|
Use cinnamon and song to sleep well
17th March 2006
I knew there would be a flood of emails about this...
The Honey Garlic and Vinegar capsules I mentioned in last Tuesday's Good Life Letter kicked up some interest.
All three ingredients are well known as natural medicines...
But all three combined? To lose weight?
Most of you found this fascinating. Except for my old mate Alan, who also subscribes to my letter. He wrote an email from Hong Kong to say:
'Capsules for weight loss? Are you trying to tell me I'm getting FAT, Ray? You're one to talk, sitting there in your bedroom all day like one of those internet freaks.'
Internet freak? FAT?
What Alan probably didn't do was read the rest of my letter, where I explained that these capsules aren't just good for weight loss...
Studies suggest they also reduce high blood pressure, improve circulation, lower cholesterol levels and combat fatigue and depression.
But, then, this is Alan I'm talking about.
I think he believes that he's the ONLY reader of my Good Life letters, and takes everything I say as a personal affront.
So let's ignore him, eh?
By the way, if you missed last Tuesday's email you'll have no idea what I'm talking about. Click here and all will be revealed: hgv
And on the subject of your emails...
------------------------------------
More great information about karela
------------------------------------
I've also received some very informative emails about karela the bitter melon that can help diabetics control their blood sugar levels.
If you remember, the other week I recommended a Karela Masala recipe...
Good Lifer, S.S emailed me to say:
'Unfortunately the recipe you gave uses deepfrying which cuts its usefulness for a diabetic. Far better to seek out a karela pickle they are commercially available and there is an excellent recipe on the same site you used.'
Good tip, I think...
Meanwhile, HW writes:
'You left one thing out of your karela curry and that is to open the karela and take out the seeds inside they are enormous bright red seeds like you'd find in any gourd.'
And, finally LB has some information on karela supplements...
'Thought you might like to know I have been taking Karela tablets for the past 7 years. I get mine from my local chemist. The trade name is 'Health Aid' and on the bottle it says 'Karela High Potency 750 mg, for blood sugar and good circulation'.
'The message on the bottle also says, 'Diabetics would be well advised to include Karela as part of their daily supplement intake'. I take one a day. This suits me very well, and helps to control my bloodglucose.'
And your good advice didn't stop there...
---------------------------------------
Trouble sleeping? Use Cinnamon and song!
---------------------------------------
|
Good Lifer, Alan, recently wrote me a fascinating email with some clever tips for solving sleeping problems.
'Regarding sleepless nights,' writes Alan, 'one of my best tips is to put a teaspoon of honey in a mug, add a generous pinch of Cinnamon, stir it into a paste and then stir in hot milk.
'You have to do it in this order or the Cinnamon just floats on top.
'It's a very soothing drink, absolutely delicious and it gets me off to sleep double-quick.'
Alan used to suffer from sleep apnoea, but found that 3 simple solutions worked wonders for him.
In his email, he writes:
-- 'I lost some weight. I read somewhere that the magic collar size for men has to be less than 16 1/2 inches. Get it below that and the throat has less soft tissue to vibrate and cause snoring.'
-- 'Sing, sing, sing! Not as daft as it sounds. Singing tones up the throat muscles and firms up the soft tissues at the back of the throat so that they vibrate only when you want them to!'
-- 'When you have finished cleaning your teeth, try gargling with cold water, the colder the better!'
Brilliant stuff Alan!
Couldn't have put it better myself.
---------------------------------------
Why K is so special
---------------------------------------
I've also had quite a few emails asking about the benefits of Vitamin K over the past few months.
One of the few places where this elusive vitamin is studied is at the Vitamin K laboratory at Tufts University in Boston.
Researcher, Sarah Booth believes that the amount of Vitamin K consumed by Americans might not be nearly enough.
There's no reason to believe that the situation isn't the same in the UK.
This is a problem, because Vitamin K helps your liver make the proteins your body needs to controls blood clotting.
It also helps your bones grow and repair properly.
This is why some studies show that vitamin K can help you absorb calcium... and prevent osteoporosis. So it's pretty important, especially for women.
The natural way to up your dose of Vitamin K from leafy vegetables - especially broccoli, cabbage and spinach - as well as cheese, liver, asparagus, coffee, and bacon.
Be aware that some foods known as 'salicylates', which block your Vitamin k intake, such as nuts, fruits, spices and mint.
Aspirin is also a salicylate. It blocks Vitamin k so that your blood doesn't coagulate so easily, thereby thinning the blood.
Another great source of Vitamin k is green tea, which I've twittered on about almost as much as Stephen Fry on those Twinings adverts....so I won't bore you any longer.
Yours, as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
|
|
|
|
