Cinnamon: The Miracle Spice
Recently, cinnamon has become ever more popular because of its amazing effects on blood sugar and cardiovascular health.
We all know cinnamon as a sweet spice for delicious foods like cinnamon buns, muffins, and other highly processed food products. However, cinnamon is now being used in other ways for its beneficial properties.
Cinnamon is an easy way to add in flavor to your foods, but the reason behind adding this into your diet is fascinating. Cinnamon helps balance blood sugar and keeps insulin levels stable. That means that when you consume this natural spice, it levels out your body's blood sugar to help fight sweet cravings and keeps you satiated. It keeps your insulin levels at a stable level so you don't feel the need to dive into a box of sweets to try and settle those random cravings you feel.
Not only does cinnamon help in maintaining blood sugar, it also is proven to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL) circulating throughout the body and raises your good cholesterol (HDL). So if you are someone who struggles with high cholesterol, adding in cinnamon to your diet can be extremely beneficial for you. It is also packed with antioxidants which helps fight cancer cells and banishes toxins from your body.
There were numerous studies done on this topic and it was found that people who had type II diabetes had lowered their fasting blood glucose levels by consuming a cinnamon supplement over a period of 18 weeks, compared to those who didn't take the supplement.
Cinnamon is a great alternative for sugar. Sugar raises your blood glucose, giving you a sudden rush of energy, and then it quickly drops - leaving you feeling tired and spikes cravings throughout the day to try and level back out your sugar levels. Cinnamon will keep your blood sugar stable throughout the day and keep you satisfied. So try and replace sugar with cinnamon in your diet whenever you can!
Here are some easy ways to add in cinnamon to your diet in your daily routine:
1. Add cinnamon to apple slices. This gives you a sour snack, with a kick of sweetness. You will be surprised how much more satisfied your sugar craving is.
2. Adding cinnamon to a banana.
3. Add cinnamon to your morning oatmeal or yogurt parfait.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon in beverages. For example, adding cinnamon to a cup of hot tea or coffee will give you a soothing brew and also may prevent you from adding other sugar alternatives.
5. One of my favorites, I love adding cinnamon to sweet potatoes. Instead of using butter or brown sugars, adding cinnamon gives the sweet potato a delicious flavor and is actually a really sweet treat.
6. Adding cinnamon to chicken or pork marinades is also a good idea for adding this into your dinner recipes.
