Weight Loss With Cinnamon, But Don't Forget the Honey

Marketing weight loss products is a hugely successful business in the US. Everything from magic pills to full blown exercise and diet regimens is available. But with full schedules and everyday stresses, it's hard to find the space for another try at shedding some pounds. While at home weight loss isn't a miracle cure, the tips and tricks are certainly less expensive and easier to fit into our routines - that's a huge plus, because no weight loss idea will work if you don't use it.

Losing weight at home

Another magic formula? Nope. Even the best drugs don't instantly cure our illnesses. And you can bet they'd love a miracle cure for acne or arthritis. Face it; things don't work like that, not even with highly researched medicines. People still get colds and infections.

The advantages of home weight loss come in the form of convenience and safety. Plus, you shouldn't underestimate the power that comes from taking matters into your own hands. By tricking our bodies a little bit, we can start to gain the upper hand, and that is the real long-term goal.

Mostly, we munch on what is readily available. Maybe it's time to take a look around with a cold, clinical eye towards the food you keep. Your inner expert knows that fruits and vegetables are better than processed foods and refined sugars. If you don't have it handy, you lessen temptation. Make it a little harder to score those treats and keep better food accessible. And take a look at cinnamon as a way to jump start a home weight loss program.

Looking at cinnamon

The inner bark of the cinnamon tree is what gets harvested and sold as the spice. You've probably seen dried up sheets of cinnamon sold as 'sticks'. That's the actual inner lining that is scraped clean and dehydrated for transport and sale. The better quality is a light brown to tan. It's actually a bit less pungent than cinnamon that doesn't come from Sri Lanka (where the tree originates). If you are unsure of the quality, buy the stick form and grind it yourself. The reason they sell it in the rolled up sheets is to prevent imitators which are not harvested the same way. You can rely on major brands to have 'real' cinnamon, but avoid darker shades that are more likely to be Cassia or another variety.

Adding cinnamon to foods like applesauce or sprinkling it on salads is one good idea, but to use it in weight loss, you should make the following tea:

• One teaspoon raw honey (for a sweetener and the added benefits)

• One-half to one teaspoon ground cinnamon (start lower and increase if desired)

• Blend with honey and dissolve in a cup of boiling water (use pure water - avoid rusty or hard water)

• Cool and then filter out any lumps that remain

• Separate into two equal portions. Drink one portion before breakfast and the other before the evening meal (a half-hour prior is recommended).

Does it sound to simple to work? Well, cinnamon tea for home weight loss doesn't have the glitz and the glamour of fancy packaging or commercials with starlets... but it's an all natural method that has a long tradition behind it. In fact, the medical community finally took a look at cinnamon. They found that when added to the diet at the levels above, it lowers total cholesterol and even reduces the need for insulin in diabetics. There's more to be learned, but because it has no side effects, it is safe to try out for yourself.

Don't skip the honey. It sweetens the tea, sure, but honey contains other goodies (such as anti-oxidants). How the tea allows you to lose weight at home isn't known. One idea is that the nutrient values, combined with the strong spicy taste, reduces food cravings driven by our physiology. After all, hunger is our body's way of telling us we need calories and nutrition.

A good trial period is three weeks. Increasing fruits and vegetables also helps. The target is slow but permanent weight loss over time. Patience is a virtue here.

I started taking an antioxidant juice in March of 2009 which turned my life around. My poor health rebounded and gave me a new found consciousness about health and healing, longevity, free radicals, antioxidants, antioxidant supplements and living a healthy lifestyle. So much so that I decided to build a website to help others: http://lwquickly.blogspot.com/