Cinnamon: The Health Benefits | The Michigan Dietitian

Cinnamon is a delicious spice utilized for its flavor, aroma, and health benefits.

The Origins of Cinnamon

Cinnamon is now a commonly used household spice we easily purchase at the grocery store but at one point lives have been lost over obtaining it. The exact origins are not completely known, but it can be said that cinnamon originated in Asia. Throughout the years cinnamon has been used for both added flavor and medicinal purposes. To discover more about the origins of cinnamon and its journey to your kitchen spice cabinet check out britcannica.

Cinnamon Nutrition

Because cinnamon is a spice it is typically considered to have 0 calories. In actuality it does have some. 1 teaspoon of cinnamon has 6 calories, just under 2g of carbs, and 1g of fiber. This is pretty small amounts, but it is still there. 1g of fiber in just 1 teaspoon of cinnamon is awesome! You goal should be to have around 30g a day. This can be difficult for some but including a sprinkle of cinnamon throughout your day can help you reach this goal.

Common Health Benefits

Cinnamon has an abundance of health benefits!

One large benefit of cinnamon is it’s high amounts of antioxidants. Antioxidants help reduce the amount of free radicals in your body. These free radicals cause unfavorable oxidative damage. Basically, cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants that help prevent damage.

Cinnamon also has anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is a sign of disease. Your immune system sends out inflammatory cells to fight bacteria and aid damages. With the help from cinnamon you can assist your body and may also protect yourself from possible damages.

Did you know cinnamon can help reduce your risk of heart disease? Studies have found just 1/2 teaspoon a day creates meaningful benefits on different blood markers.

a healthcare worker measuring a patients blood pressure using a sphygmomanometer

If you have a risk of heart disease you have probably heard of LDL and HDL cholesterol, typically referred to as you ‘bad’ and ‘good’ cholesterol. Cinnamon can actually help reduce your bad cholesterol and increase your good cholesterol.

In early animal studies, cinnamon has even reduce blood pressure. This finding cannot be said to also do the same in humans, but further research may find it so!

With all of these aspects of heart disease it is easily seen that cinnamon is beneficial to someone with risk of heart disease.

Too much of a good thing exists here. Eating cinnamon all day long can lead to negative effects. The most cinnamon you should have in a day is 0.1mg/kg/day. That means if you weigh 150lbs (68kg) you should not be consuming more 6.8mg in a day. That being said, that’s quite a lot of cinnamon so unless you are having it often there’s no need to worry about consuming too much cinnamon!

Types of Cinnamon

There are two types of cinnamon that are most common nowadays. Once is the type plainly labeled cinnamon and the other is ceylon cinnamon. Your ‘average’ cinnamon is actually Korintje cinnamon.

Ceylon cinnamon is considered the only ‘true cinnamon’ as it is all from a single source while other varieties can be a mixture of many sources. Ceylon cinnamon comes from the island of Sri Lanka, which was onced named Ceyon.

a person holding a stainless spoon with powder

Tops Uses of Cinnamon

There are endless ways to use cinnamon. I mean, there’s a whole delicious dessert named for it: the cinnamon roll.

If you are ready to use your cinnamon I have a few recipes for you to try!:

If you’re not in the mood for any of those recipes there are still endless others you can try. Make a tea, sprinkle it on oatmeal, make caramelized bananas with a scoop of ice cream, or even heat it on your stove with apple cider for the perfect fall drink!

Takeaways

Cinnamon is a spice that dates back centuries. There’s two kinds typically consumed but both provide great nutrition and health benefits. One great benefit is that there is 1g of fiber per teaspoon. That’s a small amount of cinnamon to easily add in fiber. Beyond its nutrition, cinnamon also has a plethora of health benefits. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can truly make a great difference in your health.