The 4-Hour Body_ An Uncommon Guide to Ra - Timothy Ferriss [64]
Cinnamon’s effect on glucose levels seems partially due to the fact that it slows the rate at which food exits the stomach (gastric emptying), which means that you also feel full faster with cinnamon.
I tested three species of cinnamon: Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum or zeylanicum, also referred to as “true cinnamon”), Cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia or aromaticum), and Saigon cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi, also known as Vietnamese cinnamon).
Though Cassia is thought inferior to Ceylon or completely ineffective in some bodybuilding circles, it has lowered glycemic response in both published studies and in my experience. This is fortunate, since Cassia is what is most often found at coffee shops and restaurants if you ask for “cinnamon.” I found Saigon cinnamon to be most effective, with Cassia in close second place and Ceylon in much further third place.
In terms of reducing glycemic response, I found the following, from largest to smallest effect, effective:
1. Get freshly ground cinnamon or grind it yourself. If you, like me, have a bachelor-special spice rack that’s three years old, toss it and get new raw materials. The polyphenols and active ingredients degrade over time and with air exposure.
2. Learn how to spot species. Unfortunately, U.S. packagers are not legally required to specify the type of cinnamon species on the label. Not sure which raw “cinnamon” sticks are Cassia? They will roll up from both sides, like a scroll. Ceylon will roll up from one side, as if you had rolled up a bathroom towel. Distinguishing powder is harder, as age plays a part, but Cassia tends to be a darker reddish-brown and Ceylon a lighter tan color.
3. Don’t use too much. It’s easy to get overambitious with cinnamon, but there are active substances that can hurt you if consumed in excess. Coumarin, as just one example, is a potent blood-thinner and some cinnamon in Europe has a warning label for this reason. Use no more than four grams per day. I use a few dashes in coffee and limit myself to two to three cups of coffee throughout the day.
To reiterate, based on material bulk density reference charts, cinnamon weighs in at 0.56 grams per cubic centimeter, one cubic centimeter = 0.2 teaspoon, and so there are 2.8 grams of cinnamon per teaspoon.
So four grams of cinnamon = 4 divided by 2.8, or just about one and a half teaspoons. Don’t consume more per day.
MORE THAN QUALITY, IT’S THE SIZE AND SPEED OF MEALS THAT DETERMINED GLYCEMIC RESPONSE.
Even on protein and vegetables alone, I could bump glucose as high as 150 mg/dL without much effort. Granted, I eat like a starving dog. In Whym restaurant in Manhattan, one friend nicknamed me “Orca” after watching me nonchalantly swallow a piece of ahi-tuna the size of my fist. To him, this was unusual. To me, it was the only way I’d ever eaten: fast.
The easiest thing you can do to decrease glucose spikes is slow down. I had to methodically finish my plate in thirds and train myself to wait five minutes between thirds, usually with the help of iced tea and slices of lemon. It also helps to drink more water to dilute digestion (I’m fantastic at this), eat smaller portions (not so good at this), and chew more (Orca is terrible at this).
All four strategies serve to decrease the amount of food that gets digested per minute, which will determine the size of your glucose arc.
Two real-world examples:
1. Matt Mullenweg, lead developer of the WordPress blogging platform, lost 18 pounds with one change: chewing each mouthful of food 20 times. The exact number wasn’t important. It was having a precise number that helped. Counting slowed him down and made him aware of portion size, which made him less likely to overeat. I don’t have the patience for chewing like normal humans, but Matt did.
2. Argentine women are famous for being gorgeous