Herbs and Spices - How They Can Help Your Health, and How To Use Them
Yesterday it was more herbs, less salt day. I talked about salt, but I didn't get to talk about herbs. Let me quickly fill you in on these amazing little plants.
If you're curious to learn more about herbs, stick around.
Herbs and spices are the leaf, seed, bark, bud, root, seed, berry, or stigma of a plant, or flower. They are used to add flavor to foods – meals, sauces, desserts. Besides adding flavor to foods, they can contribute a lot of nutrients that contribute to good health when added to foods. They can also be used as medicine, and to preserve foods.
Fun and important facts about herbs and spices:
Although dry heating and grilling can be healthy and produce delicious dishes, cooking spices or herbs with dry heating, frying, or grilling could decrease their antioxidant properties. To maintain their antioxidant properties, simmer, or use them in stews.
Some herbs, like rosemary and parsley, may need more cooking to release their flavors. You may add them to the beginning of your cooking.
Dried herbs produce a stronger flavor. You’ll need 4 teaspoons of fresh herbs for every 1 teaspoon dried herb.
Herbs and spices, and their combinations make dishes have a more cultural flavor, and it provides us with the memories of cultural dishes from different places, or from our childhood.
Some people taste cilantro as soapy. Four to fourteen percent of the population tastes the soapy aldehydes in cilantro as more soapy.
You may use bouquet garnis to use more herbs and spices in your daily cooking. They’ll provide flavor and you remove the bouquet garnis from the dish at the end of food preparation, before serving. This chef explains how to make a bouquet garni: https://www.culinaryhill.com/how-to-make-a-bouquet-garni.
Herbs, spices, and health
Garlic isn’t technically a spice or herb, but it’s used as such in cooking. Garlic helps control blood pressure, and it helps control cholesterol levels.
Cinnamon and Flaxseed
Cinnamon, fenugreek, ginseng, and flaxseed can help control blood sugars.
Garlic, mint, oregano, sage, and basil can help prevent cancers.
Spices that help control cholesterol levels, especially LDL (the “bad cholesterol”, or low density lipoproteins), are cinnamon, sage, oregano, thyme and cloves.
Remember that these herbs and spices have to be consumed regularly to provide these health effects.
I hope you enjoy this info, and that it makes you healthier.
Add a little spice to your life.
To Your Health,
Girlene Coughlin, RD
References
"Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Medicinal Property of Sage (Salvia) to Prevent and Cure Illnesses such as Obesity, Diabetes, Depression, Dementia, Lupus, Autism, Heart Disease, and Cancer." (2014). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003706/
“Culinary Herbs and Spices: Their Bioactive Properties, the Contribution of Polyphenols and the Challenges in Deducing Their True Health Benefits.” (2014). https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/15/10/19183/htm
“Effects of Olive Oil and Garlic on Serum Cholesterol and Triglycerides Levels in the patients of Type II Diabetes Mellitus.” (2018). http://173.208.131.244:9060/xmlui/handle/123456789/1969
“Herbs.” (2019). https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/herbs#cooking-with-herbs
"Fenugreek: A review on its nutraceutical properties and utilization in various food products." (2018). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1658077X15301065
"Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap to Some People?" https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-cilantro-taste-like-soap-to-some-people#:~:text=Of%20course%20some%20of%20this,flavored%20aldehydes%20in%20cilantro%20leaves.
