Cinnamon Sugar: Fight it, don't bite it

by Jacki Donaldson (Subscribe to Jacki Donaldson's posts)
Jul 10th 2008 8:00AM

Categories: Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

This morning, my kids asked for cinnamon toast. So I made it for them. I used whole wheat bread, light butter with Canola oil, and a few sprinkles of McCormick's cinnamon sugar. My kids gobbled it down, which makes me happy for whole wheat purposes. My husband tends to think the rest of the equation -- the butter and cinnamon sugar -- is crap. I argued with him a bit, not trying to convince him butter and cinnamon sugar are good for our kids, just to let him know that our kids eat pretty darn healthy most days and there are far worse foods they could have ingested, with far more crap packed into them. Then I questioned myself. Then I did some research.

Hungry Girl says in one of her Chew the Right Thing posts that cinnamon sugar is something we ought to fight, not bite. Now she's speaking mostly to us grown-up calorie-counting folks and not to the kids of the world, but here's what she says: "McCormick's Cinnamon Sugar has only 15 calories per teaspoon. So why are we telling you to 'fight it!'? Well, we just don't see why anyone should waste any calories at all on this sweet spice when there is a just-as-good no-cal version available. After all, when you're watching your weight, every single calorie counts. Fifteen calories here, 30 there, another 40 here ... it can all add up." HG doesn't mention sugar in her opinion but clearly, there's sugar in cinnamon sugar.

So what does the Hungry Girl suggest? San Sucre Cinnamon Sugar. It uses Splenda and makes a great sugarless cinnamon sugar blend, she says. No calories in this goodie either. HG's final piece of advice: "Cinnamon helps keep blood sugar levels low, so sprinkle away!"

For comparison sake, check out the nutritional information for McCormick's cinnamon sugar here. Take a peek at San Sucre Cinnamon Sugar too. Weigh in on the calories, the sugar, the Splenda, anything you think is noteworthy. Then tell me what you think. Should I let my kids eat an occasional piece of cinnamon toast for breakfast or should I consider it crap?

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Comments (10)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

LA 7-10-2008 @ 8:35AM

The 'calorie free' version contains maltodextrin, which has the standard calories - so if you eat enough of it, it's not so calorie free (neither is Splenda, for that matter!).

Pnut 7-10-2008 @ 9:19AM

I hope we all recognize that the this tasty duo of cinnamon & sugar could easily be made by sprinkling Splenda, then cinnamon on your food of choice. This is likely more budget friendly, and also avoids the artificial colour added to the Sans Sucre Cinnamon and Sugar.

TZig 7-10-2008 @ 9:19AM

I'm getting "Splenda'd" out and more cynnical in my old age about "substitutes." A co-worker uses Splenda to kill ants outside her home. Go figure.

Barb 7-10-2008 @ 9:19AM

You know, I think I'd be inclined to take the empty McCormick bottle and fill it up with mostly cinnamon and *some* granulated Splenda. Best of both worlds and economical too. :)

ThatHollie 7-10-2008 @ 1:04PM

There is no evidence that using sugar substitutes helps anyone lose weight. There is some evidence that using sugar substitutes makes you crave sugar.

And personally, there is no way that I would knowingly give Splenda to young children if I could avoid it.

Fash 7-10-2008 @ 1:03PM

I agree with ThatHollie - if your kids are active and healthy, there's no need to start them on sugar substitutes.

Besides, denying kids simple things like cinnamon toast because it's "bad" only leads to food issues down the road. TRUST ME. Let them eat what they want with emphasis on unprocessed foods and correct portion sizes. I wish my parents had done that with me.

Baron 7-10-2008 @ 1:03PM

Being someone who's parents were just overjoyed if I was eating anything at all (I'm pretty sure I "survived" on french fries and beef jerky for a time being), I can't imagine not having cinnamon toast. By the time I was a bit older, I started eating a bit more, and none of it was ever very healthy. I was probably eating more processed foods and sugars (one of those "do you want coffee with your sugar" types) than any person on here would dream about in high school. Somehow though, I was able to stay at 8~10% body fat until 23 when grad school slowed me down (and so did my metabolism), I just don't know how I did it. Oh wait, yeah, I do. I simply worked out and stayed active. Sorry for being cynical (that is my theme this week for some reason, don't know what my issue is! sorry), but I'm all for eating what you want, when you want, just as long as you make sure to portion things out and stay active. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if eating all the things that taste good to me w/o worrying about this or that, takes 3 or even 5 years off my life when I'm in my 90's, that is a smallish price to pay for tasting some of the best things in life. DO NOT even try to tell me that cinnamon toast made with splenda and partial canola oil butter (which, I do admit, I use at home b/c it spreads easier, certainly not for a health factor though) comes close to the taste and texture of a real piece of thick bread, spread with real butter (mmmm homemade bread and butter is even better), sprinkled with sugar (the thicker granulated version, slightly brown stuff is the best to me) and cinnamon then toasted to just the texture where the sugar caramelizes and cinnamon singes just a hair.... Now I am hungry again. Of course, this might be why I've moved up to the 17% body fat world too, which I plan to rectify with a little time back in the gym.

Rose 7-10-2008 @ 2:07PM

I think cinnamon is sweet enough on its own. No need for artificial ingredients; why ruin something as yummy and healthy as cinnamon with chemicals?

NY_Girl 7-10-2008 @ 5:05PM

We are talking about just a little sugar here. If your kids eat healthy most of the time, no reason to not get a little treat here and there. We aren't talking about feeding them glazed donuts. I would NEVER promote ingesting any type of artifical sweetener, period. Maybe try a little honey instead of sugar? Kids are growing and should be active so why would they be counting calories anyways? If you feed them healthy foods normally, it seems rediculous to worry about a little cinnamon sugar, doesn't it?

Yuri | EatingforEnergy.ca 7-16-2008 @ 1:31PM

I would definitely say NO to sugary foods, especially first thing in the morning when blood sugar levels are already low.

The funny thing is that cinnamon actually helps to regulate blood sugar levels but I don't you'd get this benefit in a cinnamon-flavoured sugar.

Yuri
http://www.EatingforEnergy.ca