Spices: The Health Benefits Of 5 Holiday Favorites

'Tis the season for holiday baking -- and while you already know to consume in moderation (too much butter and sugar is only a recipe for January regret), there may actually be some health benefits tucked inside your favorite recipes. Look no further than the spice rack.

Loading up on these seasonal flavors not only makes the whole house smell great, but it can also help to satisfy sweet cravings, add flavor without additional salt or fat, and provide an extra punch of antioxidants, says HuffPost blogger Cheryl Forberg, RD, the nutritionist on "The Biggest Loser."

Read on for the health benefits of these five seasonal ingredients.

Comments

[deepak gogoi]

04:49 AM on 12/25/2011

In India generally we take these spices in our average meals, they work wonders in various ways to health.

[pinetrale]

11:56 AM on 12/24/2011

I wonder if there is a company that makes an assortment of easy to take(small pills or capsules, just take two) of various spice and herb combinations that fits into some logical classifications. In one way a good curry has many spices, but you can't eat that every day. I suppose you could divide it up in Energy, Immune, Circulation, Se-ual Health, Anitoxidant groups. They do that for some of this in the smoothie shops for "boosts". As things now, even a good vitamin section or shop is confusing as to what you should buy. And if you do, you end up with big bottles lying around for years every where. Why not make it simple, like 5-7 choices and you have everything. I don't take all of it everyday, I rotate taking one vitamin 3 x a week, another 2x, and another 4, so its not like I have to take everything everyday as your body only needs to fill up its sinks so to speak and the rest is eliminated as excess. Some may not agree, but its what I do to conserve costs and not overdo it.

[Martisa Vignali]

09:02 PM on 12/23/2011

My sister has successfully regulated her diabetes with cinnamon capsules.

[wrobbins]

04:28 AM on 12/24/2011

That is one seriously mild case of diabetes.

[pinetrale]

12:01 PM on 12/24/2011

I don't think there is anything effective for strong insulin resistance really, other than exercise and losing weight and avoiding simple carbs. Cinnamin, trace amounts of vandium, cromium, tumeric, etc are probably modestly helpful if not over done. But anything else is overselling things. There are things that help circulation and carbohydrate burning as well and some medicines for neuropathy as well a good nutritionist or endocrinologist can tell you about that may help on the margin. But no cure yet in the vitamin universe.

[jacki650]

06:26 PM on 12/23/2011

This is a great article to keep in mind when cooking/baking this holiday season...another great resource to check out is this list of holiday food "substitutes" > http://www.skinnyscoop.com/list/jessboscarini/top-10-food-substitutions-for-the-holidays

[Ranveig Elvebakk]

06:08 PM on 12/23/2011

Great idea. Unfortunately the anti-oxidant and other benefits of these wonderful products are dwarfed by the sugar consumed once they appear in the form of a cookie or other baked goods --

[jgarma]

03:52 PM on 12/23/2011

You're spot on re the ability of some spices to moderate blood glucose (sugar) levels.

In fact, a decent strategy to reduce the impact of binging this Holiday Season upon blood sugar spiking and the inevitable growth in belly fat, is to liberally sprinkle cinnamon on whatever it might taste good with.

Another idea is to drink lots of water with a bit of apple cider vinegar in it, as this also has a moderating effect on blood sugar.

If you really want to go hog wild with a Holiday binge, consider "health hacker" Tim Ferris' prescription for overeating without weight gain at "Overeat and Gain No Weight found here:
http://wp.me/pA04z-Qk

[SACULA]

10:04 PM on 12/23/2011

my favorite is whiskey straight.all natural.i try to drink 8 glasses a day.i think that is the recomended amount