A Minimum of Cinnamon
Issue No. 33
Throwback to six-month pregnant me prioritizing restorative routines like beach yoga...
A Minimum of Cinnamon
Ahh, Thanksgiving. The mouth-watering aroma of roasting turkey and cinnamon spiced desserts wafting from the kitchen as you roll out of bed at your parents’ house (or in-laws, or sibling’s, or wherever you might be today). “Just a minimum of cinnamon!” I hear my dad say jovially as he taps the bottom of the glass bottle, lightly coating his special French toast recipe in our favorite spice. Cinnamon is cherished, and for good reason. Next to pepper, cinnamon is one of the most widely consumed spices in the world. So, it was a little concerning to learn earlier this fall that our favorite spice actually has a bit of a lead problem. 😵💫 In fact, only 6 of 36 brands tested were deemed safe to consume. We’re getting into it below!
In Spice We Trust?
A September study conducted by Consumer Reports tested 36 brands of cinnamon and multi-spice blends and found that 12 brands contained alarmingly high levels of lead. This was unwelcome news to me as I had just started adding cinnamon to baby Elsie’s stewed apple. The 12 brands in question had lead levels exceeding 1 part per million, the threshold for recalls in New York. I write this not to be doom and gloom, but instead to give us the information we need to make informed choices. A lot of you told me you stopped drinking La Croix after reading this post on sparking water. So, I thought today’s topic might be similarly useful for discerning minds.
6 of the 36 were categorized as the safest to consume. Those are
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And the worst offenders are
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To balance out the shade I’ve just thrown on cinnamon, I’d like to end this on a positive note. Cinnamon (the lead free kind) is actually amazing for you, as are spices in general. It has anti-inflammatory properties, helps regulate blood sugar, and in and of itself, is an antioxidant. So, there are a lot of reasons to love cinnamon and continue cooking with it. Let’s just remember that quality matters and now we know which brands to buy!
Links I Loved This Week
I’ve been listening all week to Noisli, which is basically Spotify for sounds that improve your productivity and focus. I’ve never been one to (successfully) listen to music and work at the same time so this is changing the game for me, especially with a baby in the house! You can choose from a list of categories like noise blocker, productivity, relax, motivation, creative thinking, writing, sleep… you name it.
Speaking of productivity, this ‘back to school’ season has me craving a refresh of my work zone. This laptop case has my attention (although the 13 inch sold out while I “thought about it.”) Heaven Mayhem is a new-to-me brand known for their vintage inspired jewelry but just launched laptop cases! Oooh, they are nice!
A random life hack I’ve been appreciating lately: having an industrial pair of scissors at the ready. I’m on month three of staying at my dad’s and you better believe these scissors are out every single day. My dad’s favorite joke: “You call this a pair of scissors? THIS is a pair of scissors.” But seriously, I’m ordering these for LA because they’re that useful.
Now that it’s just about officially fall, the barn jacket conversations are getting to me! This and this from J Crew are calling my name, but I’m hesitating because I’m not sure they’re right for LA?? I guess I’ll always be an east coast girl at heart.
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