Spices have a long held history of having healing powers, especially when pharmaceuticals were not available. Casey Seidenberg explains in his article titled "Spices and Their Health Benefits" that spices were seen as a sign of wealth and were viewed as extremely valuable. Adding spices to diets can help with digestion and absorption of nutrients. Spices should be bought in small amounts to maintain freshness and sealed in tight glass containers. Listed below are spices that are easy to add to your diet to improve flavor and your health.
Cardamom: This spice can be used in drinks such as chai teas or coffee. Cardamom can also be used to add flavor to curries, rice meals or can be used alongside salt and pepper to give meat a smoky flavor. This spice is typically used to remove toxins from the body and has been seen to reduce tumor activity.
Cayenne: Cayenne has an active ingredient in it called capsicum. This component can increase circulation and weight loss. An easy way to incorporate cayenne into your diet is to use it in tacos, Cajun dishes or even add it to lemonade for a spicy drink.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a great spice to add to your diet. You can use cinnamon to flavor oatmeal, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots or leafy greens. Other ways to use cinnamon include sprinkling it onto black beans or even mixing it into warm milk. Cinnamon is a typical spice used in Chinese medicine that has been shown to increase glucose sensitivity and has antioxidant properties.
Cumin: Cumin is a wonderful spice that helps digestion, has antibacterial properties in the digestive system and helps with the ability to absorb nutrients. Cumin can be added to dishes to enhance flavors in soups, pork, hummus and tacos.
Ginger: Ginger can be used to flavor tea, smoothies, juice, soups or stir fry. The value of ginger has anti-inflammatory properties can be used for nausea, digestive issues and can be particularly helpful during pregnancy.
Black pepper: Years ago during the spice trade time, black pepper was a much desired product. Black pepper can be used to stop cholesterol absorption and lower blood lipids. Black pepper can be used in many dishes and it is best to crack black pepper at the end of cooking because of its tendency to become bitter.
Turmeric: The active ingredient in turmeric is called curcumin, and it has many powerful effects in the body. Some of the health benefits of curcumin include having anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal and anticancer components for the body. The diseases it may fight against include arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, allergies and other chronic diseases. Turmeric can be taken in pill form or used in curries, dressings, mixed with honey or added to milk.
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