Benefits of Cinnamon - with a vegan cinnamon rolls recipe

Where Does Cinnamon Come From?

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of trees scientifically known as Cinnamomum.

There are around 12 different types of cinnamon trees, but only a few of them are used to grow cinnamon commercially.

The four main ones we use today are:

• Ceylon cinnamon, from Sri Lanka.
• Malabathrum cinnamon, from northern India.
• Serichatum cinnamon, from China.
• Cassia cinnamon, from Arabia.

Different types of Cinnamon

Cinnamon Sticks

Right off the bat, they look amazing and give a touch of decadency to deserts.

You can also use them as a stirring stick for your coffee, tea, cider or cocktails

Ground Cinnamon

This can be added before baking or cooking as it will maintain its aroma and flavor.

Add a sprinkle of ground cinnamon on the top of a hot drink, like a cappuccino, hot chocolate or latte.

Cinnamon Capsules and Cinnamon Pills

While cinnamon does have its benefits, it is still unclear whether it is fully safe to regularly take cinnamon capsules or cinnamon pills since it can potentially interfere with the effects of some medications, such as diabetes medications or blood thinners.

Therefore, we would recommend you to double check with your general practitioner.

Cinnamon Extract

Also known as cinnamon essence, is known for being one of the secrets in the world of high level culinary cooking.

It is a much more concentrated source of flavor, than for example ground cinnamon.

Top 10 Benefits of Cinnamon

#1 Full of Antioxidants

One of the health benefits of cinnamon is that it contains healthy antioxidants such as polyphenols which help protect and heal the body.

#2 Lowers "Bad" Cholesterol

The use of cinnamon may lower bad cholesterol. In fact, it reduces triglycerides and LDL cholesterol by around 25%.

#3 Keeps Your Mouth Clean

Consuming cinnamon keeps your mouth free of harmful bacteria that can damage your teeth.

#4 Helps You Lose Weight

It may help you losing weight by decreasing your blood sugar, controling your insulin levels, and speeding up your metabolism and it has been shown to reduce some of the bad effects of eating high-fat foods.

#5 Is a Natural Cold Medicine

Consuming cinnamon can make you feel better when you are having a cold.

This is due to the healthy antioxidants and antibacterial properties that the plant has and this is truly one of the most important benefits of cinnamon.

#6 Is Good For Your Skin

The use of cinnamon can even be beneficial for your skin as it has a positive effect on treating acne, eczema and hyperpigmentation and decrease signs of aging.

Additionally, it can also be used in a homemade facial scrub.

#7 Lowers blood sugar levels

Cinnamon is known for lowering blood sugar levels due to its properties.

Firstly, cinnamon has been shown to decrease the amount of glucose that enters your bloodstream after a meal.

Keeping your glucose levels in the healthy zone helps preventing or delaying long-term, serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.

#8 Cinnamon and HIV

HIV is a virus that slowly breaks down your immune system, which can lead to AIDS, if untreated.

The use of cinnamon helps fighting against type-1 HIV.

It turns out that it partially blocks the HIV from infecting cells in the body and a laboratory study found that cinnamon was the most effective treatment of all 69 medicinal plants studied.

However, cinnamon alone won’t be enough to fight this disease and other medical treatments are also needed against HIV.

#9 Cinnamon And Heart Disease

Consuming cinnamon has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, which is the world’s most common cause of premature death.

According to Healthline, "In people with type 2 diabetes, 1 gram or about half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to have beneficial effects on blood markers."

#10 Anticarcinogenic

The last benefit of cinnamon is that it has anticarcinogenic effects which helps fighting cancer.

Cinnamon and Sleep

Did you know that cinnamon can also help you fall asleep at night?

Consuming it will help your body relax and alleviate your stress which gives you a big feeling of peace that makes you have a restful night of sleep.

In addition, it will also take care of your body's digestion, which is even better for people who eat right before sleeping (although you shouldn't) and help you get the amount of sleeping hours that you need and deserve.

There was also found that drinking warm milk with cinnamon, gives you an approach to wellness that keeps your stress in check insuring, once again, a good night of sleep.

However, eating healthy isn't and won't ever be the only factor leading to a great sense of rest. Having latex mattresses, latex mattress toppers and latex pillows with Vita Talalay inside will most likely improve your sleeping experience.

They come with their own list of benefits as well, and are designed to get you the healthiest sleep experience possible.

If you would like to try them out, find a retailer near you with our store finder!

Now, what we were all waiting for... The Best Recipes With Cinnamon

To help you include this spice into your diet even more, here are a few of our favourite recipes containing cinnamon.

Vegan Cinnamon Oatmeal

Eating Cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast is an amazing way to start your day. To make it, you need:

Ingredients:

• 1 apple or banana, diced
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (sub for agave)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 pinch cardamom (Optional)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup dairy-free milk

Directions:

1. Add the maple syrup to a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it starts to sizzle, add the diced apple or banana and stir. Let it cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and optional cardamom. Stir together and cook for 1 minutes.
3. Add in the oats and dairy free milk. Stir together and cook for 5 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat and serve. Careful, it will be hot.

Vegan cinnamon rolls

The best vegan cinnamon rolls that we tried are from Tasty (8 servings).

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter, to coat the foil pan

Dough

• 2 cups almond milk (480 mL), at room temperature
• ½ cup vegan butter (115 g), melted
• ¼ cup organic sugar (50 g)
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 5 ½ cups flour (690 g), divided
• 1 teaspoon salt

Filling

• ¾ cup vegan butter(170 g)
• ¾ cup brown sugar(165 g)
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Generously rub two disposable foil pie pans with vegan butter.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond milk, melted butter, and sugar. The mixture should be just warm, registering between 100-110˚F (37-43˚C). If it is hotter, allow to cool slightly.
3. Sprinkle the yeast evenly over the warm mixture and let set for 1 minute.
4. Add 5 cups flour and 1 teaspoon of salt to the milk mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.
5. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
6. Remove the towel and add an additional ½ cup (95g) of flour and salt. Stir well, then turn out onto a well-floured surface.
7. Knead the dough lightly, adding additional flour as necessary, until the dough just loses its stickiness and does not stick to the surface.
8. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about ½-inch (1 cm) thick. Fix corners to make sure they are sharp and even.
9. Spread the softened vegan butter evenly over the dough.
10. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and cinnamon.
11. Roll up the dough, forming a log, and pinch the seam closed. Place seam-side down. Trim off any unevenness on either end.
12. Cut the log in half, then divide each half into 7 evenly sized pieces. About 1½ inches (8 cm) thick each.
13. Place 7 cinnamon rolls in each cake pan, one in the center, six around the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
14. Remove plastic wrap. Bake the cinnamon rolls in a preheated oven at 350˚F (180˚C) for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
15. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Banana Tea

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Cut both ends of the banana.
2. Boil the whole banana, for around 10 minutes, and add cinnamon.
3. Pour the mixture (tea) in a cup and optionally add more cinnamon or a sweetner (honey, agave syrup, etc).

The nutritional value of cinnamon

To conclude, if you are interested in knowing the specific nutritional value of 100 grams of cinnamon, here you go: