Two of my favorite additions, honey and cinnamon, have amazing health properties!

I think we go through cinnamon and honey in my house almost as much as milk (ok slight exaggeration but you get the point 🙂 )  Not only do they add natural sweetness to our foods and drinks, but they have amazing health benefits too.  Read to learn why you should be eating more honey and cinnamon too….

Honey

Honey is the only food that never spoils!  Pretty amazing, huh?  Honey is a perfect substitute for refined sugar in teas, oatmeal, baked good etc. because the combination of fructose and glucose provides sustained energy, whereas plain sugar only allows for immediate energy.  Honey is a natural energy booster (and who doesn’t need a little more energy??)  I give my kids peanut butter (natural) and honey sandwiches for lunch at school.  This helps sustain their energy throughout the school day! Natural honey is also better than most of those processed jellies too.

Honey helps build up the immune system.  There have many studies showing that taking one tablespoon of local honey daily can avoid seasonal allergies.  Eating local honey helps your body become accustomed to the local bee pollen and helps prevent any allergy symptoms that you would have had.  There is no proven science confirming this, but I do give my kids a tablespoon every day and it seems to help them 🙂

Cinnamon

We LOVE cinnamon in our house!!  I put it in most of my baked goods and treats and we love it in smoothies, oatmeal, pancakes, on sweet potato fries….YOU NAME IT!

According to research, cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties that can help prevent heart disease.  Cinnamon may also help those with Type 2 Diabetes to control their blood sugar and may also lower “bad” cholesterol (LDL).

But don’t go crazy an overdose on cinnamon, because you CAN overdo it.  Too much cinnamon can be toxic so just enjoy it in baking or a topping a few times a day.

Ways to incorporate honey and cinnamon in your diet:

• Add them to yogurts, teas, coffee, baked products (such as breads, cookies and treats) to replace the sugar
• Add them to smoothies, put them on toast, spread on sandwiches, add to oatmeal and other cereals
• Take a sliced apple, drizzle honey and cinnamon on top and bake for 20 minutes.  Homemade apple pie (almost!) 🙂