Nature is The Best Spice.
By Ogheneochuko Yesioh.
I bet you’ve never thought about how the spice you put in your food affects your health. Some people – e.g. those prone to having high blood pressure – have to monitor it; you however, rarely give your spice a second glance. It’s normal, very few nutrition conversations ever address spices.
Regular store-bought spices have negative health effects. They are usually GMO filled or produced using irradiation which results in the finished products having decreased levels of vitamins and natural enzymes, and containing toxic, carcinogenic by-products. This increases your exposure to free radicals, which can cause you to age faster and increase your risk of diseases like cancer.
Natural spices however, have a wide array of valuable antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic compounds. These benefits come along with their organic fragrances and flavors. It just makes sense to learn to use them in making your healthy meals. We covered a few, such as, ginger, lemon, and turmeric in our latest edition, and gave you tips on how to use them in food preparation.
We figured that some of you might want more, so we’re adding the following meals, flavored by these spices, to the list of things can add to your everyday diet, for better health.:
1. Herb Chicken Salsa
This is your basic chicken salsa made with vegetables and chicken breasts but spiced with grated ginger and turmeric.
2. Turmeric Rice
Turmeric rice is an Asian staple, made with rice, pepper and turmeric. Its famous for its flavor and color.
3. Lemon Grilled Fish Chunks
If you’re looking to enhance the flavor of foods, especially fish. Just squeeze freshly cut lemon on them after dressing with powdered herbs.
4. Chicken Curry
Rather than using store bought curry, you can make your own using grated turmeric. Turmeric is the spice that give curries it’s bright orange color.
5. Ginger, Lemon and Turmeric tea
This one is super easy, just add freshly grated turmeric, ginger and lemon slices to a cup of hot water. Allow to sit, strain before drinking
Finally, some basic guidelines to using these natural spices.
*Fresh is always better for flavor: fresh ginger, lemon and turmeric can be easily gotten from the market closest to you.
*They even last up to two weeks when kept properly: in your fridge, unpeeled and in zip-lock bags with all the air pushed out.
To get more tips on how to reap nature’s bounty. Purchase the latest edition of our magazine here.
