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More benefits to spice

Written by Staff Reporter

Thursday, 23 September 2010

Last week I did a lovely stewed apple which I sweetened with cinnamon. Cinnamon is a great natural sweetener which I often use instead of sugar. However, the health benefits of cinnamon are becoming more and more well known and it’s certainly a great spice to use for healthy eating. So where do the benefits come from?

The benefits of cinnamon lie in its blood sugar levelling qualities. Keeping your blood sugar levels stable are key to weight reduction, diabetes management and reduction of the likelihood of other diseases. Cinnamon slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating. In addition, some animal studies have also shown that cinnamon may also significantly help people with type 2 diabetes improve their ability to respond to insulin, thus normalizing their blood sugar levels. More studies are currently taking place.

Adding cinnamon to your daily eating is incredibly easy. Adding as little as a 1/2 a spoon can have an effect on your health. You can sprinkle it on your cereal or add it to your porridge while you make it. You can easily sweeten any stewed fruit with it, as I did last week, making a lovely healthy dessert. You can also add a little to a stew or curry for added flavour.

I have this rice pudding as a breakfast in the winter, topped with stewed fruit and toasted nuts. It’s a great winter warmer!

Coconut rice pudding

1 cup of brown rice

2 cups of coconut milk

½ teaspoon of cinnamon

¼ tsp of nutmeg

4 pears

½ inch of root ginger

If you remember, soak the rice in the saucepan overnight as this makes it easier to digest. Wash and drain well. If you forget, simply wash the rice well under running water.

Place the rice in a saucepan and sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg in.

Add coconut milk and a dash of water. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30-40 mins until rice is cooked.

In the meantime, chop the pears and place with the ginger in a little water and stew for 10-30 mins, depending on softness.

Serve with a few chopped or toasted nuts.

If you want to know how a nutrition consultation could benefit you, contact me on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 086-8179964.

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