G O O D A N D H EA LTH Y
Spice for Life
A
Tis the season for cinnamon, the common
flavoring with uncommon benefits.
S P IC E -R U B B E D
LAM B C H O P S
Recipe on page 174
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BY MARGE PERRY
P H O T O S
ANDY LYONS
F O O D ST Y LIN G
MARY GJULLIN
A N D
CHARLES WORTHINGTON
"ГНІТ
ІМ
ІП
ІМ
ІІМИИИИМИИИІМ
ІМ
ІИІМ
W HAT IS IT?
AN ANCIENT SPICE MADE
FROM TREE BARK, CINNAMON'S
flavor and aroma arc universally
appealing. It’s most popular at the holidays, but it has been a culinary
partner in both sweet and savory cooking for thousands of years.
Research indicates that cinnamon may positively affect blood
sugar and cholesterol. It’s too early to know if doctors will someday
prescribe a trip to the spice aisle instead of the pharmacy, but the
findings can inspire great table talk while enjoying cinnamon’s
unmistakable and festive flavor.
HOW CINNAMON
MAY BE GOOD
FOR YOU
■ Low ers blood sugar. At
the holidays, cinnam on is
everyw h ere— in cookies, cake,
cider— even savo ry dishes.
That abundance m ay turn out
to be a good thing, according
to research ers w h o have seen
encouraging resu lts in the
sp ice’s potential to low er blood
su gar levels. But th ere have
also been recent stud ies that
sh ow no benefit at all.
“ T he confusion com es
because cinnam on is b est for
low ering glucose w hen eaten
w ith m eals,” sa y s Dr. Ja m e s
O’K eefe, director o f the
Preventive Cardiology
Fellow ship at St. Luke’s
Mid A m erica H eart Institute
in K ansas City. Som e
research ers believe the m ore
uncontrolled you r blood sugar
is, the bigger the benefit
cinnam on m ay have.
■ M ay help reduce
inflam m ation. Richard
A nderson, a nutrition
scien tist at the USDA and
on e o f cinnam on’s biggest
proponents, led a num ber o f
stud ies in which cinnam on
low ered blood su gar levels.
A nderson also believes the
arom atic spice has “ potential
to significantly a ffe ct any
inflam m atory disease,”
including heart disease,
asthm a, and arthritis.
■ The bottom line, sa y s
O’K eefe, is that “ cinnam on
is natural, inexpensive, and a
pow erful antioxidant. It is not
a substitute fo r m edication,
but as an adjunct to a good
diet and exercise, it m ay help.”
1 7 2 DFCRvBFRpOOß BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
