Do you enjoy cinnamon? Here is a spice that we can enjoy, and that is also healthy for us.
Cinnamon was one of the first commodities traded regularly between the Near East and Europe. Surprisingly, cinnamon is a small evergreen tree. It is the bark that is processed which turns into the ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks (or quills) we are used to seeing. Its active and healthful components are cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate and cinnamyl alcohol which are derived from the essential oils in the bark.
Ceylon and cassia are the two most popular varieties of cinnamon, even though there are hundred of varieties. Cassia, the stronger of the two and the less expensive, is more common in North America. Both cinnamons are an excellent source of trace mineral manganese and a good source of dietary fiber, iron and calcium.
Insulin Reduction
By just digesting a teaspoon a day, patients with type 2 diabetes had lowered their blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Levels increased when they stopped adding cinnamon to their diet.
Cinnamon normalizes blood sugar levels. This helps to reduce cravings for sugar. This helps to control blood...