Cinnamon is a delicious spice that lowers blood sugar and helps control diabetes. When people with diabetes consume cinnamon on a regular basis, they lower their requirements for diabetes medications and insulin.
Easy Leafy Green Smoothie Recipe
Diabetes is a condition in which glucose (blood sugar) cannot get into the cells where it is needed to fuel the body. Insulin is a molecule produced in the pancreas that allows glucose to enter the cells where it belongs. Diabetes is caused by an inadequate amount of insulin (type 1 diabetes) or resistance to insulin (type 2 diabetes). In both cases, the glucose accumulates in the blood, which leads to fatigue, thirst, excess urination, and dehydration.
Best diet for diabetes
Diabetic individuals can succeed in maintaining optimal control over their blood sugars when they exercise and eat a low fat, plant-based diet. When people with diabetes follow a low fat, plant-based diet, they experience more success losing weight and lowering their blood sugars than those who follow the American Diabetes Association guidelines.
Health benefits of cinnamon
Cinnamon has been shown in clinical trials to lower the blood sugar in diabetics. The cinnamon you eat is actually the bark of the cinnamon tree. It works by mimicking insulin and also by making the cells more sensitive to insulin, so glucose can enter the cells rather than sitting in the blood.
Other benefits of cinnamon include its high antioxidant content, anti-inflammatory abilities and cholesterol-lowering functions. Furthermore, it does not need to be consumed in abnormally high amounts, just the typically small amounts used for cooking and seasoning food.
Diet and diabetes: Recipes for Success. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Website. http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/diet-and-diabetes-recipes-for-success. Accessed December 4, 2015.
Khan et al. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec; 26 (12): 3215-8.
Carla Hightower, MD, MBA is a physician, health coach, workplace wellness consultant, and speaker. She helps people heal themselves with food. Through wellness workshops and courses, she helps companies create healthy, energetic teams.
Carla, It’s good to know I’m on the right track here! Everything within this recipe are foods and spices that I currently use in my nutrition regimen. Glad to see you are advocating for ‘food as medicine’!!
Valencia, Thank you for your wonderful feedback. I’m happy to hear that you these foods are working well and so beneficial to your health. Excellent!