January 2, 2007
A University of Michigan Health Minute update on important health issues.
Spice up your health in 2007 with these savory tips
ANN ARBOR, MI
– Many of us will make the resolution to eat healthier this year,
adding more fruits and vegetables, and less salt and fat, to our diet.
But if you really want to spice up health – and those healthy foods –
try adding a dash of basil and oregano, or a few cloves of garlic to
your diet too.
Using
more herbs and spices and fewer traditional seasonings like sugar, salt
and fat, can help to improve the overall health benefits – and flavor –
of the foods we eat every day, says Suzanna Zick, N.D., M.P.H., a
naturopathic physician and researcher at the University of Michigan Health System.
“Adding
herbs and spices can help you maintain a healthy weight. Plus, they can
help prevent certain cancers, and even lower blood pressure, control
blood sugar and improve cardiovascular health.”
To
help add a dash of “spice” to your life in 2007, Zick offers these tips
for picking the best spices for your overall health.
Zick’s 10 tips for spicing up your health in 2007
-
Instead of salt, use herbs. Common
herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley and garlic can really
bring out the natural flavors in a meal. Zick recommends replacing salt
with a tasty combination of basil and oregano on food.
-
Use fresh garlic for maximum benefit.
Garlic appears to help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. “For
maximum benefit, you need to have about three medium cloves of garlic
per day. Dry garlic or garlic left out too long, lose their healthy
benefits,” says Zick.
-
Fight aging: Eat rosemary.
Rosemary is one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants, says Zick. It’s
also thought to help with memory, and research is currently underway to
determine rosemary’s potential cancer-prevention properties.
-
Basil, oregano and rosemary can help fight colds.
Since these three herbs contain strong essential oils, Zick says they
potentially can fight against colds and flu. “All three are powerful
antioxidants as well,” she notes.
-
Treat chronic coughs with thyme.
“The health benefits of thyme are unique. It has been traditionally
used to treat coughs, even whooping cough. Thyme is often drunk as a
tea,” she says.
-
Got back pain?
Eat curry.
Research has shown that the substance commonly found in turmeric – a
common, bright red spice added to curry mixes – has known
anti-inflammatory properties. The substance, curcumin, works in a very
similar way to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Zick says.
-
Fight cancer: Eat more curry. In
addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, research on curcumin has
also shown it to shrink pre-cancerous lesions known as colon polyps.
Zick says the amount needed for its health benefits is unclear, she
suggests including a generous helping of curry or turmeric in a meal.
-
Lower your blood pressure with “warming spices.”
These include ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, cayenne
pepper and others. These can make a person feel warm because they bring
blood from the center of the body to the skin. This disperses blood
throughout the body more evenly, which may decrease blood pressure,
according to Zick.
-
Soothe your aching tummy with ginger. Ginger
contains gingerols, which decrease oxidative products in the digestive
tract that cause nausea. The key is to eat real ginger and not things
flavored artificially like many ginger-ales, in order to reap the
benefits, Zick says.
-
Reduce the sugar, add the spice.
If you need to cut back on sugar, Zick suggests adding spices like
cinnamon and nutmeg to your sweet snacks instead of sugar. For
instance, if you buy unsweetened applesauce, add cinnamon to give it an
extra kick.
For more information, visit these Web sites:
UMHS Complimentary and Alternative Medicine
U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center: Ginger FAQ
UMHS Healing Foods Pyramid: Seasonings
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
Written by Jessica Soulliere
