Although we often look to actual food for nutrition, don’t forget about spices – especially cinnamon!Ready for a surprise? Just one tablespoon of cinnamon (18 calories’ worth) adds 4 grams of fiber to your day (as much as a large apple), along with 56% of our daily manganese needs, 8% of the calcium we should be getting each day, and 13% of our recommended daily value of iron!
(By the way, I wouldn't recommend downing a tablespoon of cinnamon in one gulp, but rather sprinkling a teaspoon over two or three of the things you eat throughout the day).
Isn’t that incredible? There are even more surprising health properties to this delicious condiment.
Cinnamaldehyde – the compound responsible for the unmistakable taste of cinnamon – contains anti-inflammatory properties (great news for anyone with rheumatoid arthritis as well as when it comes to lowering the risk of developing blood clots).
If you’re looking for a gastrointestinal champ, add cinnamon to some plain yogurt – the healthy bacteria in your colon will absolutely love it. Receant research suggests cinnamon is one of the best foods (not just spices, but foods) that help in the decrease of harmful intestinal bacteria and fungi.
A 2003 study conducted in Pakistan by the United States Department of Agriculture (published in the December 2003 issues of Diabetes Care) even saw a noticeable decrease in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels of subjects who just had half a teaspoon of cinnamon every day! Specifically, subjects lowered total cholesterol by as much as 26 percent, and LDL cholesterol by anywhere from 7 to 27 percent!
When consumed in high amounts, cinnamon can be toxic, so don’t begin to measure out cinnamon in cups. Just one teaspoon a day is enough to see certain benefits.
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