Your digestion aid: 4 key spices

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“You are not what you eat; you are what you digest, absorb, and assimilate” - Paul Chek.

Whatever healthy food we choose, whether our body can digest it is more important. This determines how much of the nutrients we absorb.

Spices for digestion

Why can spices help with digestion? Some spices stimulate the liver, which produces bile. Bile acids help digest and absorb fats.

Some spices also affect the production of digestive enzymes in the pancreas (lipase, protease, amylase). These enzymes are part of pancreatic juice and help break down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Keep these spices on hand to support effective digestion and make food easier to digest.

Ginger (root)

This spice improves metabolism by breaking down excess gas in the intestines. It reduces bloating and heaviness after eating. ⁽¹⁾
Ginger also safely prevents nausea and vomiting. ⁽²⁾ It has an energizing effect – ginger tea gives you a good energy boost. ⁽³⁾
Ginger has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antioxidant properties. ⁽⁴⁾

How to use it:

• Add to tea.

• Use in meat and fish dishes.

• Add to vegetable salads.

• Mix into dough for baked goods (gingerbread, cookies). Fresh ginger with the skin on works best (the skin contains concentrated benefits). Pickled ginger is also good. It increases stomach acid production and has antimicrobial properties.

Avoid ginger if you have stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers, inflammatory diseases of the stomach and colon lining (gastritis, colitis), or arrhythmia. People with allergies, asthma, or diabetes should use it carefully.

Fennel (seeds)

This spice greatly improves digestion, reduces gas, and regulates intestinal movement. ⁽⁵⁾ 
It has a mild laxative effect and increases the secretion of digestive glands. Fennel contains flavonoids and antioxidants. It has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. ⁽⁶⁾
Demonstrated protective effects on intestinal barrier function, which could benefit inflammatory bowel diseases, as it helped improve the gut barrier. ⁽⁷⁾

How to use it:

• Add to bread and sweet or savory baked goods.

• Use in soups and sauces.

• Add to meat and fish dishes.

• Put in compotes and tea. People often toast the seeds in a dry pan before adding them to dishes to improve the flavor. Add one tablespoon of crushed fennel seeds per cup to make aromatic tea. Brew for 7 minutes.

Don't use fennel if you are intolerant or allergic to its components. Fennel tea isn't recommended for people with dysbiosis or diarrhea because of its laxative effect. The herb can harm people with arrhythmia. Fennel lowers blood pressure.

Mint

Mint helps with bloating and supports digestion. ⁽⁸⁾ It soothes and heals mucous membranes and helps with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). ⁽⁹⁾

How to use it:

• Add to tea.

• Use in cocktails, smoothies, and lemonades.

• Add to salad dressings and meat sauces.

It reduces heartburn, intestinal spasms, and gallbladder spasms (and stimulates bile flow). You can make a tasty and healthy smoothie with mint (3-4 sprigs), cucumber, green apple, celery stalk, and honey.

Don't use mint if you're breastfeeding, have fertility issues, or have low blood pressure. People with high stomach acidity should drink mint beverages carefully.

Cilantro (coriander)

Cilantro reduces stomach heaviness and stimulates appetite. Its essential oils improve digestion by affecting the secretion of digestive juices and enzymes in the stomach and intestinal movement. ⁽¹⁰⁾
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. ⁽¹¹⁾
Antimicrobial effects. ⁽¹²⁾

How to use it:

• Add to vegetable salads

• Put on sandwiches

• Use in meat and fish dishes

• Add to bean soups

• Use in cold soups (okroshka, beet soup)

• Only use the leaves, removing them from the stems. Fresh cilantro is most beneficial.

People who have had a stroke or heart attack should avoid cilantro. Too much of this herb can cause sleep and memory problems. Don't eat it if you have ulcers, thrombophlebitis, or acute gastritis.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Warm regards,
Kos and Helen.

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