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More Reasons to Season

Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD, LDN
Bashas’ Family of Stores

'“Eat your fruits and vegetables.” We’ve all heard it and know that eating more produce is part of a healthy diet. Antioxidants found naturally in plants are powerful disease-fighting nutrients, and one of the primary reasons we all need to be eating more of them.
Herbs and spices are concentrated sources of antioxidants, and evidence indicates that there is a strong correlation between increased intake of antioxidants and a lower risk of overall death and disease.[i] Although the mechanism of how the antioxidants in herbs and spices convey health benefits is unknown, culinary herbs and spices are gaining notoriety for their role as cancer-fighting and anti-inflammatory agents, as well as antimicrobial and cardio-protective benefits. A large study of foods consumed in the US found that of the top 50 foods with antioxidants, dried spices were the highest as the top five, including (in order) ground cloves, dried oregano, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and turmeric powder.
Long overlooked by traditional medicine, herbs and spices have been used for centuries for their medicinal properties. The ancient Egyptians worshipped garlic and associated it with long-life and heartiness.[1] The Greeks and Romans in ancient times were well known for their use of herbs and spices for flavoring, as well as for food preservation. The ancient medicine practice of Ayurveda, practice for centuries in India, includes over 700 herbs in its medical texts for the treatment of various ailments. Some examples include cinnamon to stimulate circulation, basil to protect the heart, and ginger as a universal medicine and to relieve nausea and indigestion.
That tradition survives today: The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of the population today relies on traditional medicine involving herbs and spices, as part of their primary health care.[2]
Many ethnic cuisines today can be identified by their different flavors. However, the reasons foods taste so different from region to region is much more complicated than simply pleasing the palate. For instance, in warmer climates, more concentrated use of multiple spices was traditionally employed for meat-containing recipes (40% of the time) for food preservation and to prevent food-borne illness. In cooler climates, where spoilage isn’t as big a concern, spices are used more sparingly, with less than 5% of the meat-containing recipes including multiple spices.[3] Combinations of spices increase the antimicrobial properties, which is why many ethnic cuisines found especially in warmer climates like India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, all use similar herbs in different combinations to flavor their foods. These include garlic, chili peppers, onions, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, turmeric, cilantro and lemongrass. Modern medical research has done side-by-side comparisons of antibiotics versus extracts of garlic, and both were found to be similar in their bacteria-fighting capacity of certain organisms.[4]
There is a multitude of health benefits of using more herbs and spices in your cooking. Not only do spices and herbs taste great together in various combinations, they increase the availability of other nutrients found in food. For example, adding herbs to a salad dressing can increase the antioxidants in a salad. A few herbs can go a long way towards improving our health. Eating a diverse and plentiful amount of vibrantly colored plant-foods, and choosing to eat whole foods, rather than processed foods or relying on vitamin pills, is the best for health. Herbs and spices are also a flavorful way of naturally reducing salt, fat and sugar in cooking that maximizes the nutritional benefits. The use of herbs should not be overlooked as an important contribution to our health and the overall quality of the foods we eat. Spices and herbs are readily available, fun to experiment with and are a cost-effective way to boost nutrition. What a wonderful way to add some spice to your life!


 

"A herb is a friend of physicians and the praise of cooks." Charlemagne, 9th Century

[1] Parry JW. The story of spices. New York: Chemical Publishing Co, Inc; 1953.
[2] Craig W. Health-promoting properties of common herbs. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70 suppl: 491S-499S.
  3 Parry JW. The story of spices. New York: Chemical Publishing Co, Inc; 1953.
              4 Craig W. Health-promoting properties of common herbs. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70 suppl: 491S-499S.

5 Kaefer C, Milner J. The role of herbs and spices in cancer prevention. J Nutr Biochem 2008; 19: 347-361.
 

[6] Billing, J., Sherman, P.Antimicrobial functions of spices: why some like it hot. Q Rev Biol 1998; 73(1):3-49
 

 

 

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