I have always loved cinnamon. I try to put it in everything possible – I just love the flavor and how it really seems to round out a lot of dishes. I like smelling it too. A few times I’ve considered rubbing a cinnamon stick under my arm pits. True story.
But did you know that cinnamon doesn’t just taste yummy, it’s also GOOD FOR YOU? Yes! More Than Alive sent me a bundle of their cinnamon products to try: cinnamon sticks, cinnamon chips, and cinnamon powder. I’ve been sniffing for days now and I love it.
If you’re like me, you have no idea what Cinnamon Chips are. They are not, in fact, a product made by Hershey’s that you throw in muffins (although I do have a love affair with those too). They are actually just cinnamon sticks that have been chopped. Who knew?!
Since this is the Christmas season, the season where cinnamon abounds, let’s look at some of the awesome benefits of including cinnamon in your diet.
- Cinnamon regulates blood sugar (good choice for diabetics and hypoglycemic folks like myself)
- It lowers LDL cholesterol
- It helps keep yeast infections at bay (for this reason alone, I kiss my cinnamon bottle)
- You can get relief from arthritis with cinnamon. Studies show that combining ½ teaspoon cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of honey and taking it each day before breakfast can reduce pain from arthritis
- It’s a natural food preservative
- Cinnamon may reduce the proliferation of cancer cells!
- It helps control menstrual pain….ladies, cinnamon is a miracle substance!
- It might help balance hormones and help with infertility
- High in nutrients like: fiber, iron, and calcium. And in the Myers house, we embrace fiber.
If you think like me, it makes a lot more sense to try working cinnamon into your diet than to medicate yourself with every drug known to man…and if it doesn’t work for you, then heck – all you lost was a muffin in your belly. No harm, no foul.
If you’re looking for good, quality cinnamon products, More Than Alive is where it’s AT. I can tell that their products are top notch. Sometimes stores/companies sell cassia that is labeled as cinnamon – so it’s not REALLY cinnamon. There is Cassia Cinnamon and Ceylon Cinnamon. Ceylon Cinnamon is quite expensive. They are a member of the same family and hold similar benefits, but Ceylon is for taking long term while Cassia is more for temporary usage (using in food or while sick, etc.). More Than Alive sells Cassia Cinnamon as it’s more affordable.
It’s really easy to work cinnamon into your diet. A little bit here and there really adds up! Here are a few options for adding cinnamon to your diet:
- Make a batch of Cinnamon PB Granola
- When making your coffee, add a bit of cinnamon to the coffee grounds (cinnamon chips work great for this!)
- Mix ½ teaspoon cinnamon in 1 tablespoon of honey and take it each morning before breakfast
- Sprinkle cinnamon over waffles, pancakes, or on top of your cereal
- Make a batch of Better Bran Muffins and really lay the cinnamon on thick
- Serve up a Crock Pot Honey Spiced Latte with a cinnamon stick
- Add cinnamon to your tea as it steeps
I make a tea out of honey and cinnamon that helps my arthritis.
I’m getting ready to give Annie some honey+cinnamon for her cough. 🙂
I read on a fitness site to mash a ripe banana with a good amount of cinnamon (sorry I can’t remember how much but it was definitely more than I would have thought!)is a very good snack. It’s actually quite yummy. I normally just sprinkle a healthy amount.
Oh my gosh! That sounds DELICIOUS!!!
I love it in cookies, but should probably stick to in my oatmeal.
But wait…..how about OATMEAL cookies? Best of both worlds. 😉
I like cinnamon cause it’s goooooooood.
Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
When buying ground cinnamon in the spice aisle, how do I know what is cassia and what is cinnamon? What about the cinnamon filled capsules that I buy in the vitamin section?
This article says that you can’t really know….unless the product states where the source comes from: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=newtip&dbid=31
I’m going to try the cinnamon and honey for arthritis. I knew cinnamon was good for you but had not heard this about arthritis. My joints thank you!
I’m going to try it next time we’re sick! 🙂
On top of a dessert/fruit salad..with whip cream. Yuuumm!!! 🙂
Whipped cream!!! <3
According to this online article, Cassia IS Saigon or Vietnam (or Chinese, now) Cinnamon, but contains a good deal of the blood thinner, coumarin, which needs to be a flag for some folks:
Quote: Cassia also has a significant amount of the blood-thinning phytochemical coumarin which has led Germany to ban its importation.
American labeling laws do not require a distinction be made between cassia and Ceylon cinnamon in the retail market, however the overwhelming majority of ground cinnamon found within the United States is a variety of cassia.
Cinnamon and cassia sticks, however, have obvious visual markers which make them easy to identify:
cassia is dark, reddish brown whereas Ceylon cinnamon is light tan in color
cassia sticks form a “double-scroll” whereas Ceylon cinnamon appears rolled like a cigar
cassia is thick and hard whereas Ceylon cinnamon is thin and brittle
Which is Better – Cassia or Real Cinnamon?
The choice between cassia or cinnamon depends on intended use and taste preference of the individual. Cassia cinnamon is more popular in the United States where its flavor is associated with hot, spicy cinnamon candy while Ceylon cinnamon gains popularity in Latin American countries where it is a key ingredient in Mexican style hot-chocolates. Cassia is also an ingredient in Chinese five-spice. End Quote.
Read more at Suite101: Difference Between Cassia and Cinnamon | Suite101 http://suite101.com/article/difference-between-cassia-and-cinnamon-a89695#ixzz2FJe9pZ4S
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Hello! I have a question about the health benefits of cinnamon. It would seem you are referencing Cassia/Vietnamese/Common Cinnamon; are there any differences in health benefits between Cassia/Vietnamese/Common and True/Ceylon Cinnamon?
I understand Ceylon is called this because it grows only in the area of the world formerly known as Ceylon, now Sri Lanka.
Everything else, as I understand matters, is what most people think of as “cinnamon”, commonly called “Vietnamese” or “Saigon” cinnamon, or “Cassia”, or “Common”, because the majority of it now comes from Vietnam. Saigon Cinnamon is, indeed, “natural” in that it comes from the bark of a tree, and assuming nothing has been sprayed or added, of course, but Ceylon and Saigon Cinnamon are NOT one and the same. They do not look the same, they do not taste the same.
If you’ve never tried True/Ceylon Cinnamon, you’ll never go back to “Vietnamese”, I don’t believe. Ceylon is a very smooth, delicate flavor, as compared with the more “earthy” Vietnamese Cinnamon, a.k.a., “Cassia”.
Without question, however, Ceylon is more expensive – and worth it, in my opinion.
I get my Ceylon Cinnamon from “The Spice House”: http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/whole-soft-stick-and-ground-ceylon-true-cinnamon
But, I would like to know, is there a difference in health benefits? Does anyone out there know?
From researching for this post, I didn’t find any references to the types of cinnamon that you’re talking about….just cinnamon OR cassia. Most stores sell cassia as “cinnamon” but they’re not the same.
So, I would think that no matter where the cinnamon comes from, it would still have the same benefits as long as it was truly cinnamon and not cassia.