Have you heard about fake cinnamon?
In fact! The cinnamon in your spice cabinet IS probably fake!
Ok, well... what I mean by fake is that there are TWO main types of cinnamon :
Cassia cinnamon and Ceylon cinnamon.
Cassia cinnamon has a very strong, spicy flavor and is the more common type found in all supermarkets. It usually is a bit darker in color and has a rougher texture than Ceylon cinnamon. It is also cheaper and considered lower quality than Ceylon cinnamon.
Ceylon cinnamon, or “true cinnamon”, is less common and more expensive than Cassia cinnamon and has what is described as a “delicate and sweet” flavor.
Researched Health Benefits of Cinnamon (both Cassia and Ceylon)
• Blood sugar control and increase insulin sensitivity, especially helpful for people with diabetes
• Appear to block the build up of a protein in the brain called tau which may help in prevention of Alzheimer's disease
So what's the difference between the two types of cinnamon?
Both serve delicious culinary purposes and both have been studied for their health-promoting effects, but a big difference is that cassia cinnamon contains the toxic compound coumarin which can be very harmful in large doses. Coumarin is known to cause kidney, liver and lung damage in rodents.
Cassia cinnamon contains approximately 1% coumarin, so it only takes 1-2 teaspoons to be over the daily limit! So if you are someone who likes to consume a lot of cinnamon and incorporates the spice into a lot of your meals, it would be wise to make the switch to the higher quality Ceylon cinnamon!
Which is why we use Ceylon cinnamon in all of our products. We source high quality ingredients directly from farmers so we know that our products are only made with A Whole Lotta Goodness!
Resources:
Ceylon vs. Cassia- Not all cinnamon is created equal!