The Delicious Health Benefits of Adding Spices to Your Food
Disclaimer: Spices don’t have to be spicy!
So don’t shy away from these wonderful superfoods.
Why are spices so good for me? The beautiful thing about spice or seasonings is that they not only make foods scrumptious and delicious, but they are beneficial on so many levels of health. Phenomenally so.
Cooking with kitchen herbs and seasonings might seem like an extra chore sometimes, and as people move away from too much sugars and refined carbohydrates, they also seem to be cutting down on adding spices like curries mixes, ginger, turmeric, basil, rosemary, sage, lavender, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, cayenne and other seasonings. Or just simply onion and garlic! If your stomach can tolerate these spices, you really cannot get enough in your diet in this day and age.
I cannot emphasize how important it is to cook with spices because they help our bodies to detox out pesticides and toxins from the environment, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and are anti-microbial! Some even support our bodies against cancer. Moreover using spices can cut down on exposure to unwanted bugs that might get into our digestive systems when we eat. They act as mild natural antibiotics.
A trick to using them is make sure they haven’t expired (definitely check the date on your spice jars or they may not be very good anymore) and if you can afford it — buy organic! Organic can cut down drastically on the amount of pesticides that are used to harvest spices so the better quality you can get, the better for your body.
Let’s start off with a couple you might be familiar with:
Oregano is super anti-microbial for viruses and bacteria. In fact, herbal versions are used for colds, sinus and throat infections!
Thyme, a must-add seasoning for traditional European dishes, is incredibly anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.
Rosemary is actually a great anti-oxidant and detoxing agent, but also very anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. Rosemary helps detox pathways that are blocked by all kinds of toxins currently in the environment now (hint: consider diffusing rosemary essential oils in addition to eating it!).
Ginger is super calming to the digestion and anti-inflammatory. If you ever have nausea from motion sickness or an upset tummy, ginger can be a great spice to have on hand.
Turmeric seems to be everywhere these days and there’s a good reason! It’s anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory, and supports the liver (our major detox organ) for proper detox!
Cinnamon is good for people who have too much sugar in their diets as it’s been touted as effective in lowering blood sugar. It’s also anti-inflammatory and a very warming spice, making it great for circulation.
Don’t forget garlic and onions if you tolerate them! Garlic is great for the immune system, fights against parasites, and good for cholesterol. It is also a great, gentle detoxing agent for heavy metals, and garlic and onions support the body to detox pesticides!
Basil is one of of those crowd-pleasers because most people love this plant! It is so delicious in all kinds of Italian-style dishes, and it is terrific to help the body detox glyphosate (otherwise known as round-up pesticide). I recommend adding some fresh basil in to your salad, soups and dips!
Last but certainly not least, those mini leafy greens like cilantro and parsley! Cilantro is a terrific detoxing agent and parsley which is a great antioxidant and immune support.
Most kitchen spices and herbs are either anti-microbial or anti-inflammatory. It might seem like you are only using a little, but you can be fairly generous with them. Cooking simple is one thing, but adding the value of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and immune support by cooking with seasonings will add an extra step for health!
So now that you know the healing properties of many of the most powerful spices, here are 6 ways you can easily incorporate spices in to your kitchen!
- Golden milk tea — a wonderful combination of coconut milk, coconut butter, turmeric powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and a sweetener choice (try a sprinkle of stevia!).
2. For garlic I always double it in my recipes and my dishes taste better.
3. For onions, these are extremely versatile for any dish. chop up the whole onion, and freeze the little pieces you don’t use. They dethaw quickly and then you don’t have to chop the next time!
4. Make a l pitcher of raw ginger with chamomile tea — I slice up 1–2 inches of ginger, put it in water and let it boil, and steep with two organic chamomile tea bags for 10 minutes — you can add this tea to water, or drink straight and it’s super anti-inflammatory to the digestive system and a nice, no-calorie replacement for water. Do you have any ginger root and not sure what else to do? Just use a cheese grater and finely grate into any veggies, soups or even meats.
5. I make lots of veggie-packed curries so I can add lots of cumin, coriander, turmeric and ginger. If I don’t have time for a curry, I just add some seasonings on to any veggies or proteins I am steaming. Play around with combination. Even coriander and curry powder can be sprinkled on leafy greens and it tastes terrific!
6. During a weekly grocery shopping trip, go ahead and just buy some parsley and cilantro — rinse and finely chop and add as garnish to any soup, patty, or veggie dish. It is a great way to get in these gentle detoxing agent!
For the video version of this post, come on over the Dr. Ashley Health Channel right here: https://youtu.be/jAxWxy8uM-Y
