A Smoothie Path to Better Blood Sugar

Tart apple and spicy cinnamon can sure get your taste buds tapping. But help control your blood sugar, too?

It very well might. Turns out that a daily dose of cinnamon may help improve insulin receptivity — an important part of blood sugar control. Slip a little more cinnamon into your day with a Double Apple Cinnamon Smoothie (recipe below).

A Little Does a Lot
You may need only a little bit of cinnamon — as little as a quarter teaspoon a day — to reap blood sugar rewards. Just don’t overdo it — highly unlikely with a typical diet, but loading up via supplements could be toxic. Another cinnamon bonus: When you add it to high-glycemic-index foods, it can help lessen their impact on your blood sugar.

Double Apple Cinnamon Smoothie
This cinnamon-inspired smoothie recipe is brought to you compliments of the YOU docs — Mehmet Oz, MD, and Michael Roizen, MD — and their newly updated and expanded YOU: The Owner’s Manual. To be sure you get enough cinnamon — this recipe serves two — we suggest topping your drink with a generous sprinkling of the fragrant spice.

Ingredients
1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, not thawed
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
3/4 cup vanilla or plain fat-free or light soymilk
3/4 cup low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt
1/8 teaspoon apple pie spice

Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a blender container. Cover; blend at high speed for 1 minute. Pour into frosty mugs, if desired, and top with powdered cinnamon. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition information (per serving): 204 calories; 3.4 grams fat (1.3 grams aging fats); 5.6 milligrams cholesterol; 34.9 grams carbohydrate; 9.1 grams protein; 2.7 grams fiber; 266 milligrams sodium; 566 milligrams potassium.

Find more than 75 pages of new material and over 50 pages of healthy-meets-tasty recipes in the updated and expanded YOU: The Owner’s Manual.

RealAge Benefit: Reducing your risk of diabetes by losing excess weight can make your RealAge half a year younger for each year you have tight control of blood sugar and blood pressure.

Source: http://health.yahoo.com/