**REVIEW & DISCOUNT** Keto Fast™ - Exogenous Ketone Supplement

Some people are having a lot of success with the keto diet. I lost about 10 pounds the first 2 months I was on it. Then I hit a donut and fell off the wagon. I'm kidding. I fell off because I didn't have any support and my cooking space was limited. I have no excuse now because I joined a Facebook group that is super supportive and I have a full kitchen all to myself.

I am re-committed to my cleaning up my eating habit and taking in fewer carbs than usual, but that means cutting my coffee and tea habit in half. At least. All that flavored cream is what does me in. Less coffee and tea equals energy drop. I am already battling fatigue so... I needed a plan.

This is what I am going to be trying out to boost my energy and help my metabolism:

 

It's Keto Fast from Healthy Wiser. As soon as I got a chance to get some to review, I jumped on it. Before I even start telling you more about it, let me say now that I can score you a discount. I'll give you the details in a minute. First, let me share my initial impressions:

Product Claims

• Boost or "supercharge" your blood ketones
• Promote better mood, and
• sustained energy, and
• mental acuity, and
• decreased appetite

The most important claim is what I'm interested in:

Or can't have carbs

I love when a brand guarantees their product like this. I can check my ketones with my testing strips and I will be taking photos every week to track my progress. (If you all are nice, I will share the weight photos.)  Now, I got my first product for free but if you guys want to try it, there's a 100% money-back guarantee to go along with the discount. But let's run through my impressions as of Day 2.

Label & Info

I was surprised at how powder-fine the Keto Fast is. You can see from the video that it's almost like talc. Almost.

Keto Fast (I like the name) is, most important of all, not low-carb but carb-free. This is good because on the diet I use, I allow myself up to 40 grams of daily carbs and I want to save those for any creamer I use in my hot beverages!

Less important to me but really important to some folks, this is also gluten-free. Also, it's non-GMO. I think we can all appreciate that. Oh, and it's made in the good old USA.

Taste, taste, taste

Okay, so the one thing I thought I wasn't going to like about this is the "Lemon Lime" flavor. No matter how good a product is, it won't work if you can't stand to use it and  I seriously almost didn't accept the chance to try the supplement just because of that. Then I thought that as long as the product helped, I could probably just slam the drink really fast.

I only put this is water and I didn't blend or shake it; I just used a fork and stirred it really well. I should have put it in my water bottle so that I could shake it because just stirring left a bit of residue on the surface. I was anxious to try this though so I just took a teeny-tiny sip. Not bad! This is something I could enjoy doing a few times a day. By the way, 3 scoops per day is the maximum dose.

There is none of the saccharine-fake-sweet taste that I associate with lemon-lime drinks. This reminded me of a tart Kool-Aid type beverage. I personally would not add this to any of the smoothies I've fixed because the flavor wouldn't compliment them. I prefer drinking this just with cold water.  There is no way that I would ever add this to... MILK.

Results?

As I said, this is only Day 2 so I can only tell you about the initial effects. I will have to update about further results at a later time - maybe with the promised photos.

So.

Did I feel an energy boost? Yes. I got busy and forgot to pay attention, but I think it was within an hour that I noticed I felt as alert as if I'd had my usual caffeine boost. Sure enough, there were none of the jitters we get so used to from caffeine that we think it's normal. My energy didn't last long, but that's probably because of my other health issues - which is also why I am only going to be using the supplement once a day.  It was a very nice  flush of energy for the 3 or 4 hours that it did last.

I don't think that it really suppressed my appetite. I don't eat breakfast or big lunches, so maybe the effects wore off by the time dinner time rolled around. I did kill dinner though! I had two servings of something a keto gal ain't supposed to have in the first place! ~my bad, my bad~

Since I will probably cheat too much to keep up with a dedicated keto-er, I guess I will be better at seeing if this does work for regular eaters. If this boosts the metabolism, I should see some results unless I start eating more than usual.

For truly committed Keto-ers - especially those just starting out - carbs are the most familiar energy source so the first few weeks on a ketogenic meal plan can make you feel so sluggish. Or, at least, that's how it was for me.

I'm looking forward to cutting back on my carbs and seeing if this can replace some of my caffeinated drinks.

The Discount

As promised, here is the discount information...

You get a 25% OFF coupon using the code IMHEALTHY7 redeem it at  www.HealthyWiser.com

If you do try this, I would be interested to know what you think about the flavor and what your overall results were.

Peace
--Free



DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned in this post for free in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

**RECIPE** Heavenly Cloud Bread

In the past 5 weeks, I have lost just a little over 9 pounds. I wasn't really trying. I just didn't feel good, but when I went to see the fam in Arizona, I got more exercise than normal. I'm paying for that now, but I want to keep up the weight loss. My plan? Lots of water and a lot less carbs.

Bread is probably the hardest thing to give up - or even slow down on! Also, snacks. I remembered hearing about cloud bread when I first learned about the Keto diet. What I didn't know is how easy it is to make and how freaking delicious it can be. I say can be because you have to play with the recipe a bit.

Here's the basic recipe I gathered from several different sources (including this one):

2 Eggs - yolks and whites separated
2 Tbl (or 1oz) Cream cheese - softened (and cooled) so it's blendable
1/4 tsp Baking powder

I made my first batch and it was good. Instead of individual clouds, I did a cake-style batch and sliced it afterward. I used it to sandwich my burger patty. This is it turned out:

Like I said, it was just okay. That's because it was before I had a better batch. The bread came out a little eggy tasting and soft. I should have baked it longer than the 12 minutes. I was too worried I would burn it.

So. Time to give it another try, right?

This is how I have modified the recipe (and tripled it) so that it is slap-yo-mama delicious:

Eggs
Cream cheese
Baking powder
Vanilla Extract (just a 1/4 tsp)
Sweetener (I used a full Tbls of table sugar this time)

The extract and sweetener made all the difference between "This is good and I can use it every now and then" to "This is amazing and I can give up bread and cookies ".

Beautiful. Notice how clean the pan is. That's because the batter didn't stick to it. I use a Wilton Perfect Results pan because it's cheap and sturdy. This bread was firmer and had a much better taste. I'm sure that the sugar helped with the browning and texture.

Now, there are a couple of things I learned that I'll pass on:

• If you don't have parchment paper, use a metal baking sheet (lightly oiled)
• Make sure to whip the egg whites to very stiff peaks (use metal or glass bowl for this)
• For bread, bake about 15 minutes on 300. For cookie/snack, bake an additional 10 minutes on 200. Check often so the batter doesn't burn. 
• You may need to rotate the pan once during baking so that batter cooks evenly. 
• Let the bread cool completely before removing from the pan. I waited 20 minutes.

This is why I said to use a metal pan if you don't have parchment paper:

Yeah. Look at that. Just a  hot funky mess. ~sigh~

Notice how the batter didn't even cook the same. The bread came out so thin and fragile that all I could use it for was snacking. Also, you can see that it didn't brown as well as the bread that was done in the metal pan.

Left = Metal pan perfection
Right = Whatever the hell...

Anyway...

The biggest thing I love about the modified recipe is that I can make smaller pieces, brown the bread darker, then broil for a moment to get something that will make substitutes for cookies. If I need to, I can always check out these other recipes for cookies and treats:

• Chocolate chip cookies
• Cheese Danish
• Mini vanilla cakes
• Chocolate Cloud cookies (that look amazingly like actual CC cookies!)

Obviously, you can get creative and do a lot with the basic cloud bread recipe. For now, I am happy enough with the batch I made.

Peace
--Free

Low-Carb Eating Helps (and a personal note)

Getting used to living a low-carb lifestyle is challenging. It's not that I don't like the food choices (now that I'm finding all of them), but that there's so much hidden information. I can't wait until the new nutrition labeling kicks in. From what I understand, the new labels will be larger and much clearer with data.

For now, I am using the various sources online to plan my meals and snacks and to keep myself informed and motivated. I wanted to share these with you so here they are:

• A carb guide intended for diabetics 1. Includes lots of useful info.
• A food exchange list 1 that has lots of nutrition info.
• Printable low-carb grocery shopping list 1 (source page)
• Keto grocery list 1
• Bunch of Pins with low-carb shopping list ideas
• Low Carbe Diem is a great info resource (recipes, tips, etc.)
• Ditch the Carbs site

I will be adding to/updating this post often, so check back.

On a personal note, I want to mention (again) that low-carb eating helps the body weigh less but doesn't lighten the pocketbook. Now that I am watching the carbs, I find that I have eliminated a lot of impulse grocery buying. Better food and less food seems to be a theme on this diet.

Not only is it easier to eat better on this 'diet', but I find I'm more fulfilled with less food. Prior to going low-carb, I was constantly hungry - either for a good meal or for something to snack on. In the past few days, I am having to remind myself to eat something. My snacks are smaller and I'm drinking more and more water.

As of today - almost 4 weeks into this lifestyle - I still haven't lost a significant amount of weight, but I feel better. I was almost discouraged that I've only gone down about 9 pounds total because I've heard the stories of other people dropping twice that amount in half the time. Now I am realizing that I'm not adhering as strictly to the regimen. Also, I'm older than most of the people I read about (and not nearly as physically active) so I'm cutting myself some slack. My clothes fit better and I am seeing some progress. The main positive is that I like this way of eating because of the way it makes me feel. The greater weight loss will come (especially when I drag my tail to the gym), but I'm happy with even a slow progress.

I hope some of this is helpful for you. I will be posting some reviews in the next couple of days, then I'll be back to sharing recipes and tips for low car.

Peace
--Free

Bulletproof Coffee & Egg Fasting (UPDATE)

***UPDATE*** So... I was supposed to be starting the fast yesterday. Guess what? Had a baby shower to attend. Ended up being at the party for over 4 hours. We had a really good time, and I barely ate anything (and skipped the cake, thank you very much), but I missed almost all my egg meals. Starting the fast over today.

Okay, folks. I'm really excited about the results that I'm seeing on this low-carb regimen. Here is what my weight loss numbers look like since I got the hang of this:

August 1st to 9th - down 4lbs
August 9th to 13th - down another 2lbs
So... 6 pounds in 13 days. Not including the couple pounds lost and re-gained somewhere in that time.

I slid off the wagon on the 10th thru today so I'm not sure how I went down another 2lbs in that time frame! I'm not just climbing back on, but jumping back on the wagon with an egg fast. I hope to do the fast for 4 to 5 days, but y'all know me. I might give up before then. However, I started off well this morning.

There are several places online that discuss/describe egg fasting- like here,  here, and here  (Kaylah's video) - and I have come up with the following for mine:

• A minimum of 6 & a maximum of 10 eggs per day - boiled, scrambled, sunnyside, or however.
• With each egg eaten, also have 1 Tbls of healthy fat (unsalted butter, organic coconut oil, etc) - OR 1oz of full-fat cheese.
• 6oz of full-fat cheese should be eaten each day - either with the eggs or solo. (If you need too break the no food3 hours before bed rule, make sure to save a bit of that cheese to snack on.)
• You can have up to 1 can of diet soda per day. (I prefer having 2 cans of mineral water with a squirt of flavored water enhancer.)
• Very helpful if you can avoid low carb sweeteners, fiber, hot sauce (man!), fresh herbs, condiments - or at least keep the total to under 5g per day. I think this is for carb restriction (?)
• Try to increase potassium, magnesium, and Vitamin C during meals. (I take a multi-vitamin and use a magnesium oil spray.)

Some meal ideas that were given are:

• Egg yolks with sugar-free mayo
• Eggs scrambled in coconut oil
• Eggs devilled with cheese
• Boiled egg with warm with butter (this is my favorite because it's easiest)

I love eggs, but eating so many a day for so many days in a row... Boring! Still, I'm going to look at this like a challenge.

The part of this diet that I like (and that I think I added) is to nurse a "bulletproof coffee" all day. When I give the recipe I found for this coffee you will see why I don't think it's something I could (or should) do on a regular basis. It's perfect for the eggs fast days though because I'm avoiding most other beverages than water. Here's the recipe I cobbled from more than one source, including this one:

• 2 cups black, unflavored coffee
• 2 Tbls unsalted butter (I don't have the recommended "grass fed" type. I don't think.)
• 2 Tbls Organic Coconut Oil (or something called MCT)
• 1 Tbls heavy cream (if you want)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon (I use Ceylon cinnamon)
• Emulsify all this in a blender (I use a stick blender)

I add a 1/2 tsp of cacao powder and half a packet of Truvia. Because, me.

Let me tell you, I thought that this sounded SO gross. I do like a little bit of coconut oil in my coffee, but butter? Ugh, right? Well, it's not bad. Matter of fact, one of the reasons I don't use coconut oil more often in my coffee is that I have to be in the mood for the oily taste. Now I know the magic of emulsification. I don't feel any of the oil in my mouth. At all. The vanilla and cacao powder really deepen the flavor to the point that I could do without the sweetener. If I wanted to. Ha!

So that is the egg fast plan I'm attempting. Of course, I'm not a medical (or any other type of health) professional, so I'm only sharing my experiences with you - not advice.

mine looks similar

By the way, I found an article about reasons not to drink bulletproof coffee. Wikipedia helps me understand the concept of  bulletproof or "brain fuel" coffee. By the way, in some cases, I should be typing Bulletproof Coffee. This stuff has become a brand, an industry, and a pretty trendy thing.

I will be checking in to show how the weight is going. It's going to go up or down. Let's hope or down!

Peace

--Free

Postscript:

I got all the information about the fasts and the coffee from too many sources to cite, but I credit I Breathe, I'm Hungry for a super cool blog name and the starting point for most of the information I have. Also, Healthdaddy  and Authority Nutrition are a couple of my go-to sources. 

Low Carb Check-in (and a **REVIEW** of Atkins Snack Bar)

So, it's Day 3 (if I am counting full days & not the one where I cheated like Tiger Woods) and I was able to get into a top that I bought months ago, and I was able to get into my cute boots. Yay.

Odd thing is, I'm losing inches but I don't see a bit decrease in pounds. Matter of fact, depending on which time of day I step on the scale, I might be a bit UP in weight from the last time.

Good news is, I've decided not to worry about the pounds showing on the scale as much as I look at how my clothing fits. Also, how I feel is a big indicator of positive results. The most positive result so far: I'm not as crashed-out and tired feeling. Last night I worked on the book for more than 3 hours at a sitting, That has not happened in a while because I either get sleepy or muddled and have to stop working.

I've gotten into a better groove with my eating patterns. I'm not just scarfing down eggs or chops like it's a command performance. I had to learn to eat when I'm hungry. That sounds crazy, because everyone knows to eat when they are hungry. Right? Maybe not. As my body adjusts to this diet, I'm finding that I'm not hungry as often as I used to be. I've had to break the habit of eating food (or snacks) just because they are there, Basically, I'm learning to listen to my true hunger and, for any snacks, I'm pacing myself.

I already told you that I love, love, love this flavor of Market Pantry brand water enhancer:

I actually thought about trying another flavor, but I'm going to stick with what I know! Plus, these are only around $2.65 at the regular price and I'm sure there's going to be a sale every now and then.  My niece and a couple of my friends really like the Crystal Light powders. I wasn't crazy about Crystal Light because of the fake/acidic aftertaste.  (If anyone has tried the Dasani ones, let me know what you think about those.)

One thing that I will be re-stocking is that Viva Labs Organic Cacao Powder that I reviewed not long ago. It has become a favorite substitute for creamer when I need to add flavor to my coffee.  In addition to the yummy taste (which, by the way, is great for boosting those cheap and weak-tasting coffees), cacao powder is good for the body in general. I've been worried about my sarc for the last several months and am doing everything I can to boost my immune system. (Now I will have to do a review of the powder!)

I take the pure cacao (left)
and add it to coffee creamer powder (right)

Okay, that all covers the check-in part of this post. Let's move on to the REVIEW of the Atkins Bars,
which are now a favorite snack of mine - even though I think they're kind of pricey. Or maybe not. I just re-checked my receipt and see that I paid $6.29 for a box of 5 bars. So, not too bad, I guess. I should look for them at Costco or Sam's to see if there is a price-break.

I was only tempted by the name of these. That photo doesn't exactly make the mouth water, does it?

It looks like a lie

Most sugar-free or low-sugar have a weird texture, an odd metallic undertaste, or they just make you want to spit them out and scrape your tongue free of any residue.

To start by telling the truth, I never expect a low-carb, low-sugar "snack" to taste good. My sister, a brother, and my mother were all diabetic dialysis patients. You better bet that I've tasted my share of "high protein", low-sugar bars, shakes, candies, etc.

It's a good thing I got to the stage of opening up the wrapper. I was really encouraged by the look of the actual bar. I have to suggest Atkins changes that wrapper which almost scared me into buying a Snickers instead.

is that malted milk in the center???
I loathe malted milk!

This low-carb treat is almost as good as a Snickers. Mostly. it reminds me of a large version of those little round "turtle" candies but with less carmel.

These are turtle candies

This is the Atkins

No malted milk anywhere in there, praise Jesus.

The chocolate is surprisingly smooth and, well, chocolate-y. Sometimes, "healthy" chocolate has a waxy texture. I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of the store when I had my first bite and, boy, this one hit the tongue like a good, messy chocolate, just the way I like it. After eating nothing but eggs, chops, and neckbones for a few days, this was such a welcome treat. I'm sure that anyone seeing me right then wanted to suggest that my chocolate and I go get a room.

Now, there is a bit of a salty undertaste that I didn't notice the first time I ate one of these. I guess I was so excited about snacking on something involving chocolate and nuts to notice. My tongue was too happy with the chocolate to taste any salt. And the saltiness is not very pronounced or unpleasant. As a matter of fact, just like most chocolate lovers know, the saltiness sort of  intensified the chocolate flavor

So, yes, in my book, this bar is a winner.

Peace
--Free

Getting Lean & Going Low (Low Carb Weight Loss)

Anytime I'm fat and decide to do something about it, I get a little cranky. For that reason, there won't be a regular post today. Instead, here are my recent, current, and pending thoughts:

• If only I'd known about the low carb thing before...
• I'm losing most of my first day's weight just running to the toilet.
• After the first 8.5 hours, I've peed away at least 3 pounds.
• I could do low-carb so easy if donuts were low-carb.
• Or those butter bars from the Walmart bakery section.
• Donuts are not low carb, low sugar or low fat. 
• Butter bars are Satan's latest tool to pull me under.
• Why can't all diet soda taste as good as Fresca? I once drank Fresca for 2 weeks before I realized it was diet. 
• Fresca. Carb = 1g. Sodium = 35mg. Fresca. Good stuff. Liquid manna.
• I never liked hot sauce until I went low carb. 
• Frank's hot sauce is so good that I want to marry it.
• I might not want to marry the super-spicy sauce, but the Buffalo sauce. I'm getting it a ring.
• I really like eggs. I thought that I could live on nothing but eggs if I had to. Then I did an egg fast.
• I can't live on nothing but eggs. (And Grammarly hates double negatives, by the way.)
• Unless I have some of that hot sauce. Then I might make it at least four days.
• Do you know how good and delicious a pork chop tastes after you've eaten nothing but eggs for hours?
• After  hours of nothing but eggs, I almost passed out when I tasted a piece of bacon.
• I can do low-carb and low-fat, but it's really hard to keep those sodium numbers down.
• I was so bloated when I started this regimen that I couldn't even suck in like Homer Simpson.
• Well,  I could suck in but my gut didn't move.
• After 48 hours, I can not only do a suck in, I almost don't need to.
• I have proven something for myself and I feel like a science project.
• I proved that it's both the amount and kinds of calories that make a difference.
• Anyone wants to argue, try eating 1200 calories a day in soup and trail mix. Then try eating 1800 calories in meat/fish and leafy, green vegetables.
• My body gets all skinny and happy on the meat and veggies. On the soup and trail mix, my body was all bitchy and carried a mental switchblade. 
• I can't stop thinking about that hot sauce.
• Wonder if Frank's needs a spokesperson for that hot sauce?
• It's time for my egg snack, but I am really tired of eggs.
• Hmmm... a pat of butter on a warm boiled egg is really quite good. Quite good.
• Hot sauce on the boiled egg tastes better, though.
• Wish there wasn't so much sodium in this sauce.
• Otherwise, I'd be happy dipping celery in it. And I really hate celery. But that sauce...
• My short term, non-critical goals in life are all to do with foods and beverages.
• First goal: find an Almond Joy creamer with less carbs and fat. 
• Second goal: go wrap tiny pieces of donuts up in some fried bacon for a half-healthy snack.
• Third goal: sit on a blanket in the sun, drinking coffee with Almond Joy creamer and eating my "dough bacon" snacks.
• Fourth goal: find a way to market my donut bacon snacks.
• Scratch Goal 4. I think someone in New York beat me to it.
• Note to self: visit New York to try all those hip donut combos I hear about.
• Time to weigh in for the evening.
• Dang. I'm going to do another weigh-in in an hour.
• All those thoughts about donuts added a pound. I'm sure that's what happened.
• Second weigh in went much better. It's my heavy-soled sandals that tipped the scales upward.
• I wonder just how much my hair weighs now that it's grown back out?
• Time to see what the hot sauce tastes like on some neckbones.
• Hmmm... Why am I not that hungry now? 
• I think the best benefit of this diet is starting to kick in.
• I could actually turn my nose up at something sweet and decadent right now (as long as that something isn't in the form of a Denzel look-a-like)...

Seriously, though, I am doing very well on a low-carb (and reasonably low-fat) diet. I wish I knew why this kind of food regimen is discussed more.

The one problem I had when I was at my heaviest was trying to exercise. I don't mean I wasn't motivated because I was. The problem was that, carrying so much weight, I had trouble moving at all, let alone exercising.

If only someone had told me before that there was a way to at least jump start my weight loss - without trying to get to a gym or take long walks in the freaking winter snow or high summer heat!

What I got when I asked around about various diets was the usual spiel: low cal, low fat, more exercise, better sleep, less anxiety... Excuse my filthy moment, but Bitch, puh-lease!

If I had known how easy it is to do a low carb diet, I'd have been back in my size 4's two years ago. So, you can bet I'm going to be telling folks to check out a low-carb diet.

By the way, want to mention the Vlogger who really inspired me, not just because she is sharing her personal journey, but because she dared embark on the journey. She makes the whole idea of losing a lot of weight seem so very possible. Here is just one of her videos.

Check the links on her YouTube page and give her some mad support. That perky attitude and genuine personality is just perfect for a mainstream audience. I don't know why some brand isn't knocking down her door, hiring her as a spokesperson. She certainly got me fired up.

Now, I don't want (or need) to lose 40 or 80 pounds in a couple of months. What I would love to do, is eventually make my way back to the 130-140lb range. After that, I'll start dusting off my size 4 jeans. And when I say I want to be a size 4, I don't say that because there is anything wrong with ladies of other sizes. I say I want to be a size 4 because I do want to be a size 4 again. Before the illness and the steroids, I didn't know nothin' bout no size sixes or fourteens. I really don't think my skeleton was built to hold this size *^%#@%^ body. LOL

I am not doing a low carb regimen as extreme as Kaylah Cupcake's, but it's still a huge change for me. This is just week 1 so I am playing with different plans to see what feels comfortable. This is what I'm starting with:

That might seem drastic for someone who loves their Almond Joy creamer so much but apparently, it's not fat or calories I have trouble with. It's my sodium intake:

I'm over on my fat by a bit, but that's fine. It's that sodium that's crazy!

This shows how easy it is to have ONE item in your daily diet that can mess you up. I still have a calorie allowance for this day, so you know I'm not just pigging out on the world. Nope. I love My Fitness Pal for this single reason: I can pinpoint my food problems.

Damn that wonderfully delicious hot sauce!

So, yeah, I'm having to learn how to move my foods around so that I don't get all bunched up with sodium or fat. Most of my fat that didn't come from meat, came with a tuna-with-mayo snack. I really have to watch my snacking...

The good thing is that I am not hungry in the least - even with almost 600 calories left to go. I'm just going to have to find a low-sodium snack for the night.

Can we all say pistachioThin Addictives???

Done. Hahahaha!!!

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Ceylon Cinnamon Powder (Frontier Co-Op)

Here I am again, trying to do something natural and healthy for myself.

Years ago, I heard talk about cinnamon being good for you. I was never a big cinnamon fan. When other kids were eating cinnamon toast and cinnamon cereals, I was sticking to the plain stuff. I like the taste of cinnamon in very small quantities because the flavor is too spike-y or "hot" for me. You know me, when I do something, I go all out. Good thing I never got into the cinnamon craze when I first heard of it because the only kind I'd heard of was the most common types: Cassia and Saigon. Those are tasty (if you like cinnamon), but they contain something called coumarin. Too much of this coumarin can have a negative effect on the liver.

When more recently I started hearing about the health benefits of cinnamon, I did a little research. What I learned is that there is a cinnamon that has very little of the coumarin that is to be avoided.

You can see that the powdered Ceylon cinnamon is a different color than the kind we've grown up sprinkling on our toast. It's also a very fine (talc-like) texture.

Ceylon cinnamon is from Sri Lanka. Where the common type of cinnamon found in local grocery stores can have as much as 63 times more coumarin than the Ceylon variety. Big difference. Also, the flavor of Ceylon is milder.

Some of the claimed benefits of cinnamon in general and specific types of:

• Regulating the blood sugar
• Helping with weight loss
• Lowering cholesterol
• Treating yeast infections
• Anti-inflammatory & anti-oxidant
• Relief for depression
• Helps concentration and memory
• Good for the immune system

I just like spices and experimenting with new ones so I figured, why not cinnamon? But I had to find the Ceylon (or Cinnamon Verum) type. The one I could find that had good "ratings" and reviews from other users was this one from Frontier Co-op.

Let's go straight Pro and Con with this one:

PROS - 

• The brand source does have lots of good reviews from users.
• The size and price* is very reasonable (especially considering how little I need to use for a serving)
• The taste is amazing.
• Their website is wonderfully informative (about the company and user info)
• The company lists their contact number for questions (and they answer those questions)
• The company is a Fair Trade co-op (which equals ethics in sourcing).

*Note The price for this 1-lb bag was $18.57. I had to do a double-take when I saw the prices for larger quantities:

I don't think I'd ever need anything larger than the 1 pounder but, if I did, why wouldn't I just order 2 or 3 of the one I did buy? I mean, why does the price-per-unit go up on that listing???

CONS - 

• Not much info on label for new cinnamon users
• The powder doesn't "melt" completely, and...
• ... is very fibrous (which might also be a Pro)
• Country of Origin not labeled (you have to call)
• Amazon Product Page info confusing on C/O also
• Their website doesn't offer a lot of info on their products' pages
• No scoop included (okay - I'm being a bit petty)

Really, though, there's not much not to like about this product. Because I am a rookie at using this kind of cinnamon, I did have to do some searching. Since I don't plan to bake with this cinnamon, I looked into ways of cooking with it. For me, that's going to be limited pretty much to mixing this with other spices. I'll end up adding some to what I call my TCC spice mix (Tumeric, Curry, Cardamom) for seasoning meat and veggies.

What I will be using this a LOT for is as a beverage enhancer. 

Cinnamon and honey drinks are supposed to be great for weight loss. I think that's because (at least for me) they help reduce cravings and give a boost of energy. It's claimed that you can lost up to 5 pounds a week with the mixture. I don't know about all that. I'll have to let you know how that works out later. For now, I just love the way this tastes. 

I call this my "Cinnamon Sludge" drink. It's basically about 2/4 cup of the cinnamon powder, 2/4 cup of raw (filtered) honey, and around 4 1/2 cup of water. 

I boil the water and cinnamon (stirring it a lot), the I let that mixture cool down before I add it to my honey. (Remember that too much heat can leech some honey benefits.). 

When I add this to a container, I will let the "sludge" of the powder settle to the bottom so that I can sip from the clearest part. Every now and then, I shake the container, then let it settle again. From the photos, you can see the difference when shaken (right)  and then settled (left).

I don't drink all this amount you see at one time. What I do is sip from it off and on during the day (making sure to get some first thing in the morning and last thing before bed), adding up to about 1 cup per day. 

This helps me not have to make a new batchup every day. I keep the ready batch in the fridge in between drinking it. When I finish off this batch, I will add more cinnamon and honey to the "sludge" residue.

Here's the thing, since I gave up carbonated drinks a long time ago, I limit myself to coffee, water, honey-water and, every now and then, a bottle of juice. That gets boring and, sometimes, I am really tempted to buy a Dr. Pepper or Sprite when I'm at the store. The only thing stopping me is I can no longer finish more than a few mouthfuls of that stuff. Yew-ick! Having this cinnamon-honey mix is nice. If I want to drink more than a cup a day, I can always dilute it with more water.

Peace

--Free