Cinnamon… I put like a half of a teaspoon in my muesli or porridge every morning, only because I like it. It’s interesting to see that a mere teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 mg of calcium, almost one mg of iron, over a gram of fibre, quite a lot of vitamin C and K, and the mineral manganese. Wow, amazing, right? So nutritious! Considering the fact that women should receive about 10 mg of iron daily, I probably get 1/20 only through cinnamon.
Another good thing about cinnamon is that it’s full of antioxidants, which fight cell-damaging free radicals in the body. There are also other benefits of using cinnamon daily, but not only in your food! Do you know other uses of cinnamon?
Cinnamon health benefits
Cinnamon has been traditionally used to treat health problems such as colds, toothache, digestive ailments, such as flatulence, nausea, and vomiting, and even bad breath (Burford, 2009). It also helps to control blood sugar levels.
The combination of calcium and fibre in cinnamon is important and can be helpful for prevention of several different conditions, such as colon cancer, atherosclerosis and heart disease. Not only this but just smelling the wonderful odour of this sweet spice boosts brain activity, which means that you will feel more alert and perform better at certain tasks only by smelling this odour.
Different uses of cinnamon
I use cinnamon in many different ways. I use it first thing in the morning in my muesli/porridge; I also have a cinnamon oil, which smell helps me think more clearly when problem-solving (I believe!), and last but not least, I use cinnamon before going to bed by using a cinnamon mouthwash. Yes, cinnamon mouthwash! I love Jason’s mouthwash which freshens my breath and keeps my mouth healthy without harsh chemicals.
Remember that cinnamon can be used as a treatment for a cold too and you can even make a cinnamon tea for this purpose.
Be careful though
Too much cinnamon can be toxic for you so make sure you read carefully about its side effects, before using it for any of your conditions.
References
Burford, S. (2009) Herb and Spices: a collection of delicious recipes. L&K Designs: China.