Adding spice to your diet benefits the body in many ways. The most obvious reason is that it tingles the taste buds and gives each dish a little kick.
For those conscious of what they eat, spices add flavor without adding calories, fat, salt, or sugar to a dish.
Spices can be just as effective to your health as adding in more fruits and vegetables. They provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties.
Spices can help you stay fuller longer and amp up your metabolism.
Venture into the world of spices and buy pepper jelly online or pick a random new seasoning bottle next time you’re in the grocery store. There are many ways to incorporate spicy food into your everyday life.
Start The Day Off Right
Sure, you can add milk or creamer in your coffee – but why not reach for the jar of cinnamon instead?
Adding spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove to your morning cup of Joe can really kick start your day.
Ignite Your Chocolate Craving
Dark chocolate is also good for you, given its ample antioxidants. The next time a chocolate craving hits, melt some down and sprinkle in chipotle, then drizzle over a mixture of nuts.
This will not only satisfy your craving, but provide healthy fats in the form of nuts and help with your blood health and cholesterol thanks to the chipotle.
Curry Up and Roast Veggies
Vegetables serve as a blank slate for mealtime. Throw any spices on them, roast them, and you have a tasty and delicious side dish.
In this case, lean towards Indian-inspired spices for your sheet pan veggies. Cumin is naturally rich in iron and curry powder can boost both brain and digestive health.
A great Indian spice combination base is one-half teaspoon of cumin, one tablespoon of curry, and one-half teaspoon of coriander.
Go About It Gingerly
Ginger is a fantastic anti-inflammatory, and adding even a small amount of dried ginger to dishes goes a long way.
Dash some in your next bowl of yogurt, or throw a bit in a fruit smoothie.
Ginger is one of the main spices in Chinese-inspired spice combinations, like garlic ginger chicken stir fry or ginger soy steamed fish.
You can even add slices of ginger root to hot water to make ginger tea, which can aid in fighting off nausea.
Turmeric For Your Tastes
Turmeric has grown in popularity in recent years thanks to golden milk lattes. Golden milk is simply coconut milk (or milk of your choice) mixed with turmeric.
Turmeric is another anti-inflammatory spice, and it has also been linked to helping improve heart health and protect against Alzheimer’s and cancer.
This bright yellow spice can also be added to scrambled eggs or tossed with vegetables for a meal.
Can’t Forget Cardamom
Cardamom is great because it can be used in both sweet and savory manners. It possesses anti-inflammatory benefits from flavonoids, and also contains a compound called cineole that can act as an antiseptic.
You can add it to tea or cookies. It is most often found in Indian dishes like tandoori, mutton curry, and desserts like rabdi.