Your spices guide for better health

"You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients, including the right spices." chef Julia Child.

Herbs and spices are very low in calories, inexpensive, and a great way to boost the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties in your diet. Plus, they taste delicious!

You may be surprised to learn that herbs and spices are among the most potent antioxidants. In fact, when compared by weight, oregano and other herbs have higher antioxidant activity than fruits and vegetables, which are also known for their antioxidants.

Spices don't just add flavor to food, but they also have many health benefits.

Adding healthy spices to your diet can make your food taste better and provide significant health benefits. Spices can help reduce inflammation, support your immune system, and improve your overall health. 

A recent study at the United Arab Emirates University showed that adding ginger, cinnamon, and black cumin to the diet can significantly improve heart and metabolic health in people at risk of developing metabolic syndrome. This makes these spices promising for managing metabolic syndrome.

Besides adding spices directly to dishes, you can also use spice-based marinades.

After analyzing seven popular marinade brands containing herbs and spices as the main ingredients, researchers found "very good quantities" of antioxidants remained, even after cooking and marinating.

While marinating meat reduced antioxidant levels by 45-70 percent, it was still better than cooking meat without a marinade.

Another important reason to use spice-rich marinades is that marinating meats before grilling or broiling can reduce heterocyclic amines (according to some experts by 90 percent or more). Heterocyclic amines (HAs) form when food is cooked at high temperatures, and they are linked to cancer.

Compared to the antioxidant activities of a few select fruits and vegetables, oregano ranks supreme. It has 42 times more antioxidant activity than apples, 30 times more than potatoes, 12 times more than oranges, and 4 times more than blueberries! For example, one tablespoon of fresh oregano contains the same antioxidant activity as one medium-sized apple.

It's important to note that oregano is a perennial herb, which means in most US climates, you can plant it, and it will come back every year. It's easy to grow, and all you need to do is pick the leaves in the fall, dehydrate them, and store them in a glass jar. Then you'll have an amazing fresh organic herb to use year-round.

Each spice has its own set of health benefits, but one study found a direct link between the antioxidant phenol content of many spice and herb extracts and their ability to inhibit glycation and the formation of AGE compounds. This makes them potent preventers of heart disease and premature aging.

According to this study, the top 10 most potent herbs and spices are:

1. Cloves (ground)

2. Cinnamon (ground)

3. Jamaican allspice (ground)

4. Apple pie spice (mixture)

5. Oregano (ground)

6. Pumpkin pie spice (mixture)

7. Marjoram

8. Sage

9. Thyme

10. Gourmet Italian spice

Each mindful small step today will become a giant leap for your well-being tomorrow.

Warm regards,
Kos