Diet aid on holidays Cinnamon can help you lose weight

Classic spice in the Christmas kitchen: Better Ceylon or Cassia cinnamon?

Cinnamon is one of several classic Christmas spices. But its sweet to fiery aroma not only gives Christmas cookies a very special touch, but also exotic curries and chutneys. The delicious spice brings various health benefits and even helps with weight loss.

Healthy Christmas spice

Cinnamon is a classic spice in the delicious Christmas cuisine. Its sweet to fiery aroma refines Christmas biscuits, speculoos and gingerbread, winter fruit compote, baked apples, mulled wine and punch. And spicy foods such as Indian curries and chutneys give cinnamon a distinctive touch. It is part of spice blends such as the Indian "Garam masala" as well as the Chinese "Five Spices Powder". The popular spice is not only very flavorful, but also extremely healthy.

In the Christmas kitchen cinnamon may not be missing. In this country, both Ceylon and Cassia cinnamon are offered. The spice is not only very tasty, but also extremely healthy and even helps to lose weight. (Image: Jiri Hera / fotolia.com)

For the prevention and treatment of diabetes

Cinnamon was already known in antiquity for its health benefits. As before, the spice is used among other things in digestive complaints such as flatulence.

It is said to have a disinfecting effect and lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels. In addition, cinnamon stimulates the metabolism, which is helpful if you want to speed up the weight loss.

According to health experts, the spice is also one of the foods that help prevent diabetes.

Furthermore, cinnamon is good for the intestine.

Too much coumarin can harm your health

However, it is now known that cinnamon - in larger quantities - can damage your health. And because of the contained coumarin.

Among other things, this substance can lead to liver and kidney damage in high doses. Some people are sensitive even to small amounts.

As the Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE) reports on its website, the tolerable daily intake (TDI) is 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

Thus, a person weighing 60 kilograms without health problems could take in six milligrams of coumarin daily. That's equivalent to two grams of cassia cinnamon daily.

In infants, the TDI value will already be reached after six cinnamon stars or 100 g of gingerbread a day.

Ceylon cinnamon contains significantly less coumarin than cassia cinnamon.

If you use cinnamon often and often - for rice pudding, for example - you should prefer Ceylon cinnamon.

However, the search is difficult because the variety does not have to be indicated on the cinnamon box. Only some vendors give the cinnamon variety voluntarily.

The supermarket is usually cheaper Cassia cinnamon available, while Ceylon cinnamon is sold mainly in delicatessen and Asian stores.

Ceylon cinnamon is higher quality than cassia cinnamon

As the BZfE explains, cinnamon is made from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree, which belongs to the evergreen laurel family.

Although there are several hundred different species, only Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) and cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum) are important on the European market.

As the name implies, Ceylon cinnamon comes from Ceylon, today's Sri Lanka. The particularly high-quality "real cinnamon" has a fine, pleasantly spicy aroma and is usually processed into cinnamon sticks.

Cassia cinnamon comes from China according to the BZfE. It tastes tart to slightly sweet and comes here in this country predominantly ground into powder in the trade.

With cinnamon sticks, the difference is clear. Ceylon poles consist of several fine layers of bark, which look like a truncated cigar in cross section.

Cassia cinnamon, on the other hand, has a relatively thick layer of bark rolled into a roll.

Cinnamon sticks can last up to three years if they are well closed. Ground cinnamon should always be kept airtight and dark so that it does not lose its aroma. (Ad)