Super health benefits from spices

Adding spices to your diet not only helps in pepping up your meals but also provides your body with some amazing heart healthy benefits that have actually been proven by science. Spices are also known to ease pain, in addition to promoting anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.

Some spices also provide abundant B-vitamins and trace minerals while some offer powerful antioxidants to fight diseases as compared to fruits and vegetables.

Keywords: spices, health benefits, peppers, ginger, cinnamon, fennel

There is more to spices than just flavour

More importantly, spices and herbs not only add flavour to food, but do so without the additional cholesterol, calories, sodium and fat. Certified health and nutritionists are of the opinion that incorporating spices and herbs in one’s diet offers immeasurable benefits to an individual.

Unfortunately, most of us do not use spices due to lack of knowledge about them. Here are some amazing facts about herbs and spices that you can include in your diet.

Make these spices part of your life for balancing your weight and acquiring healing benefits from them.

1. Peppers

Adding a dash of hot peppers in your diet can not only spike up the heat factor but also help in relieving aches and soreness thus making it a highly therapeutic agent. Peppers contain a particular component known as capsaicin, which is actually used in a number of over-the-counter pain relieving topical lotions.

Capsaicin also offers additional benefits by improving blood circulation, boosting heart health and helping to fight certain types of answers and cancers.

If you like your food hot and hearty go for habanero or scotch bonnet peppers, but if you are looking for mild and zesty opt for cherry peppers, Spanish pimentos or jalapenos.

2. Ginger

Not particularly good to look at, the gnarled looking ginger root has some excellent properties that make it a worthy addition in your kitchen.

It is highly effective in treating an upset stomach, controlling flatulence, soothing sore throat and easing colds, in addition to relieving motion sickness and remedying arthritis.

different spices

Ginger can be used in savoury as well as sweet dishes; can be had on its own sugared with candy, or can be used grated or sliced while cooking dishes.

Most baked goods contain ginger as a staple while a large number of Asian dishes incorporate ginger in them.

3. Cinnamon

Considered to have one of the highest anti-oxidant values than any other spice, cinnamon which is derived from the bark of a tropical evergreen tree is an extremely prized spice. Cinnamon not only helps in reducing inflammation, but is also vital in lowering blood sugar and triglyceride levels, alleviating nauseating feelings, increasing insulin sensitivity and interestingly working as an aid in burning fat.

Cinnamon is also an excellent provider of calcium, iron and manganese. While most of us think of cinnamon in the form of deserts, muffins, cookies or in coffee there are healthier ways of deriving the healthy benefits of this amazing spice.

Cinnamon powder can be sprinkled over oatmeal, cottage cheese or yoghurt; sprinkled on sweet potatoes or carrots, stirred into fruit shakes or protein mixes and even in peanut butter.

3. Fennel

Fennel is surprisingly considered a weed and can be seen growing in abundance in many areas of the world, along the roadside and in fields. Considered to be high in calcium, fennel is also rich in vitamin C and helps in maintaining the metabolism and keeping the digestive tract running smoothly.

Fennel can be eaten raw or cooked in certain dishes, but the greatest benefits that can be derived from this herb is by consuming it raw, such as having it in salads. Some Asian dishes steam fennel along with other greens and use it in fish recipes or stir-fried dishes.

As an aid to weight loss, fennel helps in suppressing the weight and is also useful in detoxifying and exfoliating skin.

Joe Bianchi is a noted writer on healthy food related topics. Currently he is affiliated with Nutra Pure HCG, an online store that sells HCG diet drops for weight loss.

Image courtesy of markuso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1 COMMENT

  1. I know how delicious these spices are, but never was quite sure about how healthy they are! Thanks for the incredible information!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here