Cinnamon, a spice that is rich in aroma and flavor has a ton of health benefits too. Luckily, we’ve found ways to harness the potential of this spice over the centuries. From lowering blood sugar levels to reducing risks related to heart diseases; the spice packs a powerful punch when it comes to helping us acquire a healthy lifestyle. Its no hidden secret that the health benefits of cinnamon are innumerable.
One thing to keep in mind is that too much of anything is bad for the body, so, similarly one shouldn’t go overboard when it comes to consuming cinnamon too. Understand the best way to consume it and how much is good for your body and when do you need to stop when it comes to quantity. For instance, if you are consuming it daily, then half a teaspoon is more than enough for your body.
Cinnamon Facts
Cinnamon comes from the bark of the cinnamon tree, which can grow to about 60 feet high. There are two types of cinnamon, namely Ceylon and Cassia. Cinnamon is widely used in beauty and skin care products as well as traditional medicine. You can add cinnamon to both sweet and savory dishes, making it a very versatile spice.
Did you know the cinnamon sticks that look like rolled cigars are also called quills? How exquisite, don’t you think!
Now, lets look at some of the health benefits of cinnamon, so you can start including it in your life.
Anti-Inflammatory
Cinnamon can help your body fight infections and also repair tissue damage to quite an extent. This in turn, protects your body and strengthens your body to fight the risk of contracting diseases. This is precisely why many ayurvedic medicine have a pinch of cinnamon as one of its ingredients.
Antioxidants
Yes! Those very antioxidants that protect your body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals are present in cinnamon too. This is also why cinnamon is often used as a natural food preservative. You can drink a couple of glasses of infused water – with apple and cinnamon – to get a quick boost of antioxidants!
Reduces Heart Disease Risks
Cinnamon is popular as a spice that reduces levels of cholesterol and can reduce high blood pressure too. Because the spice can do both these things, it actually reduces the risks of heart diseases. This is yet another reason then, to add cinnamon to your daily diet.
Positive Effect on Blood Sugar Levels
Whether it is lowering blood sugar levels by reducing the amount of glucose that enters your bloodstream after any meal or just having an anti-diabetic effect; cinnamon can prove to be super beneficial. Consuming it for a single day is not the solution, you have got to have it in moderate quantities over a long period of time. You can use it while preparing breakfast, lunch or dinner too. Sprinkling a little cinnamon powder over a bowl of oats or fresh yogurt is a good idea too!
Potential to Prevent Cancer
Recent studies have shown how cinnamon can reduce the growth of cancer cells by essentially being toxic towards existing cancer cells. And with all the other benefits of using cinnamon, if it does this additional job, then honestly there’s nothing better than this spice!
Fights Bacteria
Cinnamaldehyde is the component present in cinnamon that can help fight bacteria. Especially cinnamon oil has been proved beneficial when it comes to treating any respiratory tract infections that could possibly have been caused by fungi.
So, there you go, six reasons why this super spice should be a part of your daily diet along with cinnamon nutrition facts that everyone must know!
