How Much Is Cinnamon Powder

Description

Cinnamon powder is a spice made from ground cinnamon sticks. It’s most commonly used in baking, but it can also be used to add flavor to beverages, soups, and other foods.

The best way to store cinnamon powder is in an airtight container in a cool place away from sunlight. You should keep your cinnamon powder sealed tightly at all times because it’s very easy for moisture and air to get into the container, which will degrade the quality of the product over time.

Cinnamon is a spice that is made from the dried inner bark of trees in the genus Cinnamomum. Since the inner bark is not edible, it must be dried and ground into a powder before it can be used. Cinnamon powder is used in many different types of recipes, including desserts and baked goods, as well as savory foods like curries.

Cinnamon powder has been used for thousands of years throughout the world as a flavoring agent and medicinal herb. It was first introduced to Europe by Arab traders during the Middle Ages, and has been used as a medicine ever since.

The most common type of cinnamon used in cooking and baking is Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum). This type of cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka, where up to 90% of world production takes place each year. There are other types of ceylon cinnamon available on the market today—some are labeled “true cinnamon” while others are labeled “genuine cinnamon.”

Ceylon cinnamon has a more complex flavor than cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum), which has a slightly more bitter taste profile than Ceylon varieties

Cinnamon powder is a spice commonly used in baking, but it’s also available in other forms, such as cinnamon sticks and cinnamon oil. In addition to adding flavor and aroma to your food, cinnamon has been shown to have health benefits such as lowering blood sugar levels and reducing inflammation.

The price of cinnamon powder depends on its quality and the quantity you purchase. For example, if you buy the most common kind of cinnamon—Ceylon cinnamon—in bulk from Costco or Sam’s Club, it will cost about $0.27 per ounce (4 ounces for $1). However, if you buy the same type of cinnamon from a store like Trader Joe’s, it will cost about $0.20 per ounce.

It’s perhaps one of the oldest species. Back then, cinnamon was rare and very valuable.

How valuable was it?

Well, back then in ancient Rome, it would take earnings of about 10 months of serious hard work before an average labourer could afford to buy cinnamon. And it was presented as a gift to royalties.

That should give you some ideas on how valuable it was.

Fast forward to today, cinnamon is now more readily available and scientists have started confirming some of the many benefits long suspected by the ancient people.

Thrift Culture in Nigeria; Tips for a Great Shopping Experience

Okay story time over, let’s get down to the main business of the day. Let’s start with the basic questions…

What Is Cinnamon? & How Is It Produced?

Cinnamon is a powerful and delicious spice that has been used as medicine and to enhance the natural flavour of food for thousands of years.

It provides many impressive health benefits when consumed regularly.

Cinnamon spice, as well as cinnamon oil, is gotten from the inner bark of a tree called Cinnamomum.

To make cinnamon, the stem of the Cinnamomum tree is cut down and the inner bark is extracted from it.

When the inner bark dries up, it curls into rolls, called cinnamon sticks. These sticks are then further grounded to form cinnamon powder.

The distinct scent, colour and flavour of cinnamon come from the oily part of the tree, which is rich in the compound cinnamaldehyde [1].

This compound (cinnamaldehyde) is responsible for many of the impressive health and metabolic benefit of cinnamon.

Local Name For Cinnamon In Nigeria

Cinnamon is not a herb native to Nigeria. They are imported. So not all tribe really have a name for cinnamon.

Cinnamon in Yoruba is called Oloorun. Cinnamon in Hausa language Kirfa. Cinnamon in Igbo language Pawuda

Nutritional Facts Of Cinnamon

2.6g of cinnamon, which is about a teaspoon contains [2]:

Energy: 6 calories (kcal)
Fat: 0.3 g
Carbohydrates: 2.1 g
Protein: 0.1 g
Calcium: 26 milligrams (mg)
Iron: 0.2 mg
Magnesium: 2 mg
Phosphorus: 2 mg
Potassium: 11 mg
Vitamin C: 0.1 mg
Vitamin A: 8 IU

Plus traces of vitamins B and K.

As you can see, as little as a teaspoon of cinnamon packs a lot of nutritional punch and can go long way.

Types Of Cinnamon & Which One You Should Buy

There are two major types of cinnamons. They are:

Ceylon cinnamon: Also referred to as “true” cinnamon.
Cassia cinnamon: Also called “Chinese” or “Saigon” Cinnamon

Although, both types of cinnamon provide similar health benefits, overall, however, there are still some noticeable differences between them. And one type (Ceylon) is actually considered to provide more health benefits than the other.

Now, what are differences between the two types of cinnamon? Let’s find out…

Difference Between Ceylon Cinnamon And Cassia Cinnamon?

Ceylon	Cassia
Commonly Produced in Sri Lanka, South India and Thailand	Commonly Produced in China,Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Generally more expensive and harder to find in stores	Less expensive, and is more widely available
Has more health benefit	Has lesser health benefit
Contains trace of coumarins compound	Contains higher level of coumarins compound
Has a lighter and sweeter taste	Has a deeper and spicer (hot) taste
Light brown in colour	Brown to reddish-brown in colour.

Keep these differences in mind when looking for the right cinnamon for you.

Note: if the cinnamon label doesn’t indicate which type it is, then it’s most like Cassia because it’s the more common variety and the cheaper of the two.

Which Cinnamon Should You Buy & Where To Buy Cinnamon In Nigeria

Buying either of the two is fine and also depends on your preference. However, I suggest you go for organic Ceylon cinnamon because it contains less coumarins and you get most of the juicy health benefit cinnamon has to offer.

You can buy cinnamon if you’re anywhere in Nigeria >> Here

or in Any Major Supermarket in Nigeria (Check the spice section)

Also, If you’re in the North, you can buy cinnamon (called Kirfa in Huasa) from Hausa men that usually sell turmeric garlic, and ginger.

Speaking of benefit, cinnamon has a mountain of them. Let’s checkout some of them:

1. Help Boost Metabolism For Weight Loss

Cinnamon is one super spice that can help with weight loss and management.

You see, cinnamon is an effective metabolism booster because it helps controls insulin levels. And the faster your metabolism the easier it is to lose weight and keep it off.

Also, cinnamons helps in lowering blood sugar, which is another important weight loss factor.

Bonus Download: 5 ridiculously easy tricks to ‘cheat’ your way to Fat-loss (Hint: NO Diet Change or Exercise & each takes Less than 5 Mins to Implement). Click button below to get it for FREE.

2. High Source Of Antioxidants

Cinnamon is choke-full of a wide variety of protective antioxidants that slow down ageing and fight against free radical damage in the body.

Till date, scientists have identified up to 41 distinct protective compounds in cinnamon [2,3]

Well, as a matter of fact, according to this study, out of 26 of the top-most popular herbs and spices, cinnamon clearly ranked number 1 when it came to the level of antioxidant content. Beating “superfoods” like garlic, thyme, oregano and so on.

3. May Help Protect Heart From Diseases

Studies have shown cinnamon to be beneficial to the heart health. By cutting the risk of common heart disease like high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels and high bad cholesterol levels.

In this particular study, cinnamon was found to help reduce the total level of “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides while keeping “good” cholesterol stable.

There are many other notable heart benefits of cinnamon like helping the heart tissues and other tissues in need of regeneration and much more.

4. Effective Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Inflammation is a natural reaction in the body that happens to defend against infection, illness or injury.

Although Inflammation is important to the body, however chronic or long-term inflammation that affects the body’s own tissues can be dangerous.

Cinnamon contains several natural compounds that wrestle against dangerous levels of inflammation in the body. Therefore makes a perfect home remedy for reducing swellings and pains. Some studies have demonstrated how cinnamon can help in relieving PMS pains, muscle soreness and even pain caused by ageing [4, 5]

5. Beneficial For Brain Health And Function

Due to the cinnamon’s protective antioxidant properties, it has been shown to protect the brain from various neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases [6].

Also, since Cinnamon contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, it helps to slow down the effect of ageing on both the brain and body.

6. Helps Fight Diabetes And Lowers Blood Sugar Level

Several studies [7, 8, 9] has shown cinnamon to help lower fasting blood sugar levels by up 29% in people with type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes happens when insulin resistance occurs and the body is unable to manage how much sugar (or glucose) is absorbed into the bloodstream.

You see, cinnamon has several mechanisms in which it lowers blood sugar.

First, cinnamon contains a compound that acts like insulin in our cells. It helps to enhance absorption of glucose by cells in the body.

Secondly, cinnamon is shown to reduce the amount of glucose that enters the bloodstream, particularly after a high-sugar meal. By interfering with several digestive enzymes, therefore slowing the breakdown process of carbs in the digestive tract [10, 11].

Finally, cinnamon helps enhance the sensitivity of insulin hormone, which is the key hormone required for blood sugar balance [12]

7. Fights Infections & Viruses

Cinnamon has long been used by many cultures to help fight infections and viruses. It can help protect the body from illness because of its anti-viral, antibiotic, anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties.

Cinnamon’s essential oils fight against certain some bacterias and contain immune-boosting properties [13]

8. Might Help Lower The Risk Of Cancer

At the moment, test only limited to animal studies and test tube experiments, cinnamon is suggested to protect against cancer. This is due to the powerful antioxidant property of cinnamon, which can aid protection against cancerous tumour growth, DNA damage, and cell mutation.

How Much Is Cinnamon Powder

Description