Did you know that cinnamon and coffee are one of the top ten fastest-rising cinnamon pairings? If you're looking for a coffee that's woody and sweet with a slight citrus note and a bit of spice, this might be the perfect pairing for you.
However, there are different types of cinnamon, so what should you add to your coffee? Ceylon cinnamon is an excellent choice.
If you want your coffee to go beyond just tasting great, keep reading to find out why you should be adding Ceylon cinnamon to your daily cup of joe.
1. The Taste
We're going to kick this off with one of the most obvious benefits, which is the taste. Your coffee can help improve your health, but you also want it to taste good.
After all, there's a reason that 64 percent of Americans drink coffee every day. Yet, only 35 percent of people drink their coffee black.
This means that the majority of people are adding unhealthy creamers, sweeteners, and syrups to their coffee. While it may taste great, it also negates some of the benefits you get from drinking coffee in the first place.
Adding Ceylon cinnamon can help increase the benefits you're already getting from your coffee and make it taste great without adding all of the unhealthy stuff.
Ceylon cinnamon is higher quality cinnamon and often gets referred to as "true cinnamon." It definitely has the typical cinnamon taste, but it's also described as mild and delicate with floral notes.
2. Improve Insulin Response
If you have diabetes, what you add to your coffee matters. Adding too many sugars, syrups, and creamers can quickly send your blood sugar skyrocketing.
However, for many without diabetes, drinking coffee can actually help reduce the risk of type two diabetes. This is great, but it's important to note that even if you don't have diabetes, what you put in your coffee matters to your health and blood sugar.
Cinnamon has long been touted to help your body with its insulin response. Insulin is an important hormone that can help regulate your energy use and metabolism.
When you're resistant to the effects, you can develop diabetes. Insulin resistance is also a key part of metabolic syndrome.
If you are insulin resistant, your body doesn't respond to insulin the way it should. Adding cinnamon could help decrease that resistance.
This makes your body more sensitive to insulin and can help decrease your blood sugar levels. It can also help you better control your blood sugar.
3. Reduce Cholesterol
Drinking the right amount of coffee can help protect your body. However, when you drink too much, you can experience negative side effects.
One study looked at healthy young adults who consumed high levels of coffee. It found that they had increased total and LDL cholesterol levels.
Like everything, drinking coffee in moderation is important. However, if you are drinking your daily coffee, you can actually have it work for you by adding Ceylon cinnamon.
High cholesterol and LDL levels put you at an increased risk of heart disease. One study looked at people who supplemented with 1.5 grams of cinnamon per day.
These people saw reduced total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides. In addition, a review of 13 other studies showed that it was possible for cinnamon to reduce triglycerides and LDL levels.
Drinking coffee in moderation and adding cinnamon could be a huge benefit to your heart health.
4. Decrease Inflammation
Around 24 percent of Americans struggle with arthritis. This disease is one of the leading causes of work disability in the United States.
Inflammation in your joints can be debilitating. However, you can experience inflammation in other areas of your body as well. This inflammation can lead to a range of health problems.
Fortunately, drinking coffee on its own can help reduce inflammation.
Coffee contains polyphenols; these antioxidants can help fight against inflammation. Adding Ceylon cinnamon to your diet can increase the anti-inflammatory benefits of coffee.
Cinnamon also contains antioxidants. The antioxidants found in cinnamon have been shown to have potent anti-inflammatory properties.
Studies have shown that if you can achieve therapeutic concentrations of these antioxidants in your tissues, it can be useful in treating age-related conditions caused by inflammation.
5. Cancer-Fighting Enzymes
Cancer has devastated many families and many lives. People are constantly looking for ways to reduce the risk of cancer, and for good reason.
This disease can ravage your body. Unfortunately, we can't always control every factor.
However, there are things you can do to help your body stay healthy. Drinking coffee can help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
Some studies have looked at prostate cancer, endometrial cancer, liver cancer, and some cancers of the throat and mouth.
However, it's noted that many of the studies completed involve drinking a lot of coffee, around four to six cups a day. This can cause its own issues.
But, as mentioned earlier, drinking the right amount of coffee does have protective factors. Adding Ceylon cinnamon to that coffee can also help combat the possibility of cancer.
Current studies on cinnamon and cancer have mostly been done with test tubes and rats. Therefore, more human research is required.
The current research that's available suggests that cinnamon could work preventatively against cancer and work to treat cancer. It does this in a couple of ways.
First, it works to decrease the growth of cancer cells and the formation of blood vessels in tumors. Second, research suggests that it appears to be toxic to cancer cells. This causes cell death.
6. Manage Blood Pressure
Does your blood pressure get high just thinking about figuring out how to manage yours? Drinking coffee when you already have high blood pressure is interesting.
The caffeine in coffee is a vasoconstrictor which can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure. However, when you drink it regularly, that effect gets diminished.
In addition, if you add cinnamon, you can get the benefits of that. Ceylon cinnamon contains cinnamic acid.
This acid has anti-inflammatory properties. Because of that, it can help your blood flow through your body.
This helps put less strain on your heart. Because of this and the cholesterol-reducing benefits, cinnamon is a great food for heart health.
7. Prevent Alzheimer's
There's nothing like a cup of joe to start your day. However, what's even better is that it's a simple way to reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease. Around one in 20 people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer's disease.
However, this disease is not "just another part of aging." There are things you can do to help prevent it.
Researchers have found that drinking coffee could help reduce the risks of Alzheimer's. Adding Ceylon cinnamon to your coffee can also help with reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Consuming cinnamon can help to change and improve how your brain reacts to insulin. When your blood sugar gets regulated, your brain isn't exposed to hyperglycemic episodes.
Hyperglycemic episodes can be a contributing factor in cognitive decline. Because of the metabolic effect of cinnamon, it helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.
Yet, this isn't the only way that cinnamon helps with brain health. Cinnamon can boost your cognitive activity.
It can also improve the following:
- Concentration
- Memory
- Alertness
- Visual-motor speed
- Alertness
8. Rich in Antioxidants
Coffee is already one of the most antioxidant-rich beverages. However, if you're looking to really boost your antioxidant levels, adding Ceylon cinnamon can help.
Cinnamon contains a bioactive compound called cinnamaldehyde. This compound is responsible for that amazing cinnamon scent.
However, research has shown that this compound works as an antioxidant as well and can help with preventing fat oxidation.
Other extracts from cinnamon also have antioxidant effects. Antioxidants have a variety of benefits, including protecting against cancer and heart disease.
9. Improve Digestion
When you're struggling with digestion issues, it can quickly ruin your day. Drinking coffee can help improve your digestion because of the caffeine.
When you drink coffee, it stimulates the production of gastrin and hydrochloric acid. Gastrin is a digestive hormone, and you'll find hydrochloric acid in gastric juice.
Gastrin and hydrochloric acid are helpful in breaking down food in the stomach. However, that's not the only way that coffee can help with digestion.
Coffee encourages your body to secrete another hormone called cholecystokinin. This helps your body increase the amount of bile it's producing. Bile also helps with digestion.
Adding cinnamon to your coffee can help with your digestion even more. If you're struggling with nausea, indigestion, upset stomach, or other digestive issues, then cinnamon can naturally help with those symptoms.
If you're struggling with gas and flatulence, cinnamon is a natural way to help with that as well. It has carminative properties, which help relieve it.
10. Boost Your Immune System
Cinnamon has some surprising effects on the immune system. First, there's research out there showing that it could help protect against some viruses.
For example, some studies have shown that it's helpful against diseases like influenza and Dengue. Other studies have shown benefits in protecting the body against HIV-I. However, there is still more research needed in these areas.
Next, we come back to one of the active compounds in cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde. This compound is thought to help stop the growth of some bacteria and kill some fungi.
Like the viral benefits, more research is needed because most tests have been limited to a test tube.
All of these benefits can get attributed to the antioxidant content and phytochemicals in cinnamon. Proven properties of cinnamon include that it is:
- Anti-microbial
- Anti-bacteria
- Antibiotic
- Anti-fungal
- Anti-viral
All of these properties can help your body fight back against viruses and infections.
11. Weight Loss
A spoonful of sugar might make the medicine go down, but a spoonful of cinnamon could make your weight go down.
Research from the University of Michigan has shown that just a spoonful of cinnamon added to your daily diet could help with weight loss and with preventing obesity. Now, it's important to note that this isn't a good reason to start doing a daily cinnamon challenge.
Not only is this not tasty, but it's not safe. However, it is a good reason to start adding cinnamon to your coffee.
In addition, by adding The Good Stuff to your coffee, you can skip the unhealthy creamers and sugars. This can also help prevent weight gain.
Another way that cinnamon can help is by delaying gastric emptying. This delay can help you feel full for longer. In addition, it helps with weight loss by increasing your insulin sensitivity.
If cinnamon isn't enough, just the coffee alone can help with weight loss. Drinking coffee can help with your metabolism and suppress your appetite. Because of these benefits, it's associated with reduced body fat.
12. Knock Out Your Menstrual Cramps
Do you struggle with cramps during your time of the month? You're not alone! Around 80 percent of women experience period pain at some point in their lives.
Because of this, there is a whole market of products that advertise the ability to reduce period pain. However, if you're tired of relying on medications for your cramps, you could try cinnamon.
Cinnamon has antispasmodic effects. Simply put, it helps relieve involuntary spasms of certain muscles.
It also has anti-inflammatory effects. If you're struggling with cramps before or during your period, cinnamon could help relieve them.
It can also help with other symptoms some women experience, including nausea and vomiting. If you're struggling with a heavier flow, there's even research that suggests that cinnamon can help to reduce your flow.
However, we do have a word of caution here. For some women, the caffeine in coffee can actually make cramps worse. It's important that you know your body and take care of it.
13. Oral Health Benefits
You hear a lot of talk about coffee staining teeth. That makes it easy to assume that drinking coffee is actually bad for your teeth; however, surprisingly, the opposite is true.
In moderation, coffee is actually good for your teeth. It has antibacterial and anti-cavity properties.
The antioxidants help because coffee has trigonelline. Trigonelline works to stop cavity-causing bacteria from entering your tooth's enamel.
In addition, if you're looking to fight bad breath and gum disease, cinnamon might be your new best friend. Remember, we mentioned above that cinnamon has antimicrobial activity.
This activity can help with protecting and improving your oral health. The other immune system benefits of cinnamon can also help with inhibiting the bacteria that cause cavities in the first place.
All of these benefits can help you guard against gum disease and stave off halitosis.
14. Fight Against Seasonal Allergies
If you struggle with seasonal allergies, you know they can have a significant impact on your life. From constant sneezing to actually making you sick, allergies are no joke.
There's been some research into the anti-allergic properties of cinnamon.
First, one study used cinnamon bark extract. This extract was sprayed into the nostrils two times per day.
It was found that this treatment helped with reducing eye, nasal, and non-hay fever symptoms. It also helped with reducing emotional problems that are related to seasonal allergies.
Other studies have been done on animals. One showed that because of the anti-inflammatory properties of cinnamon, it could help with counteracting the histamine response.
Another study done on mice showed that the polyphenols in cinnamon extract could help with allergic rhinitis. Because most of these studies have been completed with animals, not humans, there is a need for more research.
However, there are potential benefits for people who struggle with seasonal allergies.
15. Increase Wound Healing and Reduce Muscle Pain
The benefits of cinnamon are far and wide. It can help with increasing wound healing and reducing muscle pain as well.
Cinnamon has two extracts that are responsible for helping wound healing. These extracts are cinnamtannin B-1 and cinnamaldehyde.
These extracts promote the growth and migration of certain cells. Those cells are needed to help with wound healing.
In addition, there have been studies that looked at muscle soreness in athletes. One looked at how cinnamon and ginger can help with inflammation and muscle soreness.
Athletes who took cinnamon experienced decreased muscle soreness in comparison to the placebo group. In addition, when you add The Good Stuff to your coffee, you're getting cinnamon and collagen.
Both of these help with reducing muscle soreness.
16. Natural Antidepressants
We’ve already seen some great benefits from cinnamon. However, there’s also a possibility that it can get used as a natural antidepressant.
There is research out there that suggests that it helps with depression because of its anti-inflammatory properties. One significant hormone involved in depression is serotonin.
Serotonin is responsible for carrying messages in your brain and throughout your body. The theory is that inflammation can impact serotonin’s ability to do its job.
Since cinnamon can reduce the inflammatory process in the hippocampus, it allows serotonin to get increased to an optimal level. Research on this was completed with Wister rats.
17. Improve Hair Growth and Reduce Dandruff
This benefit is another one where more research is still needed. However, studies have looked at the effects of cinnamon on hair growth.
One study applied cinnamon oil to male rats. They noted that the diameter and length of the hair of those rats significantly increased when adding the oil.
How? Researchers believe that the oil helped to stimulate blood flow to the scalp. Cinnamaldehyde played a significant role in helping to increase that blood flow.
Researchers also suggest that cinnamon can help keep dandruff from forming. One type of fungus called Malassezia plays a role in causing dandruff.
Cinnamon’s antifungal effects can fight back against this fungus and keep those flakes away.
18. Skin Health Benefits
Applying cinnamon to your skin can help you get some great benefits. Some studies show that it can relieve pain, swelling, redness, and inflammation.
However, the benefits of cinnamon for your skin aren’t solely from applying it to your skin. Your skin is a reflection of your internal health.
Because cinnamon has antimicrobial and antibiotic properties, it can boost your immune system. A healthy immune system can work to keep your skin healthy and keep away rashes, allergic reactions, irritation, or even infection.
In addition, after you brew your favorite cup of coffee, don’t throw away the grounds. You can use them as an exfoliating scrub for your skin.
There are several recipes you can use, but one dermatologist recommends using simple ingredients you can find at home. First, you need your coffee grounds. They act as great antioxidants.
Next, you’ll need oil. Dermatologists recommend using coconut oil because it doesn’t have chemicals that can irritate your skin. However, if you don’t have coconut oil, you can also use jojoba, olive, or grapeseed oil.
Third, grab some rolled oats. If you have gluten sensitivities, make sure you get gluten-free ones. Rolled oats can help with skin inflammation.
Next, you’ll want some vanilla extract. This helps to relax you and cover up the smell of coffee if it’s just too much.
Finally, you want salt or sugar. These will act as an exfoliant for your scrub.
Once you’ve gathered the ingredients, you combine them to the thickness you want. Then use your scrub on your face or body and rinse off with water.
Get The Good Stuff and Add Ceylon Cinnamon to Your Coffee
There are many benefits to adding Ceylon Cinnamon to your coffee. If you’re looking to improve your health and reap the benefits, you need The Good Stuff.
This performance coffee addition can help your coffee taste great without all the bad stuff you normally add and provide many other benefits. Start shopping with us today and experience the difference in your daily cup of coffee.