As children, many of us remember carefully “supervising” the production process and impatiently waiting for the strudel to finally be baked, while the whole house was filled with a wonderful, mild scent of warm apples and cinnamon. For sure our grandmother’s strudels are responsible for the fact that cinnamon always awakes nice memories and perhaps this is the exact reason why cinnamon is your favourite spice today!

Unfortunately, our grandmothers did not know at the time that there were different types of cinnamon, and the (cheaper) version available in stores and what was mostly used was Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia). This type of cinnamon contains high doses of coumarin which can be toxic in higher concentrations and has no beneficial effects on our body.

In contrast, the real cinnamon, ie Ceylon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), especially when coming from organic farming, has a healing effect and numerous health benefits. It contains many antioxidants and phenols in its composition and its aroma has soothing effects on the mind and body.

Scientific studies confirm that continuous use of Ceylon cinnamon:

– lowers blood glucose, triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels;
– removes toxins from the body;
– it alleviates the symptoms of bacterial & fungal infections;
– promotes digestion, relieves flatulence, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome;
– improves absorption of nutrients from food;
– improves liver function;
– helps in burning belly fat.

There is a long list of benefits to using cinnamon, and since it is delicious and aromatic, you will easily find a way to incorporate it into a part of your daily routine.

Now that you have this knowledge, it will be important to you what kind of cinnamon you will choose the next time you decide to make an apple strudel. Choose only the best for your health and keep in mind that everything we “put” into our body, in the long run has a great impact on our health and overall well-being.

If you are leading a healthy life style or you are a supporter of healing with natural remedies, soon enough, this will become a “must have” spice in your kitchen! Apart from adding it into your morning smoothie every day, you can also use it to make raw bars, ice cream, pralines, chocolate, compote and of course, the apple strudel

To make this dessert really healthy, instead of white sugar, make sure to use natural sweetener, like Organic Coconut Sugar or Stevia.

EnJOY the aromas of cinnamon, and stay in good health!

Author of the article:
Maja Pezić
Macrobiotic and Natural Nutrition Counselor
Aromatherapist