How adding spices and herbs in your food can improve your health

By: Editorial Team | | Published: October 29, 2014 7:48 pm

Spices and herbs not only offer a zingy flavour to your food, they can also improve your health by helping to reduce sodium, calorie and fat intake, finds research. While red pepper may assist individuals who are trying to manage their weight, cinnamon may help improve blood glucose levels and insulin sensitivity, showed the findings of separate studies. Also Read - Have blackcurrants daily to control your diabetes: A few interesting ways of adding it to your diet

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‘We now understand that spices and herbs have a meaningful role to play in bringing flavour to the forefront of today’s health and wellness conversations,’ said Johanna Dwyer from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. ‘It will take all of us working together – from scientists to chefs and product developers to policy makers – before we can really begin to improve public health through flavourful eating,’ Dwyer noted. (Read: Health benefits of herbs like mint, coriander, curry leaves, basil and more) Also Read - Can eating applesauce protect against chronic disease?

The researchers found that spices make healthy foods more acceptable. Adding spices and herbs to reduced-fat meals (lean meats, vegetables and pasta) helped make them more appealing, showed data presented by James Hill from University of Colorado. A spice blend added to a high-fat meal decreased post-meal insulin and triglyceride levels compared to the same meal without added spices, said Sheila West from The Pennsylvania State University. (Read: Benefits of Indian spices on your health)

The findings were summarised in the journal Nutrition Today.

Here are spices that can boost your health quotient

Cardamom: Known for its unique sweet-spicy flavour, cardamom is often added to sweet as well as savoury dishes. One of the most interesting benefits of this spice is that it helps in burning calories. Full of digestive properties that enhance one s metabolic activity, it actually helps you burn fat more efficiently and and prevents it from adding to your weight. Using a little goes a long way; sprinkle some on your coffee or even your subzi, to give your weight loss goal a boost.

Turmeric: Turmeric has been known as a spice that has several health benefits. Right from adding it to dishes to give them that characteristic yellow colour, haldi is an age old remedy for healing wounds. According to the Journal of the American Chemical Society, turmeric is packed with nutrients like proteins, dietary fiber, niacin, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, sodium, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium and zinc. All these essential components put together make turmeric a great antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic and anti-inflammatory agent. Read more about 5 spices that can boost your health quotient

With inputs from IANS

Photo source: Getty images

Published : October 29, 2014 7:48 pm

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