Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Cinnamon and Magnesium to reduce Inflammation and Insulin Resistance (and lessen diabetes onset risk)

I had written before about my use of cinnamon (and how I was able to avoid taking diabetes meds by making small changes in my diet in 2004, and that even without losing more than 5 lbs, getting sugar back to normal in lab tests after it had gone up to 121).

Well, I also take magnesium. I originally began taking it years ago for my asthma, then continued to take it happily when I read about how it's good for people at risk for diabetes.

If you'd like to read about some of the studies, go here.

While you should research what is best for you and your diet--and there are some conditions that would demand you stay away from certain supplements. Always research and check with your cod. But... I'll describe how I take my supplements. Take good note that I'm not a doctor and this is not a prescription for YOU. It's just how I take mine:

1. I try to add sprinkled cinnamon to something I eat during the day (usually my protein hotcakes at breakfast or sprinkled into of my milk.)

2. I buy Cinnergen (and have for years) and take it before a meal with carbs (like a pasta meal or if I have a sandwich or rice or a dessert.)

3. I take 400 mg of magnesium  glycinate (I buy the KAL brand and Iu sually break it up in two doses).  If I take a calcium supplement with vitamin D (cause I didn't have enough calcium rich foods that day), I'll take the magnesium WITH the calcium. This actually serves a dual purpose. The calcium aids magnesium absorption. And the magnesium can ease the constipation some folks get from calcium supplementation.

And I'm now so in the habit of taking these two, it's automatic. My brain thinks, "Oh, I'm having bread, lemme have some cinnamon. Oh, I'm having milk, lemme take my magnesium."

I keep a bottle of Cinnergen in the fridge next to the milk, so it's quick to grab if I'm making a meal with carbs (we love high fiber pasta here at home and sometimes I cannot resist a nice sauteed potato with eggs or with chopped steak).

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