Cinnamon (called dalchini in Hindi) is widely used to add a distinct flavour to various dishes. The aromatic spice is not just a part of the culinary world, but is also a popular ingredient in ancient Ayurveda healing practices. Cinnamon offers many medicinal properties and one of the most prominent ones is its ability to deal with the problem of diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that refers to unusually high amount of blood sugar in the body. The body is unable to produce enough insulin and process the glucose consumed, which eventually enters and stays in the bloodstream. This leads to spike in the blood sugar level. Cinnamon has certain qualities that help in maintaining the sugar level.
How Is Cinnamon Useful For Managing Diabetes?
The spice is known to stimulate cells for glucose consumption. Consuming cinnamon promotes the release of insulin from pancreas and boosts insulin sensitivity that helps in the processing of glucose.
It contains some anti-diabetic compounds that help lower down the rate at which glucose enters our body. This helps in maintaining the level of fasting blood sugar in people suffering from Type-2 diabetes.
Cinnamon improves the digestive system, which is directly linked to the problem of diabetes. A healthy digestive tract will process, digest sugar and flush out excess sugar to keep the sugar level in the blood under control.
How To Use Cinnamon To Deal With High Blood Sugar?
1. Drink Cinnamon Water
The best way to consume cinnamon for diabetes is to drink water infused with the spice. Soak a 2-inch piece or bark of cinnamon in a glass of water. Leave it overnight and drink it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
2. Replace Sugar With Cinnamon
Cinnamon, with its mild sweet flavour, can be used as a natural sweetener and also as a healthy alternative to sugar for all kinds of desserts like cakes and pies, and also traditional Indian sweet dishes like kheer, halwa and barfi.
3. Drink Cinnamon Tea Or Coffee
Make spiced tea (masala chai) with a dash of cinnamon powder or add some of it to the coffee you are brewing. The unique taste of cinnamon, plus its various health benefiting properties will level up your hot cup of beverage in ways more than one.
4. Add Cinnamon To Your Oatmeal
Rev up your nutritious oatmeal with a sprinkling of cinnamon powder. You can also avoid sugar or honey; cinnamon will make your bowlful of fruits and cereals taste great as is.
5. Add It To Indian Curries
Well, this is already a common way to use cinnamon in our kitchens. Saute a small cinnamon stick with other dry spices like cloves and peppercorns to make flavoursome curries. Consuming cinnamon regularly may be beneficial for managing diabetes. However, it is recommended to exercise moderation while picking up the quantity of the spice. It is believed that 3-6 grams of cinnamon in a day is enough to avail its benefits.
