When you hear “cinnamon” your mind probably supplies “sugar” as a follow-up. The combination is frequently used together in baking. However, you might want to think of the two words in another way: cinnamon can help your blood sugar! Every Monday, we like to bring attention to a habit or healthy ingredient you can add to your life. As well as being one of Glucocil’s 14 natural ingredients, cinnamon can be easily added to your everyday life. It’s a great, yet small, change to assist your health.

Studies have found cinnamon’s effect on blood sugar to be statistically significant. In the short term, researchers found that cinnamon in a meal can help fight blood sugar spikes and aids insulin sensitivity. In a long-term study, researchers saw that a taking a cinnamon supplement for two months reduced fasting insulin, glucose, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and enhanced insulin sensitivity.

Daily intake is best to help your blood sugar in the long term. And the benefits of cinnamon stretch far beyond blood sugar. The spice is packed with antioxidants and can fight many things including inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. Cinnamon is thought to ease colds, lower cholesterol and act as a preservative. It may also help weight loss and has a wide range of benefits for skin.

The versatile flavor of cinnamon makes it easy to fit it into your regular diet. You can add cinnamon to everything from tea and coffee to meaty dishes. People love to add the spice to healthy smoothies and curries alike!

At this time of year, we think of cinnamon as a spice to enhance sweetness or complement ginger. It’s used predominantly in baking and is a favorite for many. Last week, we shared a blood sugar friendly snickerdoodle that featured cinnamon is a starring — and delicious — role. Many of us may not think of it as a savory ingredient as well. However, it works in everything from pasta sauces and soups to chicken and pork. If you have ever wondered how we calculate nutrition information on recipes without the info listed, we use this useful site.

Many ingredients are sweet or savory. Cinnamon’s ability to fit into both categories is a huge benefit to those of us with blood sugar concerns. As well as being very easy to slip into your diet, it can be taken in dietary supplements, like Glucocil. Talk to your doctor about your options and see if they think adding cinnamon would be beneficial or just tasty! Either way, consider working the spice into more meals.