Saving calories can often be accomplished with a little creativity. For example, swapping the cream and sugar (roughly an ounce or 2 tablespoons) with a teaspoon of cinnamon could save up to 70 calories per cup-o-Joe. Looks like this special spice may change the standard coffee routine.

Spice Up Your Life—The Takeaway

One study found just half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can significantly reduce blood sugar levels, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes.Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Khan A, Safdar M, Ali Khan MM. Diabetes care, 2004, Jul.;26(12):0149-5992. But for those who don’t have to worry so seriously about insulin levels, cinnamon has also been shown to have many other benefits:

Want another reason to sprinkle some cinnamon in coffee? That other coffee sweetener—sugar—has been linked to weight gain, diabetes, and may even be “toxic.”Sugar-sweetened beverages, weight gain, and incidence of type 2 diabetes in young and middle-aged women. Schulze MB, Manson JE, Ludwig DS. JAMA, 2004, Aug.;292(8):1538-3598. Just another reason for cinnamon and coffee to band together!

Still, there are some reasons to be wary. Many of the studies on the subject were conducted on mice, not humans, so it’s unclear how well their benefits carry over. And while it might be nice to try something new in that morning cup of coffee, a teaspoon of cinnamon doesn’t exactly taste the same as cream and sugar. Some may like it more, and others less, but this (quite picky) Greatist taste-tester and coffee-lover actually enjoyed mixing it up a bit. With no sugar and a pinch of spice, my cup of coffee was still everything nice.

The Tip

Replace cream and sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon in coffee to save 70+ calories per cup and add a potential metabolism boost.

Want More? Coffee Smoothie Recipes: 7 Ways to Get a Boost at Breakfast

​Originally published December 2011. Updated March 2016.