After a quickie 30 minute exercise session this morning, I had a taste for chocolate. Yes, chocolate! There is such a thing as a chocolate green smoothie. Don't believe me? Try out today's recipe.
2 cups Power Greens (baby kale, chard, spinach)
1 packet of Amazing Meal Chocolate Infusion
1 tbsp sunflower seed butter (any nut butter will do)
1 frozen banana
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp raw organic honey
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Hefty sprinkle of cinnamon
If you like a sweet combination, this recipe is pretty darn sweet. I didn't realize it until after I tasted it, but the Amazing Meal Chocolate Infusion powder has 6g of sugar from organic cane juice. Add in the whole banana and the honey - that's a good dose of sugar and a tad more sugar that I would have liked to ingest in one sitting. If I make it again, I would omit the honey, and use half a banana.
Enough talk about sugar.
Let's get to the good stuff.
The super spice...
Cinnamon!
Benefits of Cinnamon
There are many, many documented benefits of this super spice. Here are just a few.
1. REGULATES BLOOD SUGAR
Studies have shown that cinnamon can regulate blood sugar (hopefully it regulated mine from the sugar explosion in the smoothie this morning!). A steady blood sugar level means steady energy levels throughout the day.
2. GOOD FOR WOMEN DURING THEIR MENSTRUAL CYCLE
Yep! Studies have shown that it can ease menstrual pain. Because of the higher levels of manganese (see #4 below), cinnamon can mitigate the effects of PMS.
3. FERTILITY BOOSTER
Cinnamon contains a natural chemical called cinnamaldehyde, which has been shown to increase the progesterone hormone (good) and decrease the testosterone production (also good) in women which helps to balance hormones.
4. NUTRITIOUS AND DELICIOUS
One teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 mg of calcium, 1 mg of iron and over a gram of fiber - in just one tiny teaspoon! It also contains vitamins C, K, and manganese.
5. IMPROVES GUT HEALTH
If you suffer from IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome - cinnamon can help kill the bad bacteria in the gut and heal infections in the GI tract enabling the gastric juices to work normally.
6. ANTIOXIDANT
Cinnamon is one of the top seven anti-oxidants in the world. Nuff said.
A little sprinkle of cinnamon won't magically heal you overnight, but using a substantial amount over time will probably do more good than harm.
So don't just sprinkle cinnamon on your pumpkin pie. Sprinkle it generously and sprinkle often.
Cheers!
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