Cinnamon - The “Wonder Spice”
posted in Health News, The Daily Diet by
In my recent Shaklee Cinch Recipe post I mentioned the fact that Cinnamon is a natural appetite suppressant. My next door neighbor was surprised to hear that fact and asked me about what other spices she might use to help with her health issues, at which point it occurred to me that perhaps in the culture we live in now - in which we have literally thousands of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines, not to mention strange supplements from shady overseas companies, all of which claim to cure a wide variety of ills and woes - somehow we’ve lost our collective knowledge of natural remedies that are right at our fingertips. So I figured it was time to write about small ways in which we can improve our health using the simplest of natural ingredients - spices.
Certainly there are a number of wonderful resources and experts, but in general I find that most people aren’t really aware of how beneficial simple spices can be if we would include more of them (quantity and variety) in our daily diets. Recently Reader’s Digest did a terrific article on this subject in their April issue. And while you can also find a large number of books about spices, I strongly recommend Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Healing Herbs & Spices
But by a country mile Cinnamon is my favorite spice and I use it often. In addition to naturally helping to suppress your appetite, Cinnamon has been shown to lower blood sugar (of greatest benefit to those suffering from diabetes), as well as lower triglycerides, LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol) and total cholesterol. And studies have found that just the smell of it can satisfy a sweet craving, and improve memory and attention. What a wonderful spice! If you’re interested, here is a site where you can learn more about the health benefits of cinnamon.
In addition to mixing in a few light shakes with your Shaklee Cinch drink, try adding a shake or two to your coffee grounds before brewing, or swirl a cinnamon stick in your cup (it’s great with tea also), sprinkle a little on your morning cereal, or try a modified version of cinnamon toast (leave out the sugar). Once you start adding it to a few things you’ll be surprised how many more things you’ll think of to add it to.
