A healthy diet also comes with healthy food and healthy spices. Do not think that you can add any types of spices to your healthy food, and you will soon lose weight. No way! Spicing up a plain-but-healthy meal is good for your taste buds and your health. Reach for your spice rack and you’ll not only up the flavor of your food, but you’ll also get a boost of antioxidants (substances that protect cells from damage).
It is not really hard to find healthy spices, don’t need to go to the luxury stores for exotic ingredients. Some of the best spices can be found at your local market. Let’s consider which spices can incorporate into your meals and make your food irresistible. Here’s the science behind why they are so good for you, and tips for how to get your fill.
1. Basil
Known as “the king of herbs,” basil is a staple of Mediterranean cooking (including Italian and Greek). Its peppery, minty leaves are also used in Southeast Asian cuisine such as Korean and Thai. Basil is easy to grow in either garden or container (and even indoors with proper light). Its taste and aroma are brightest when fresh, but the dried version makes a good flavoring in sauces. Basil is a good source of vitamin A, and contains vitamins C and B-6 as well.
Let’s take a look to these recipes to have great ideas on how to get started with this royally great herb.
- Zucchini Basil Soup
- Thai Basil Beef
- Basil Goat Cheese Pasta Salad
- Nectarine Pizza With Fresh Basil And Reduced Balsamic
- Tomato And Peach Salad With Red Onion And Basil
- Lemon-Basil Mojito
- Peach Bruschetta With Goat Cheese, Basil And Honey
2. Ginger
Ginger is a tropical plant that’s been used in Asian cultures for thousands of years to treat stomach upset, diarrhea and especially, relieves nausea. In the U.S., it comes in a variety of convenient forms — lollipops, candies, capsules and teas. You can also purchase the dried powder in the spice aisle of the grocery store, or buy it fresh to make teas or grate into recipes.
Ginger is found that it is extremely effective at calming pregnancy-related nausea and reducing tummy upset after surgery. It may even help with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting when taken along with anti-nausea medications. However, please ask your doctor first before taking ginger while on chemotherapy drugs, as it can have a negative interaction with certain medications.
Meal tip: Work this zingy spice into your diet by adding it to stir-fry dishes, smoothies or sipping it in tea. You can also add it to homemade salad dressings and baked goods. Its smell is quite good to balance your whole taste:
- Honey Ginger Chicken Tostadas with Pomegranate Lime Salsa
- Toasted Sesame Ginger Salmon
- Creamy Ginger Green Smoothie
- Ginger-Citrus Carrot Salad with Edamame & Avocado
- Chewy Ginger Cookies
- Grilled Ginger-Sesame Chicken Chopped Salad
- Cleansing Ginger-Chicken Soup
3. Garlic
With its potent bioactive compounds and other nutrients, garlic may be good for much more than warding off vampires. Treatments with garlic extracts, powders and supplements have been found to significantly lower high blood pressure. In one a research of more than 200 people with hypertension, taking daily garlic supplements reduced blood pressure as effectively as the beta-blocker drug atenolol. It supports to foster immunity from our inner side. Some uncertain studies found that suggest garlic supplements may help prevent colds and speed recovery. Some types of dishes for your reference:
- Garlic Beef, Broccoli, and Cauliflower Stir Fry
- Cauliflower Soup with Toasted Garlic
- Garlic-Braised Chicken with Olives and Mushrooms
- Foil-Baked Lemon-Garlic Fish and Asparagus
- Baked Eggs with Creamy Polenta, Spinach, and Garlic
4. Rosemary
This hardy, piney herb is native to the Mediterranean, so no surprise that it’s often used in Greek and Italian, as well as Spanish, cuisine. Rosemary is another great factor for a backyard herb garden: some varieties even do well during milder winters. Since its strong flavor means you may rarely use it, you won’t gain much nutritional benefit from rosemary, but its taste and scent will definitely help bring out the best in both meats and vegetables.
- Use extra rosemary sprigs to make flavored olive oil.
- Mix it into softened butter and spread on your dinner bread.
- Or mix it with Greek yogurt for a creamy sandwich spread.
- Try it on cauliflower, potatoes, fruits, roasted vegies, steak.
Cumin
The unsung hero of chili recipes everywhere, cumin is also an important ingredient in Asian and Indian cuisines. It’s available in seed form, or ground. Nutritionally, it’s a good source of calcium and a great source of iron.
If you’ve never explored cumin outside of a chili bowl, try one of these amazing recipe ideas.
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp
- Steam-Roasted Carrots with Cumin
- Southwestern Roasted Cauliflower With Cumin & Paprika
- Cumin- and Lemon-Scented Green Olives
- Pot-Roasted Eggplant With Tomatoes and Cumin
- Tangy Tomatillo-Cumin Salsa
- Salsa Verde Chicken Soup
- Sweet And Salted Almonds
5. Cayenne to Ease Pain
The last spice in my list may be only for people who are the fan of chili. Cayenne is a type of chili pepper that is popular in Southwestern American cuisine as well as Mexican, Creole and Cajun dishes. Cayenne peppers contain a substance called capsaicin. It’s what makes them spicy and also what can provide pain relief.
Capsaicin reduces the number of pain signals sent to your brain. It works on pain caused by arthritis and diabetes-related nerve damage. You can apply creams with capsaicin directly on joints and muscles.
The study that is conducted on animals in the laboratory suggests that eating cayenne pepper can also help with something that causes a lot of internal pain: ulcers. Although people often associate spicy foods with stomach upset, capsaicin aids in helping reduce ulcers by restricting the growth of an ulcer-causing bacteria (Helicobacter pylori or H. pylori), reducing excess stomach acid and increasing blood flow.
Meal tip: Use this spice anytime you want to add heat to your food. It’s great in chili, soups, stews and on meat. If you don’t have any ideas on how to use this special spice in your food, let’s try some here:
- Honey Sesame Fish Tacos
- Lemonade Cleanse
- Cayenne Hot Chili Pepper Truffles
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Blackened Chicken Alfredo Nachos
- Dirty Rice
- Spicy Mango Mandarin Smoothies
- Homemade Plum Ketchup
