I’m nose-driven person. I love the smell of herbs and spices – especially for food. Have you noticed what happens when you walk into someone’s home who’s cooking? Presuming they’re decent cooks, the smells can start your mouth watering right as you enter.
Spices can punch up a bland dish, give a familiar food a new twist, give visions of faraway locales and, generally, wake up your senses.
If you’re not comfortable cooking with spices, then investigate companies such as Stonehouse Mixes. A quick visit to their website will introduce you to their savory, sweet and oil-based dip mixes. While you can make dips out of the packages, you can also use them to flavor your foods.
For example, use their Vidalia onion mix to season hamburger meat before grilling. Once cooked, you can then spread the blue cheese and bacon dip on top for a mouth-watering sensation that will be the hit of any picnic! In fact, Jennifer Hoffman, owner of Stonehouse Mixes, suggests that her customers, “place a basket on their counter with all the seasoning packets in it, and anytime they are cooking, throw some of the seasonings in for extra flavor.”
If you’re still not sold on cooking with spices, consider this: many spices contain more health-giving properties than fruits and vegetables. This means, you can literally spice your way to better health. This really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Spices have been used for centuries for their medicinal properties. But it’s only in the last few years that spices are being given a second look by the medical research community.
What Western medicine is discovering is encouraging on the fronts of many chronic diseases, including: Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and premature aging.
The USDA has identified seven “super spices” so named because of their superior abilities in reducing free radical damage and fighting the effects of premature aging. By adding these spices to your diet, you support better health and better tasting food! Below are the seven, along with a short description of their benefits.
- Cinnamon – has the highest antioxidant levels of any spice. It also acts like insulin in our bodies, helping to regulate blood sugar levels.
- Ginger – has anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it a natural pain reliever for arthritis, nausea and migraines.
- Oregano – also has a high antioxidant level and a superior anti-microbial effect on bacteria and parasites. Ongoing research includes oregano’s possible effects on bacteria that causes ulcers.
- Red Peppers – contain capsaicin, the heat-packed, powerful antioxidant that also appears to be a way to increase a sense of fullness during meals. Red peppers (whether cayenne, chili powder, the milder paprika and even sweet peppers) also increase metabolism, hence calorie burning.
- Rosemary – supports heart, vein and blood vessel health and is a great skin rejuvenator, too.
- Thyme – is being credited with a variety of benefits including: respiratory ailment improvement, maintenance of cognitive functions in older age, heart health support and immune system strengthening.
- Turmeric (Curry, Cumin) – these related spices all share curcumin, a compound that has been show to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and retard the growth of brain plaques, a key cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
So – live it up! Spice up your life for longevity in body and mind.
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The spice is actually spelled “Turmeric”
Thank you for reading. We have corrected it.