsaturates found to be harmful Polyunsaturated fat intake was positively associated with progression of atherosclerosis when replacing other fats, but monounsaturated and total fat intakes were not associated with progression.

The bottom line

The authors concluded: "In postmenopausal women with relatively low total fat intake, a greater saturated fat intake is associated with less progression of coronary atherosclerosis, whereas carbohydrate intake is associated with a greater progression". "Our findings are not consistent with the hypothesis…that saturated fat intake increases atherosclerotic progression in postmenopausal women but instead suggest that saturated fat intake may reduce such progression, especially when monounsaturated fat intake is low or carbohydrate intake is high. Our findings also suggest that carbohydrate intake may increase atherosclerotic progression, especially when refined carbohydrates replace saturated or monounsaturated fats".

Mere association or direct causation?

After examining the baseline data for the study subjects, it becomes apparent that the results can not be explained away by otherwise healthier lifestyles among those eating the most saturated fat; the high saturated fat group, in fact, had the greatest number of current smokers. Studies like this do not prove causation, but we do know that saturated fatty acids, because of their lack of vulnerable double bonds, are the least susceptible to free radical damage; polyunsaturates are the most vulnerable. We also know that increased carbohydrate consumption, especially of the refined variety, does a sterling job of raising blood sugar and insulin levels, which accelerates glycation, free radical activity, blood clot formation, and arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation. Furthermore, the contention that increased polyunsaturated fat and carbohydrate consumption can worsen cardiovascular disease is supported by evidence from clinical trials and by the observation that increasing heart disease incidence throughout the twentieth century has been accompanied by increasing polyunsaturate and refined carbohydrate consumption. Animal fat consumption, in contrast, has remained stable over the last 100 years. Anti-saturate stupidity

You know, I could take this opportunity to really dump on those who have been incessantly slandering saturated fat all these years, but I won't, because some of my more sensitive readers might write me and accuse me of unfairly impugning the personal and professional integrity of these upstanding citizens. I could point out how many of these anti-saturated fat commentators have built their status and careers on a completely erroneous bunch of nonsense, but again, I won't, because, hey, that wouldn't be nice. I could also point out how their unbridled vitriol against these naturally-occurring fats has probably cost hundreds of thousands, even millions, of lives, but, gee, that wouldn't be a politically correct thing to do. Nope, I won't mention any of these things (or did I do just that...oops!)…all I will say is that next time you hear some misguided fanatic wailing on about the evils of saturated fat, run--straight to the nearest tub of butter! Source: The Omnivore

I think there is something in this that may not make many LCers feel so great about it though. Note the reference to low total fat:

From what I can see, they did not look at people eating fats the way so many of us do.

Taming, why would that be bad? Coronary atherosclerosis means plaque building in the arteries. That quote is saying that increased saturated fat intake DECREASES plaque build-up and carbohydrate intake INCREASES plaque build-up and that is a BAD thing that leads to heart attacks, stroke, etc... I think that quote shows the positive side of low carbers eating saturated fat and why fat should be included in a LC program.

What I am saying is that the study apparently looked at people with a lowish overall fat intake, not the 60-70% that many LCers eat. There is no reason to think the same results would be there following a high fat diet. I'm not saying it is impossible, or even unlikely, just that it was not studied. To jump with joy over a study that did not look at the way we eat doesn't make sense to me.

It may just be human nature, but we tend to embrace things that have even tenuous links to the way we think, and to ignore the things that are not a great fit. Then we look for subtleties in other things, that might challenge our beliefs (and hopes) to find reasons to ignore them.

Someday, there may be definitive answers to this issue, but this study isn't it.

Not to burst any bubbles here, but I am hardly jumping for joy over this study. This is a thread about peoples fear off fat and many LCarbers eat low fat as part of their programs (most that I post with daily). The point of posting the article was for information. I read all I can and assume that others want a variety of information sources. What they do with the information is an individual thing.

Wow, there is some great info in this thread. I wish I had learned all this a few months ago when i started on my journey.

I find myself facing much controversy about eating fat, especially at work. Most of the people say "you don't need to lose more weight" but then comment "All that fat is going make you gain weight". I like the "sorry I'm busy injecting bacon fat" comment I read earlier. I'm going to definitely use that tonight at work when I'm eating my hamburger and eggs!

Widespread propaganda is like religious dogma. The masses seem to glom onto it in such a fervent way that any attempt by those who have "seen the light" to spread the truth and break down the rhetoric seems like a sacreligious act of mutiny deserving of punishment of death!

There's this young guy where I work that brings boiled eggs to eat for breakfast, but he throws the yolks away and eats only the whites. Every day, I see these lonely, precious, golden yolks in the trash in the kitchen area and I cringe at the utter insanity of it. Then, as I'm warming my three poached, whole eggs in the micro with substantial ghee melting on top and bacon alongside, he glances my way with a disgusted look that says: "you poor stupid, misguided soul." (This guy also brings hamburger helper for lunch made with tofu instead of beef! ) I think he's nuts and he thinks I'm nuts. There's a mental standoff. The gap is so huge, there's nothing to say to one another here.

This scenario is a microcosm of my life these days. So "outside the box," so alien, so "in the fringes." No need to explain, no purpose in trying to. The status quo is so formidable and cement-like. I take comfort in the way I feel and all the numbers: on the scale, on the blood pressure monitor, on the lab work. Waking up to the truth is such a lonely proposition!

Until, of course, I come to this forum and I can find all sorts of company and comraderie! Thanks, y'all, for being here!

The eggs with melted ghee blended in is incredibly delicious! Does anyone else have personal favorite ways of adding fat that prove especially delicious?? I sure could use some more ideas!

I'm really very interested in this link but it is not working.

My mother is type II diabetic and swears she can't do low carb because of kidney damage. Can you repost the link? Thanks lynn

Bostongal: This may be the article that Lynn posted a link to above: http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/2/1/25