FitSugar

Healthy Sugar and Salt Substitutes: Spice It Up!

Heather Dale — Fri, 13 May 2011 11:39:24 PDT

If something you are eating (or drinking) needs a bit of a kick, don't turn to salt or sugar to do the trick, try adding some spices! Spices are not only lower in calories, but also offer a long list of health benefits including curbing hunger, strengthening muscles, boosting your brainpower, and improving your mood.

A simple way to spice up your life is to start with your daily cuppa joe. Instead of sugar, you can use spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, or a pumpkin spice mixture to help add some flair to your coffee. Research has shown that cinnamon can temper the blood sugar surge that follows a sweet treat, so get creative and add some cinnamon to your meals! Use it in fresh fruit salads, yogurt, or even this cucumber salad.

When it comes to really pungent cayenne, you can experiment by adding it to pasta dishes or sauces to give them a kick. The active ingredient in cayenne spice - capsicum - is said to be able to kill cancer cells without harming healthy ones and help with digestion and gas, so be adventurous when mixing it into dishes.

Learn about more spices that are good for you.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Cumin Chicken With Black Beans

partysugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 06:50:47 PDT

Take a flavorful trip south of the border with this cumin and cayenne scented chicken dish. Pounded chicken breast halves and canned black beans make this meal come together in a flash.

First the chicken is seared, then the black beans are sautéed with vegetables in the pan drippings. Sound delish? Wait till you taste this healthy and provocative dish! To get the recipe,

Become a Spice Girl, For Your Health

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 09:00:00 PDT

Me, I like it hot. You name it, I'll sprinkle a little hot sauce on it. I just like the taste (and the heat) but adding spice to your food can curb hunger, strengthen muscles, boost your brainpower and improve mood.

Here's why:

Staying slender: A study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that when women added 2 teaspoons of dried red pepper on their food, they consumed fewer calories and fat in later meals. Give your diet a light start; splash hot sauce on your morning omelet.
Becoming stronger: The curcumin that turns turmeric yellow also helps reduce inflammation and aids muscle repair after heavy exercise, researchers at the University of South Carolina at Columbia say. Enjoy the Indian spice for a few days before a big workout (try stirring it in a cup of lowfat cottage cheese and sliced fruit) to speed recovery.
Keeping sharp: Curcumin also sweeps out plaque deposits in your brain, which may help stave off Alzheimer’s disease, research from the University of California at Los Angeles suggests. For a savory meal, dust curry spices over rice and beans.
Getting happy: Capsaicin (the compound that gives chiles their kick) triggers pain receptors in the mouth, in turn signaling your brain to release feel-good endorphins, according to scientists at the State University of New York at Buffalo. That chemical surge not only helps dull the pepper’s bite, but it also betters your mood. Next time you need a quick lift, toss red pepper flakes or some diced chile peppers into your salad or bowl of chilled soup. Now that’s cool!

Source

5 Things: Cayenne Pepper

FitSugar — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:45:00 PDT

Oooohh . . . It is getting hot in here. Red hot. Red hot pepper that is. I am talking about cayenne pepper. This spice is hot right now for so many reasons - here are just five.

Cayenne is made from ground dried pods of chili peppers. It has hardly any aroma, but makes up for its lack of smell with a powerfully hot taste. The active ingredient in cayenne is capsaicin and it this component that created the heat in peppers.
Recent studies indicate that capsaicin, the chili pepper derived compound, kills cancer cells but doesn't injure healthy cells. It is too soon to recommend capsaicin as a cancer cure, it is promising to think it could someday replace current cancer therapies which indiscriminately kill all cells, healthy or damaged.
Cayenne has proven to be an affective topical pain reliever for sore back muscles as well as joint pain caused by arthritis. You can make a treatment at home using this recipe.
Cayenne may also help to regulate blood sugar levels by affecting the breakdown of carbohydrates after a meal. Based on these studies, capsaicin is being investigated to see if it would be useful in treating obesity. These studies, however, are still ongoing.
A principal ingredient in the Master Cleanse and in other food based detox diets, cayenne helps stimulate the body's self cleaning process and breaks up mucous that is clogging the body. And I mean mucous all over the body.

Source

Get Your Hands Diamond Ring Ready

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:30:00 PDT

Have you recently gotten engaged and you are dying to show off your ring? It's time to get your hands, not just your arms, in shape. Here are some tips:

The winter does a number on your hands - you're constantly washing them to prevent colds and flu, and the dry air can leave you skin and nails brittle and cracked. Find a moisturizing hand soap to use that'll kill the germs, but won't dry out your skin.
It may sound silly, but buy a hand salve like the one from Burt's Bees. Take all your rings off (I know you don't want to, but you don't want your beautiful ring getting all gunked up). Rub the salve all over your hands and cuticles after you get all tucked under the covers. Slip some old cotton socks on your hands, and let the natural oils nourish your hands while you sleep.
If you get a hang nail, cut it off with nail clippers. Biting it off might cause it to bleed, which won't look very pretty next to your sparkly ring.
On a similar note, if one of your nails gets a little break, even it off with nail clippers and a nail file - they're more precise than your teeth.
If you were stressed because you were nervous about when your significant other was going to propose, your nails may have suffered the consequences. Nail biting is common, but now that you are engaged, it has to stop so you won't be embarrassed to show off your ring.

If nail biting is a hard habit to break for you, then

read more Nail biting can be a way to deal with stress, so find a healthier way to cope. Get a massage, make some soothing Chamomile tea, take a hot bath, exercise, take a walk, take a yoga class, or meditate. Do what you need to relax your thoughts so you'll be less likely to nibble. This may sound extreme, but you may want to purchase something like Control-it. It's a cream made with cayenne pepper so if you bite your nails, it bites you back. It also contains aloe vera, sunflower oil, Omega-3 extract, and vitamins A and E to nourish your nails and cuticles. It even works for deterring little ones to stop sucking their thumbs. Fit's Tips: Since you're engaged now, why not celebrate with a manicure? It's a great way to relax plus they'll trim down your cuticles and get rid of hang nails (which are one thing nail biters love to bite). Chances are, if you spent all that money to get your nails looking fabulous, you'll be less likely to ruin them with your choppers. Source

More Than Hot: The Benefits of Cayenne

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:00:00 PDT

Cayenne pepper is made from dried chili peppers, and is known for its strong, spicy taste and smell. It's used in many dishes to give them a little "kick," but it can also be used for medicinal purposes.

Capsaicin is the chemical in the chili pepper that gives it its heat. It has been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines to treat many health conditions like poor circulation, headaches, toothaches, chronic pain, sore throats, and heart disease.

When eaten, cayenne stimulates the flow of stomach secretions and saliva, which in turn help with digestion and gas. The peppery heat from the capsaicin can also stimulate secretions that help to clear mucus from your nose and congestion in your lungs.

This powerful spice can also increase blood flow, which when you're sick or hurt, will speed along healing. Cayenne also has a high content of vitamin A, so it has immunity boosting properties as well.

That's not all - it's also a great source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese and dietary fiber. Keep some in your kitchen so you can add a pinch to stir-fries, canned beans, soups, and even hot cocoa.

Fit's Tips: When handling cayenne pepper, always be sure to wash your hands thoroughly. You don't want to accidentally touch your eyes. If you do, immediately flush out your eye with water. If the burning feeling gets really painful, call your doctor.

Cayenne Spices Down Back Pain

FitSugar — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:30:00 PST

Externally, an oil or cream made from cayenne can help relieve back pain. Cayenne contains Capsaicin, which is a powerful pain reliever used in commercial creams. You should be able to purchase an oil or cream containing cayenne from your local health food store. You can also make a cream by mixing a small amount of cayenne pepper with a skin cream, like Eucerin.

If you're more an oil gal, you can also make cayenne oil, all you need is:

1/4 cup of cayenne pepper powder -- get a good quality spice
1/2 cup olive oil -- again get a good quality oil

Combine the cayenne and oil in a jar with a lid. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 2 weeks before straining.

Fit's Tip: When using cayenne cream or oil, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly afterwards, and definitely keep your hands away from your eyes.

Snacking Good: Natchitoches Meat Pies

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:07:39 PST

We've always wanted to take a stab at rolling out a few Natchitoches meat pies. Thanks to an easy recipe from Food Orleans, this might be a dream realized sooner rather than later.

[Baked or fried? You decide.]

Natchitoches meat pies are one of those special little treats with a name as fun to say as they are to scarf down. Nackadish - that's how you say it - is a small town we drive through on our way north to visit Alexandria or Oklahoma, and it's where Steel Magnolias was filmed, and it's famous for these little pies. It's a beautiful little place, with a picturesque riverfront lined with shops and restaurants that have their own sort of French Quarter-ish wrought iron balconies (remember the Easter scene where Jackson slapped Ouiser? That's the riverfront!). But you don't have to go into the actual town to get yourself some meat pies; just stop at any gas station right off I-10. They all fry them up and they're all pretty wonderful.

For her recipe, continue reading.

A Lovin' Cup of Hot Cocoa-Nut

Nancy Einhart — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:15:41 PST

I pretty much adore anything coconut, so when a lactose-intolerant friend introduced me to her version of hot cocoa, made with powdered coconut milk, I became obsessed.

Believe it or not, I'm usually lukewarm on hot chocolate, but I've fallen in love with this "cocoa-nut" recipe. The basic makeup comes from Alton Brown, just swapping powdered coconut milk for powdered milk and subtracting the cayenne, since I think it would clash with the coconut.

Even if you only fill your mug a quarter of the way with the mix and just add water instead of hot milk, this cocoa is creamy, rich, and irresistible. Serve up a couple of cups for a Valentine's night in, and even add a nip of liquor if that's your thing.

Here's how to make it.

From My Kitchen: Chili Honey Butter

Padma Lakshmi — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:34:26 PST

We've got a new partnership with Padma Lakshmi! The host of the Emmy-winning Top Chef, writer, and designer started Padma Lakshmi, a social networking site that celebrates our favorite topics, including food adventures, recipes, and party planning. She'll be dishing up goodies for us here on YumSugar monthly. Today, Padma sings the virtues of a lesser-known condiment: homemade chili honey butter.

Chili . . . honey . . . butter. Need I say more? It's actually dangerous to keep this condiment around because you will find yourself buttering your toast with it, frying up eggs with a bit of it melted in the pan, not to mention making home fries, too. And that's just breakfast. It can be used to sauté green beans and carrots, to brush on grilled fish, even to baste a whole chicken for roasting.

Related: Global Pantry: Garam Masala

Get her recipe after the break.