Apple,Cinnamon Waffles***

Ingredients:

1 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 c. milk

1 egg

1 tbsp. melted butter

1 shredded apple

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Heat waffle iron. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices. Set aside. Combine milk, egg, butter, apple and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Stir until well moistened, but still lumpy. Pour about 1/2 cup onto greased, hot waffle iron. Bake until brown and crisp.

Benefits of cinnamon:

#1: Preliminary results from studies have indicated that cinnamon has antifungal, antibacterial and antiparasitic properties. Cinnamon has been found to be effective in fighting vaginal yeast infections, oral yeast infections, stomach ulcers and head lice.

#2: Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties. Many of us eat lots of fried, fatty and processed foods, and these foods cause inflammation of our internal tissues and organs, and this inflammation has been linked to one of the most life-threatening diseases of our time – heart disease. Andrew Weil, M.D. writes on the topic of anti-inflammatory diets as a means of reducing our chances of suffering heart attacks, strokes and heart disease. This is from his book Natural Health, Natural Medicine:

“A growing consensus among cardiologists pinpoints abnormal inflammation in artery walls as a root cause of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.”

So, cinnamon could be a potential ally in our fight to decrease inflammation

#3: Cinnamon may actually help people with Type 2 diabetes control blood sugar levels, and may significantly lower LDL “bad” cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides (fatty acids in the blood). A now almost famous study, was conducted by researchers from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2003 that showed that 60 people in Pakistan who had Type 2 diabetes, who ate 1 gram of cinnamon each day over a period of 40 days, experienced a significant decrease in their blood sugar levels, LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides.

Dr. Frank Sacks, a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health warned in a Boston Globe article that people with cholesterol problems should not substitute cinnamon for their prescription cholesterol medications, but also noted (in this Boston Globe article) the unusual potency and efficacy that cinnamon seemed to display in the USDA study:

“But it’s also ‘a little weird,’ he said, that the USDA study found that the beneficial effects of cinnamon lasted for at least 20 days after people stopped taking it. ‘I don’t know of any drug or product whose effects persist for 20 days.’”

#4: Cinnamon is an excellent source of manganese, dietary fiber, iron and calcium. The combination of calcium and fiber can help to remove bile, which prevents damage to colon cells, which helps prevent colon cancer. Fiber also can help with the relief of constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.

#5: If that’s not enough for you, doctors have performed studies that show that just smelling cinnamon improves our memory and performance of certain tasks.

(ediblevegdible, cooks, thehealthysnacksblog)