Cinnamon and honey were once expensive food ingredients. Honey is syrup manufactured by honeybees, while cinnamon is the fragrant bark of a tree originally from South Asia or Southeast Asia. Fortunately, both items are now common in supermarkets worldwide. They're still valuable, however, because of their natural healing powers. Adding a moderate amount of honey and cinnamon to your diet could be helpful to your health and not just a gastronomic treat.
Energy Boost
Adding a little cinnamon and honey to your fruit salads, shakes or plain water will increase their nutritive and energy value. Honey is a carbohydrate-rich water solution of primarily glucose and fructose, along with other sugars, acids, proteins and minerals. This is why the U.S. National Honey Board Board recommends it as a food additive for athletes before and after workouts. Cinnamon also possesses nutrients. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference lists significant amounts of vitamins A and C, plus manganese, iron, and calcium for every teaspoon of cinnamon.
Respiratory Relief
If you're suffering from a cough, you've got an even better excuse to eat both cinnamon and honey. Honey has long been used in traditional medicine to soothe sore throats. According to the Mayo Clinic, it's a natural cough suppressant just as effective as dextromethorphan. When combined with cinnamon, the result is a delicious homemade cough syrup you'll enjoy swallowing. The University of Texas (El Paso and Austin) Herbal Safety Project also cites the use of cinnamon in herbal therapy treatments for bronchitis, coughs and other respiratory ailments.
Digestion
If you have persistent stomach trouble and nausea, drink either a hot tea with a bit of cinnamon powder or a simple honey-laced drink instead (if you're pregnant and must avoid ingesting cinnamon's volatile oils). It works because, as New Zealand's Waikato University Honey Research Unit says, honey has a pH balance between 3.2 and 4.5, which inhibits the growth of many pathogens, including indigestion-inducing E. coli and Salmonella species. Cinnamon, on the other hand, is a traditional tummy healer in traditional Chinese and Indian ayurvedic medicine. The University of Texas Herbal Safety Project notes the use of cinnamon for treating upset stomach and diarrhea.
Blood Sugar
Cinnamon and honey may even help lower your blood sugar. The Mayo Clinic reports that cinnamon supplements may improve hemoglobin A1C levels (an indicator of blood sugar level) in people with Type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, the U.S. National Honey Board also says that simple sugars such as those in honey have been shown to produce a lower glucose production response in the human body than complex starches like those found in white bread. This means simply cutting back on starches and including moderate amounts of honey and cinnamon in your diet may help regulate your blood sugar levels.
References
- U.S. National Honey Board: Honey -- A Reference Guide to Nature's Sweetener
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Spices, Cinnamon, Ground
- Mayo Clinic; Is It True That Honey Calms Coughs Better Than Cough Medicine Does?; Steckelberg
- The University of Waikato (New Zealand) -- Department of Biological Sciences: Honey as an Antimicrobial Agent
- University of Texas (El Paso) -- Herbal Safety: Cinnamon; Stuart; 2005
- Mayo Clinic; Is It True That Cinnamon Can Lower Blood Sugar in People Who Have Diabetes?; Clavell
Member Comments