The other day Sarah sent me a newspaper article about cinnamon and diabetes, and my husband – who has Type II Diabetes – took great interest in the piece.

Apparently, cinnamon could be good for much more than spicing up a latte. Through a study involving 30 men and 30 women, diabetics researchers have found the reddish-brown bark, which originates in the tropics, improves blood glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol levels in people with Type II Diabetes.

The Press-Telegram article went on to say that doctors felt the study was a good beginning for finding a less expensive way to control the disease, although “there’s probably not going to be a huge, expensive study because cinnamon is just too cheap. What pharmaceutical company is going to spend all that money for a study on cinnamon when it can be bought for next to nothing at the store?''

 

The article continued:

In the study, published in the December issue of Diabetes Care, doctors from Maryland and Pakistan found that after being given 1, 3 or 6 grams of cinnamon daily for 40 days, participants' glucose, triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels dropped by up to 26 to 30 percent.

After reading the information, my husband sent me on a quest to find recipes containing a lot of cinnamon, and I found a few interesting web sites. McCormick has an informative page about cinnamon (description, uses, origins and folklore), as well as a selection of recipes. My husband loves sweets (what diabetic doesn’t?), and while the recipes include treats there are also some healthy alternatives. I even liked the sound of the following:

 

Cinnamon-Spiced Moroccan Chicken

From McCormick

 

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1¼ to 1½ pounds) or;

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 TBS flour, divided

1¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. seasoned salt

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground turmeric

2 TBS olive oil

1 C chicken broth

½ C pitted whole dates, sliced

1/3 C whole almonds (with skins on)

 

Place chicken in a self-closing plastic bag. Combine 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon, Season-All, cumin, and turmeric. Sprinkle over chicken and toss well to coat. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; sauté the chicken about five minutes per side. Mix remaining 1 tablespoon flour and broth; add to skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in dates and almonds; simmer, covered, for seven minutes, or until chicken is done. Serve over couscous or rice.

 

There are countless other recipes (nine pages in all, totaling 131 dishes), and I’m certain my husband will be earmarking the pages for future reference. He’s interested in testing the reported benefits of the study.

 

Recipe Zaar also has information about cinnamon, along with a slew of recipes from readers.

 

Thanks for the info, Sarah…