5 Healing Spices for Your Health

Want to pump up your healing potential? Are you ready to add some spice to your life? I mean literally -- add spices to your daily health regimen to prevent and treat the chronic diseases plaguing us. High in powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, spices are a perfect way to add new flavor to your favorite dishes while guarding your health. There is plenty of scientific research worldwide to confirm the use of culinary spices to boost your healing power.

So what exactly is a spice? It is not an herb. A spice may come from the seed, root, leaf, stem, flower, bud, bark or fruit of a plant. Spices are formerly leaves of herbs left to dry; they tend to be aromatic and add flavor to recipes. One big difference to remember is that spices are all edible while some herbs are not.

Here are five spices that you can start adding to your diet today:

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Turmeric

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Turmeric is used widely in India and gives a beautiful yellow color to any dish. This powerhouse spice has been getting lots of press lately for its potential healing properties. The active ingredient, curcurmin, has been extensively tested and studied and the research touts the outstanding results: it's a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Turmeric is also known as the anti-cancer spice because of the wide range of potent properties this spice possesses. It is found in virtually all curry recipes. Add turmeric to your cooking oil when frying onions or sautéing vegetables for stews or in any stir-fry dish. Once it starts to heat up you should smell a distinct and pleasant aroma. If no smell arises, then your turmeric is probably too old and it's time to buy a fresh supply. Take note: Curry powder is a mix of common Indian spices that often combines turmeric with coriander (the dried seed of the same plant as the leaf herb cilantro), cumin, fenugreek and black pepper. This easy to use powder mix is not used in India or Asia, but has been created by the West for cooking convenience. The amount of each ingredient varies by brand but for maximum health benefit, I recommend adding spices individually to a recipe -- that way you can control the quantity and quality of each spice. Keep in mind, true curry dishes vary greatly in flavor profile so one generic mix will not suit all recipes.

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Turmeric is used widely in India and gives a beautiful yellow color to any dish. This powerhouse spice has been getting lots of press lately for its potential healing properties. The active ingredient, curcurmin, has been extensively tested and studied and the research touts the outstanding results: it's a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Turmeric is also known as the anti-cancer spice because of the wide range of potent properties this spice possesses. It is found in virtually all curry recipes.

Add turmeric to your cooking oil when frying onions or sautéing vegetables for stews or in any stir-fry dish. Once it starts to heat up you should smell a distinct and pleasant aroma. If no smell arises, then your turmeric is probably too old and it's time to buy a fresh supply.

Take note: Curry powder is a mix of common Indian spices that often combines turmeric with coriander (the dried seed of the same plant as the leaf herb cilantro), cumin, fenugreek and black pepper. This easy to use powder mix is not used in India or Asia, but has been created by the West for cooking convenience. The amount of each ingredient varies by brand but for maximum health benefit, I recommend adding spices individually to a recipe -- that way you can control the quantity and quality of each spice. Keep in mind, true curry dishes vary greatly in flavor profile so one generic mix will not suit all recipes.

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Yuck! Yum!

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It is easy to jump in and add some spice to your life -- most spices can be found at a conventional supermarket. I recommend seeking out the smaller, local ethnic markets where spices can be found depending on their cultural origins. It is also the perfect place to learn how the spices are used and get tips on what spices are traditionally used together. If you live out in the country, there are now many online spice markets available that have every possible exotic spice for you, too.

So tonight add a new spice to your dinner menu. I highly recommend getting a copy of my new favorite book, "Healing Spices" by Bharat Aggarwal, PhD with Debora Yost.

Here's to you taking charge of your health! Can't wait to hear how you spice up your life.
Find Dr.Ufberg: http://drsharonufberg.com/

 

Follow Dr. Sharon Ufberg on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrUfberg

Comments

[Cynthia Cavalli]

11:06 PM on 06/13/2011

Dr. Sharon, I can see how it might be confusing. Curry powder can be known by other names, like masala of which there are many varieties for different kinds of curry. In any case, these ingredients can be very good for you!

[SUfberg]

08:49 PM on 06/12/2011

Thank you Cynthia for your comment about curry powder. All my research pointed to the curry powder mix we see in the stores as a Western creation. It makes sense that cooks would create their own blends to use at home. Many thanks for the insight!

[Cynthia Cavalli]

01:03 PM on 06/12/2011

I'm curious about the statement that curry powder is not used in India but is from the west. I am Indian, born in India, my mother and my aunties and their friends all use home-made curry powder in their curries. Each has their own proprietary blend, some more delicious than others. They often share curry powders with each other. My mother's personal blend is a combination of her mother's and her mother-in-law's recipes. I'm just noting from my family history, usage of curry powder goes back at least to the late 19th century, before my ancestors were involved with the missionaries. So it seems highly unlikely to me that my great-grandmothers learned about curry powder from the west and more likely they learned to make it from their own mothers and aunts, or came up with it themselves for convenience sake.

By the way, my mom initially sold her curry powder commercially but found that creating sauces and selling those was more viable. My mom's curries contain several of the healing spices listed above and so are a delicious way to eat them! If you love curry and are interested in an easy way to make it in your home, visit www.auntysaroskitchen.com - enjoy!

[LovingFit]

06:36 AM on 06/12/2011

I love posts like this. Thank you :)

[time1910]

06:57 AM on 06/13/2011

Me too.. but my favorite is missing here: chilli. I don't know if it helps to keep well and fit but I like the taste of it^^

[LovingFit]

07:27 AM on 06/13/2011

I love chilly as well, I totally forgot about it.

[ViviMarr Williams]

01:14 AM on 06/12/2011

From 2007 - 2009 I had muscle pain on a daily basis and found the combination of turmeric and ginger was very helpful. I am pain free now but still take turmeric frequently since it is one of the best anti-inflamatory spices - love curry dishes from various Asian countries.

[se72748]

08:26 PM on 06/11/2011

cinnamon definatly lowers bad cholesterol and my dietician said it lowers blood sugar.I use it ever day.My bad cholesterol which was high is now in the basement.

[MMMMarilyn]

12:16 PM on 06/12/2011

But how much rice puddin' can a person eat!!!!

[slvrfox857]

08:29 AM on 06/11/2011

I thought I'd heard that the cinnamon twist on blood sugar was disproven.

[babybelle]

08:06 AM on 06/10/2011

I use all those spices except fennel.
I have never liked the taste of licorice.

[John Rathe]

09:38 PM on 06/09/2011

If you're buying cinnamon, especially for health benefits, it's important to note that cinnamon sold in the US is often times cassia cinnamon which has much higher levels of coumarin. Coumarin is moderately toxic to the liver and kidneys. Try and buy ceylon cinnamon if at all possible.

http://www.indusorganics.com/camparison.html This site discusses the differences in more detail.

[BuckoForce]

10:08 AM on 06/10/2011

Thanks, I have been eating a spoon of it a day...as a supplement. I wondered if I was eating the fake stuff.

[jacquelinenh]

02:27 PM on 06/09/2011

Also oregano, garlic, green tea, blueberries, and ginger... each contain bioflavonoids and polyphenols that limit free-radical production in the body -- nature's way of reducing inflammation. (source: http://www.womentowomen.com/inflammation/naturalantiinflammatories.aspx)