Food for Thought :! Herbs
Masha Rabinovich Fox
you wonder how certain foods affect your body?
do you know what ingredients can help support your health?
looking for new creative recipes?
Welcome to our Food for Thought blog series that will aim to answer these questions and more every month! Tune in to get nutritional advice from experts Masha Fox-Rabinovich , outpatient dietitian and diabetes educator at Washington Adventist Hospital, and kitchen savvy techniques Randall Smith , executive chef for Adventist HealthCare.
the use of herbs and spices in the kitchen can have a huge impact on the appearance, aroma and taste of food. It is common to use herbs and spices in cooking to flavor foods, but did you know that many herbs and spices carry with them all kinds of health benefits too? Before going further, let's define the difference between herbs and spices.
Herbs are the leaves of plants and can be used fresh or dried
Spices are the roots, stems, bark, seeds and other plant parts.
Although these seasonings are often discussed together, this article will focus on some nutritional qualities of some herbs. (Keep an eye out for a future blog post on spices!)
According to a 02 study by the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA, many herbs used in cooking have more power antioxidant than other antioxidant-rich foods like fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are nutrients that protect body cells against oxidative damage caused by the natural aging process and exposure to environmental toxins such as pollution and poor diet. Many studies have shown that diets high in antioxidant-rich foods help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Compared with nine other herbs, oregano was found that the highest antioxidant activity in both its fresh and dried forms. In fact, gram for gram, oregano has antioxidant activity significantly higher than many fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants, such as apples, blueberries, and garlic (a food that is famous for its antioxidant properties). Other plants with high antioxidant include dill, thyme, rosemary, peppermint, rose geranium, bay leaves, purple amaranth, savory, and Vietnamese coriander.
Some other nutrition facts about some commonly used herbs.
- Dill has anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial, and according Healthiest Foods Rating the world system, is considered a good source of calcium, manganese, iron and magnesium
- Like many other herbs, rosemary contains anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, rosemary contains substances that can have positive effects on the immune system, circulation and digestion.
- Peppermint is a good source of manganese, copper and vitamin C, and has been studied for its anti-cancer properties. Peppermint has also been shown to have benefits on the digestive system, often after having demonstrated its ability to relieve indigestion and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
- basil and cilantro are two commonly found herbs that can aid digestion.
- Sage is traditionally known to improve brain function. One study demonstrated the use of sage extract to be significant improvement in the short-term memory
In addition to the added nutrition :.
One way to reduce the risk of hypertension is preparing food from scratch and to limit the use salt (which includes sea salt, salt vegetables, kosher salt, seasoning salt, etc.). Try experimenting with herbs and spices, and other foods (lemons, peppers, onions, etc.) to flavor foods instead.
So next time you're at the market or the grocery store a farmer and you see fresh herbs, give them a try! Come back tomorrow for a pesto recipe using fresh herbs from the chef Randall Smith.
What food are you curious about? We would like to hear from you. Please share your questions in the comments section below.
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