The smell of fresh cinnamon evokes Christmas feelings in many people. But cinnamon is not only suitable for the Advent season. The spice goes extremely well with warm desserts, such as porridge, no matter what time of year it is. In this article, we will tell you about the different types of cinnamon, what to look for when buying it, and how you can best incorporate it into your healthy breakfast.
The origin of the popular spice
Cinnamon is obtained from the bark of the evergreen cinnamon tree. This is classified as a member of the laurel family and is characterized by its succulent dark green leaves and light yellow flowers.
To produce cinnamon spice, the outer layers of the bark of the tree are removed. The bark is then dried and rolls up . This is how the well-known cinnamon sticks are made, which are particularly popular in mulled wine. You can recognize high-quality cinnamon by its fine layers, which together resemble a cigar in shape. Cheaper cinnamon, on the other hand, usually consists of only one layer of bark.
However, cinnamon is not only available as a roll or stick, but also in ground form. This makes it easier to incorporate into a wide variety of dishes and is extremely popular for this reason. It is particularly good in desserts, pastries and tea in this form – especially as a topping.
Even though it can be difficult to distinguish between ground cinnamon varieties, it is still worth taking a closer look. This is because not all types provide the same health benefits.
Cassia or Ceylon – how can I tell the difference?
Cassia cinnamon usually comes from southern China. You can recognize this variety by its thicker layers and dark appearance, as well as its intense smell. Ceylon cinnamon, on the other hand, is mostly produced in Sri Lanka or southern India. It is characterized mainly by its aromatic and less sharp flavor.
However, Ceylon cinnamon is significantly more expensive, which is why the cheaper Cassia cinnamon is often used, especially in the food industry. But what is the difference between the two types? Why is Cassia cinnamon cheaper?
The price is primarily due to the quality of the cinnamon. This is because cassia cinnamon tends to consist of thick layers, while Ceylon cinnamon is characterized by its fine layers and is therefore considered to be of higher quality. This question should now be answered.
Cassia or Ceylon – which variety is healthier?
However, another question arises – does quality only affect the taste? Or is one variety healthier than the other?
If you look at the ingredients of the different types of cinnamon, one thing is immediately apparent to any expert. The coumarin content differs considerably. Coumarin is an aromatic phytochemical. In small quantities, it gives the dish a pleasant flavor. However, in too large quantities, it is potentially harmful to health.
Therefore, the answer to the question of which variety is healthier is Ceylon cinnamon. This is because it contains significantly less coumarin and can therefore be consumed in larger quantities with a clear conscience.
However, aside from the coumarin content, both types of cinnamon are extremely healthy. We will now take a closer look at why.
Cinnamon as a remedy – the health benefits of the spice
The ancient Egyptians already knew that cinnamon is healthy. At that time, cinnamon was considered one of the most important natural remedies and was even more expensive than gold. Even if the expected effects were somewhat exaggerated at the time, there was still a grain of truth in it.
Cinnamon can actually do a lot more than you would expect. Cinnamon can actually regulate blood sugar levels and thus even helps with type 2 diabetes. But cinnamon also plays a role in weight loss, as it indirectly promotes fat loss.
What is special about cinnamon is that it only takes a tiny amount for it to develop its health-promoting properties. Just one gram per day can have a significant positive effect on blood sugar levels. What's more, it also lowers bad LDL cholesterol, which has an equally positive effect on the cardiovascular system.
Why cinnamon is considered a natural remedy
Cinnamon has been used as a natural remedy for a long time, as we have already heard. This is due to its positive properties. In addition to its blood sugar regulating effect, cinnamon offers many other advantages.
On the one hand, cinnamon stimulates the appetite and intestinal activity. For example, it can be added to hot breakfast foods such as porridge to specifically stimulate the appetite. On the other hand, cinnamon can also prevent bloating and flatulence, making it an excellent addition to porridge, which is easy on the stomach.
In addition, cinnamon contains the essential oil eugenol. This has a disinfecting effect, which makes cinnamon a good natural remedy for colds.
In addition, cinnamon also affects cholesterol levels and ensures that LDL cholesterol, which is considered bad, is reduced. Thus, the cardiovascular system also benefits from a daily portion of cinnamon.
But cinnamon is also said to help with weight loss. We will now take a closer look at how this can be.
Does cinnamon really help you lose weight?
Cinnamon can actually support fat loss by developing its blood sugar regulating properties. When blood sugar levels are elevated, the body releases insulin to lower them. While this may sound good at first, the following problem arises: if the body releases insulin too frequently, as is the case in prediabetic or obese people, fat burning is disrupted.
This is because the enzymes responsible for the utilization of fats are hormone-sensitive. This means that if the insulin level is too high, they stop fat burning and thus inhibit fat loss.
However, if you want to lose weight, sooner or later fat will have to be metabolized. And that's where cinnamon comes into play again. Because cinnamon can actually delay gastric emptying. This in turn causes the blood sugar level to rise more evenly. This means that less insulin has to be secreted and fat loss also works better.
Regulating blood sugar with slow carbs – how it works
This is how you can optimally integrate cinnamon into your diet
Consuming cinnamon regularly is therefore highly advisable, regardless of your actual reason for doing so. This is because its health-promoting properties are beneficial for everyone. However, cinnamon is not suitable for all dishes. That's why we'd like to share a few recipes with you that make it easy to integrate your daily dose of cinnamon into your daily routine.
If you want to get your daily dose of cinnamon in the morning, you should definitely use it in combination with porridge. This combination is very popular in Ayurvedic nutrition for a reason. Warm porridge in the morning ensures healthy digestion. Cinnamon also provides a pleasant warmth and a special taste experience.
But cinnamon is not only delicious in combination with porridge. In our delicious apple cinnamon granola, it perfectly complements the fruity taste of the apple. We use healthy Ceylon cinnamon for our gluten-free apple cinnamon granola. So you can safely consume it in larger quantities if your body craves it.
Discover the new apple cinnamon granola from Verival here.
The gluten-free whole grain oats provide a generous portion of complex carbohydrates and digestive fiber. The high-oleic sunflower oil, on the other hand, provides healthy fatty acids. The gluten-free apple cinnamon granola is rounded off with a portion of apple cubes and high-quality Ceylon cinnamon.
All in all, granola is extremely versatile and therefore the perfect companion for your breakfast or snack. Whether as a topping for yoghurt, in combination with milk or as a crunchy snack for in between – granola is always delicious.
Bircher pancakes are one of our favorite recipes for a good start to the day. They consist of our Bircher organic porridge, vitamin-rich apples, and protein-rich eggs and quark. The pancakes are topped off with a sprinkle of cinnamon and grated nuts.
Try one of the recipes or take a look at our blog for more inspiration for your healthy breakfast.
Cinnamon goes well with these spices
Cinnamon can also work well in main dishes at lunchtime. However, make sure that you use spices that go well together. We will now briefly look at which spices go well with cinnamon.
Cinnamon goes well with star anise, cardamom, coriander, ginger and vanilla. It gets a little spicier with a combination of cinnamon, curry powder, chili, ginger and salt, which spices up Asian cuisine. Cinnamon and cloves are essential ingredients in mulled wine during the winter season.
Which mixture you actually use depends entirely on the dish you want to prepare. It's best to experiment a little with the spices mentioned and find out your favorite mixture.
