Flavor, and particular strong flavor, is very often connected to a very high nutrient profile. And, this is especially the case when it comes to spices. Hot, spicy food is the thing right now, especially hot sauces. But, those sauces sometimes contain a bunch of additives, so you are better off eating spices in their raw form. I love spicy food: Indian, Mexican and Thai are my absolute favorites, and all of them contain specific spices to flavor and preserve the food. Indian food is probably top of my list because it contains the healthiest spice of the lot, which is number one on my list: Turmeric.
- Turmeric contains a pigment called curcumin, which has numerous scientifically substantiated health benefits. This is probably the reason why this bright orange spice is trending right now. The tide is just beginning to turn against the numerous prescription drugs and their side effects. If you can get the same relief from an inexpensive spice without any side effects…makes sense, right? Curcumin plays a big part in preventing a plethora of cancers, including colon and pancreatic cancer. It also plays a role in treating and preventing brain and lung diseases. As if this wasn’t enough, curcumin is also very effecting in treating rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions. Try to eat 1/4 -1 tsp daily of the bright orange powder. Or, you can maybe find fresh turmeric root, which is similar to ginger root. If you’re lucky enough to find it, you can grate it into your food or make a delicious tea with it. You can take supplements, but make sure they are from a very reputable company so they won’t be contaminated with heavy metals. BTW – buying the spice in bulk is way cheaper! There’s also some research to show that black pepper helps the curcumin to work it’s magic, so if you’re making a curry, add a few twist of cracked pepper. I’m also obsessed with any Temple Turmeric Drinks. They have a huge selection of hand-crafted elixirs, and I wish my fridge was full of the stuff every single day because they are so fricking delicious.
- Cayenne Pepper: Another trending spice in Cayenne. It’s often used in weight-loss diets because it’s thought to speed up metabolism, but I can’t find any peer-reviewed studies supporting this. However, scientific studies have found that cayenne can help cluster headaches, chronic indigestion, and IBS. For IBS, you are best taking cayenne capsules. And if you suffer from dyspepsia or bad indigestion, try taking 1 – 2 tsp a day of this powerful spice, either in food, or with lemon juice and warm water.
- Fenugreek: This is not such a common spice, but one to add to your daily diet today, espeically if you are into muscle sculpting. I often toss Fenugreek seeds into stews, soups, casseroles and curries. It is apparently very good for muscle strength, so if you work out like a crazy girl or dude, you might want to consider these odd little seeds. There is also promising research on their anti-cancer properties too.
- Cloves: Cloves are jammed choc full of anti-oxidants. I use ground cloves when I am baking things like carrot cake, apple muffins, applesauce, and I love include it in my DIY Chai Tea recipe.
- Ginger: I’ll toss ginger into everything – I love it. The main health benefit that I could find, scientifically-speaking, is its efficacy in treating migraine headaches and menstrual cramps. A quarter teaspoon 3 times a day has found to significantly decrease pain for both of these debilitating conditions. In Ayurvedic medicine, ginger is considered to be a very warming spice, so in the winter months it’s prescribed as a tea.
- Amla: I just recently discovered Amla Powder (Indian Gooseberry), and I’m very happy I did because it’s supposedly the most antioxidant dense food on Earth. It contains mega amounts of Vitamin C, and so I often add 1 tbsp to my morning smoothie.
- Cinnamon: You need to buy Ceylon Cinnamon, which is also known as “true” cinnamon, to garner the health benefits. Diabetics would do really well to add cinnamon to their daily diet because it slows down the rise in blood sugar after a meal. Scientific studies have also found it to be protective against Parkinson’s disease, and heart disease. Since cinnamon is so delicious, it doesn’t harm to sprinkle it on everything from oatmeal & pancakes, to warm drinks. Tip: I always add ground cinnamon to my veggie chili.
