The Good Kind of Cinnamon Challenge

I'm back with another post on foods I love; I've been temporarily absent for awhile from the blog realm and am very happy to be back!

Do not be fooled by the title of this post-I am not about to advocate for the Cinnamon Challenge, I'm actually going to advocate for cinnamon itself. If you have never heard of the Cinnamon challenge, here is a link which will explain it in detail. But please do not try it at home (or anywhere else for that matter)!

Out of all the foods and powders people could have picked for this bizarre challenge, cinnamon is a pretty good choice, only because of its health benefits.

1. Cinnamon has been linked in helping people with Type-2-Diabetes control their blood-sugar levels. Have a teaspoon of cinnamon in the morning on your hot/cold cereal, in your yogurt, or any breakfast meal. It will stabilize your blood sugar after "fasting" all night.

2. Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties.

3. Cinnamon has been found to have anti-fungal, antibacterial, and anti-parasitic properties (thus is sometimes considered as a natural food preservative!).

4. Cinnamon is an excellent source of magnesium, fiber, iron, and calcium.

5. Just by smelling cinnamon, it may improve our memory (so even if you don't like eating it, you can still reap some benefits just by smelling it!)

6. Cinnamon has been found to be able to lower LDL cholesterol

7. It has anti-clotting effects

(source)

Just because cinnamon (or any food) has many benefits, it doesn't mean you should be eating it all day every day. It could irritate your stomach or skin, or even act as a blood thinner, so be sure to consult your doctor if needs be. 

Don't be afraid to experiment with this amazing spice; It could be used to spice up soups, meat dishes, chocolate, and is amazing in almost any baked goods (I wouldn't encourage you to eat cinnamon rolls as they are really high in fat and sugar, but you could always attempt to make your own healthy version!)