Cinnamon is a popular spice that most of us sometimes add to an apple pie, coffee or hot chocolate. However, there are a few health reasons to use cinnamon more often. I’m not telling you to add it to every meal you eat, but incorporating cinnamon into your diet can help improve your overall health. Plus, it will add a fantastic flavor to your bland meal. While you probably won’t use this spice in your hearty soups, you might want to use it in your desserts and beverages. Cinnamon is plentiful in calcium, fiber, iron, flavanols, manganese, and some potent antioxidants. Read on to discover 8 health reasons to add more cinnamon to your meals.

1. Cinnamon boosts your brain function
It has been proven that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive processing, however eating it regularly improves your brain function. Cinnamon helps increase memory, focus and attention, and reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s. Consuming a little bit of cinnamon every day helps fight irritability and depression, and prevent headaches. Add a little bit of cinnamon (don’t overdo it!) to your morning coffee or smoothie and reap all its health benefits.

2. It’s good for your heart
When it comes to my heart health, I always try to consume more foods and spices that are good for my heart. I did a small research and found out a study from Penn State that claims that adding spices, such as cinnamon and turmeric, to a diet helps reduce the negative effects of consuming fatty meals. Although it’s better to avoid high-fat foods since they increase your risk of heart disease, adding cinnamon or turmeric to them can be a good solution.

3. It helps lose weight
When combined with a healthy diet and regular workouts, cinnamon can also help you drop weight. The things is, cinnamon helps increase metabolism and regulate blood sugar levels, which plays a crucial role in weight loss. Add a dash of cinnamon to your oatmeal, or yogurt, or any diet-friendly meal to improve your weight loss results. Sure, you won’t see those results instantly, but a little bit goes a long way, you know.

4. It improves your gut health
Cinnamon is good for your gut health as well. It helps prevent indigestion, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, acid reflux, diarrhea, and even chronic pain like arthritis have all shown the potential to be alleviated through cinnamon consumption. Probably you don’t use cinnamon in your soups, but I recommend you to add the spice to your favorite soups, especially a vegetable soup, a lentil soup, and a black bean soup.

5. It helps prevent cancer
Consuming cinnamon helps prevent the growth and spread of cancer cells. Cancer cells take up glucose and ignore metabolic signals, which is why it’s important to control your sugar levels and reestablish a healthy metabolism, if needed. Adding cinnamon to your everyday meals can help you. Add a half teaspoon of cinnamon powder to your oatmeal or glass of milk to enjoy all its cancer fighting properties.

6. It helps control mood swings during PMS
Cinnamon is a good source of manganese that helps control mood swings and prevent cramps during PMS. Moreover, cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde that helps balance hormones. Consume a little bit of cinnamon with foods that help fight PMS, such as bananas, dark chocolate, nuts, avocado, almond milk, and yogurt, to make those days easier and happier.

7. It’s good for your gum health
Cinnamon is one of the most popular ingredients in most mouthwashes and chewing gums, and it’s no wonder why. The thing is, cinnamon boasts antibacterial properties and it helps protect gums and teeth from damages. It can also improve your breath. I think it’s one of the most undeniable reasons to add more cinnamon to your meals.

8. It’s good for your skin
Due to its antibacterial properties cinnamon helps relieve itching of the skin and skin redness. Cinnamon can also help fight acne. Due to its natural heat production, cinnamon is also good for massages, and it helps relieve muscle and joint pain. Do you need any other reasons to add cinnamon to your eating plan? I think, it’s already a good reason to have a cup of cinnamon tea or coffee right now.

We often use foods and spices without realizing how healthy they are. Cinnamon is a small spice that boasts enormous health benefits. You don’t have to like cinnamon to reap its health benefits, adding a little bit of it to your favorite meal will be enough. How often do you use cinnamon in your meals? What are your favorite ways to use cinnamon? Share your tips with us, please.

More about: