Cooking can be tasteless and bland. Consider adding spices and herbs, with the side benefit of healthy, to your dish. The health benefits are many, including weight loss, improved brain function, boosting immunity, plus many others. They also can improve your heart function and keep your skin healthy. There are so many useful functions that a complete article could be written about, but the incredible flavor boost to your cooking is paramount.
What is the difference between herbs and spices?
Knowing the difference will not change the way you cook, but it may sort out a few unknowns about herbs and spices. Both of these are part of plants; the difference is what part of the plant each comes from. As a general rule, spices are usually dried, come from the root, stem, bulb, bark or seed, and grow in the more tropical countries. Herbs typically come from the leafy, green part of the plant and are produced in more temperate areas. Spices include cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and pepper. Example of herbs would be basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, and mint. Some plants are used for both, the root and seed as well as the leaf.
Let’s add to our meals and reap the taste and health from each! Modern science has shown that many carry remarkable health benefits.
Herb Nutrition:
Not only are you adding flavor, keep in mind the tremendous health benefits. Below are listed six healthy herbs to use in your cooking. Grow them all in your summer garden.
– Thyme: An antiseptic and disinfectant, it also can help to eliminate symptoms like sore throats from colds and flu.
– Parsley: Parsley seed is a diuretic, but the leaves protect against arthritis. It is high in vitamin C and can also fight cancer.
– Mint: Relaxing the intestinal tract, it can relieve gas pains. It is also useful for easing nausea, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. Peppermint can even help relieve headaches.
– Raspberry: A valuable herb for easing the pain of menstruation and also for slowing diarrhea.
– Basil: A fantastic smelling and tasty herb, the leaves are used in pesto. Basil helps with bowel inflammation and even arthritis pain.
– Oregano: Outranks other fruits and vegetables for its antioxidant properties. It can assist with inflammation.
Spice Nutrition:
Besides some of them able to keep food fresh longer, the prepared, dried, and stored spices can last almost forever. Spices come in all tastes from bitter, through hot to even sweet. These six spices would help many meals.
– Turmeric: Rich in curcumin, a potent anti-inflammatory, it is used as curry in many dishes. It has been suggested that turmeric improves the brain function, fights Alzheimer’s, and reduces the risk of heart disease, to name a few benefits.
– Cinnamon: Lowers blood sugar levels, bad cholesterol it has a powerful effect on diabetes.
– Ginger: A popular spice, ginger can cure nausea caused by chemotherapy and seasickness, to name a few. It can also help with pain management.
– Cayenne Pepper: Can reduce the appetite and also lower the risk of lung, liver, colon, and skin cancers.
– Garlic: Not enough paper to tell all the benefits of garlic. It can combat the common cold, reduce bad cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, and increase heart health. It is also very flavorful in cooking.
– Cloves: Many things to say about this spice. It is an antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, and antiseptic best known to promote proper digestion.
So, what is your favorite spice or herb? How do you use it in your cooking? Isn’t it wonderful that all of these tremendous flavors, taking your food to the next level of satisfaction, can also have a significant health impact? Who knew?