Tasty Yet Powerful Herbs and Spices To Add To Your Diet
Herbs and spices are nature’s medicines, they were used for centuries before we had the powerful man made drugs we have today. And many of them can be very effective for helping with health issues or treating ailments, in an all natural way without side effects.
You do have to be careful though, according to Internet Medicine there are a number of ingredients with fantastic health claims but these aren’t actually backed up by science. Take Himalayan sea salt for example, this is widely spoken of as something that can help with hypertension. However due to the fact that it’s just as high in sodium as regular salt, it’s likely to have the opposite effect! Be careful, and make sure if you’re properly researching the benefits before including things in your diet for medical reasons. You can click here or read below for a few examples of ingredients that have been scientifically proven to be beneficial in one way or another.
Turmeric
Turmeric may be the most effective nutritional supplement in existence. Many high quality studies show that it has major benefits on both your body and brain. This is because it contains an chemical called curcumin, which has powerful anti-inflammatory effects- it’s also a very strong antioxidant too. It can help with conditions like arthritis, and even boost fat burning when used alongside proper diet and exercise. It has even shown promising effects in a study where it helped kill of esophageal cancer in a lab. It has been shown to be helpful in controlling liver damage, managing diabetes and block beta-amyloid plaques that disturb brain function in Alzheimer's disease. The only snag is the curcurmin is relatively low in turmeric, meaning to get the full effects a supplement containing turmeric extract will give the best results. However it’s still well worth including in your diet as a preventative measure against lots of different illnesses, and while it’s not a magic cure it’s something proactive you can be doing for your health.
For on-the-go people, turmeric bone broth is a must-try. You’ll find this type of product will come commercially packed and available online. It’s simmered for several hours and comes with turmeric, ginger, and goji berries, producing a broth that both chefs and dieticians can agree on. Improve gut health and reduce inflammation with chicken turmeric bone broth.
Garlic
This pungent little bulb has all kinds of health benefits. Not only does it give wonderful flavour to dishes but it’s accessible and easy to use too. You can eat the cloves pickled, or crush them raw into salads and dishes. You can cook the cloves, or add garlic powder to lots of savoury dishes. It can treat conditions linked with heart and entire blood system, including everything from blood pressure problems to high cholesterol coronary heart disease and heart attack. It has also shown to be useful in conditions causing reduced blood flow due to narrowed or hardening of the arteries. As well as heart and blood issues there are a whole host of other things garlic has been shown to help with. Hay Fever, fungal infections, sinus congestion and joint pain are just a few of the ailments garlic could remedy.
While you enjoy cooking and eating, you also obtain the health benefits just discussed above. Here are some cooking tips when using garlic:
Keep a few fresh garlic cloves on hand. Take the time to crush or cut them yourself to taste the difference.
Use a mortar and pestle or a garlic presser to give you strong flavors. A microplane grater provides the most intense results.
Mince by hand for a relatively mild taste, perfect for making marinade or sauce recipes.
Complete your meat and veggie sauté cooking using garlic and savor the flavorful aroma of your favorite dishes.
Cinnamon
The tempting smell of cinnamon, this spice is not only warm and delicious but great news for diabetics. Research has shown that cinnamon can help with blood sugar levels and therefore is useful for diabetics. It does this using several mechanisms, some of which include slowing the breakdown of carbs in the digestive tract also by improving insulin sensitivity. It also helps fight inflammation and has been shown to lower cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. Only half a teaspoon to two teaspoons a day is all that’s needed, and is something that most of us can easily incorporate in our diet. Forget the sugar on your porridge, sprinkle on some cinnamon instead and reap the rewards.
Check the following tips when adding cinnamon to your diet:
Sprinkle finely ground cinnamon sticks on your drinks such as coffee, tea, fruit juices, and shakes.
Use as flavoring agent to heighten the taste of sweet and savory dishes while cooking. Add cinnamon powder with dough, butter, or yoghurt.
Make a beverage concoction made of honey, cinnamon powder, and warm water to boost weight loss.
While these things aren’t a ‘magic pill’ they’re effective natural ways to help your body, and something we can all work to include. A diet varied in fresh produce, whole grains, lean protein and a mixture of herbs and spices will give your body everything it needs to thrive and ward off many illnesses.