Did You Know About the Health Benefits of Cinnamon?

I have always loved the taste of cinnamon even before learning about the wonders associated with this simple spice, which has antioxidant and antibacterial properties.  In addition, I discovered how as little as 1/2 teaspoon daily can really help lower cholesterol or may improve your blood glucose levels, especially for those people with type 2 diabetes.  Now I'm even more nuts about spreading the word of this powerhouse of a spice.

At our place we like to eat a bowl of cooked oatmeal most mornings.  Old-fashioned is the favorite in our house.  We sprinkle some cinnamon and a teaspoon of sugar over our oatmeal instead of adding milk.  Some days we like to add some raisins to the mixture for some extra iron. 



Other days we like to add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the water until it is heated, then add your oatmeal and cook as usual.  Add a teaspoon to a tablespoon of peanut butter to your chocolate oats, two teaspoons of sugar and you get a cooked cereal your kids will gobble up.  This stuff tastes like candy--not something that is good for them to eat!

Even when we skip our cinnamon oats routine, I use cinnamon more freely and include it in my dishes whenever possible.