Feel Good With Herbs and Spices
If you're looking for a healthy way to give your food more flavour without adding too much salt or other flavourings, pep up the taste with a combination of fresh and dried herbs and spices.
Pizza and pasta recipes will have a more authentic flavour with basil, oregano and marjoram; potatoes are perked up with parsley and dill; meat and vegetable dishes benefit from garlic, rosemary and sage; stir-fries from ginger, lemon grass and chilli; and Indian and Asian dishes from a fantastic range of spices and herbs.
The benefit of spices and herbs over sugar and salt are a key part of the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) Eat Well, Be Well healthy eating advice. As the FSA points out, you get more flavour for fewer calories using herbs and spices, which means trimmer waistlines, reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Reducing Salt Intake
Eating less salt (no more than 6g or 1tsp a day) is another FSA target to improve the health of the nation. And dieticians are especially keen for children to develop a taste for food that's lower in salt. The British Dietetic Association recommends flavouring children's food with herbs and spices from an early age. Eating herbs can also help your family hit the 5-A-Day target. Add herbs such as tarragon and chervil, chives and parsley to salads (a cereal bowl of fresh herbs is one portion) and make salad dressing with a variety of freshly chopped herbs.
Beneficial Antioxidants
Part of the health benefits of herbs and spices comes from the antioxidants they contain. Italian researches have shown that by adding dried or fresh herbs such as lemon balm, marjoram and oregano to salads, their antioxidant activity increases significantly. And analysis of the antioxidant content of herbs and spices by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that they are present in large enough quantities to be beneficial when added in normal quantities to food. For example, USDA figures show that just half a teaspoon of cumin seeds has the antioxidant potential of a portion of red grapes or a kiwi fruit.
Findings by the Norwegian Crop Research Institute also highlight the high levels of antioxidants in mint. As well as being used to flavour many Mediterranean dishes, mint tea is drunk daily as a digestive aid in the Middle East and in many cultures around the world. Like many herbs and spices, mint has been used beneficially for centuries. It is a good digestive with long traditional use as a herbal tea.
Finally, adding herb and spice marinades to red meat is thought to be protective as the antioxidants they contain can prevent the formation during cooking of heterocyclic amines by up to 80 per cent, which could be harmful in excess on highly charred barbecued, grilled, roasted and fried red meat.
Pizza and pasta recipes will have a more authentic flavour with basil, oregano and marjoram; potatoes are perked up with parsley and dill; meat and vegetable dishes benefit from garlic, rosemary and sage; stir-fries from ginger, lemon grass and chilli; and Indian and Asian dishes from a fantastic range of spices and herbs.
The benefit of spices and herbs over sugar and salt are a key part of the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) Eat Well, Be Well healthy eating advice. As the FSA points out, you get more flavour for fewer calories using herbs and spices, which means trimmer waistlines, reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Reducing Salt Intake
Eating less salt (no more than 6g or 1tsp a day) is another FSA target to improve the health of the nation. And dieticians are especially keen for children to develop a taste for food that's lower in salt. The British Dietetic Association recommends flavouring children's food with herbs and spices from an early age. Eating herbs can also help your family hit the 5-A-Day target. Add herbs such as tarragon and chervil, chives and parsley to salads (a cereal bowl of fresh herbs is one portion) and make salad dressing with a variety of freshly chopped herbs.
Beneficial Antioxidants
Part of the health benefits of herbs and spices comes from the antioxidants they contain. Italian researches have shown that by adding dried or fresh herbs such as lemon balm, marjoram and oregano to salads, their antioxidant activity increases significantly. And analysis of the antioxidant content of herbs and spices by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that they are present in large enough quantities to be beneficial when added in normal quantities to food. For example, USDA figures show that just half a teaspoon of cumin seeds has the antioxidant potential of a portion of red grapes or a kiwi fruit.
Findings by the Norwegian Crop Research Institute also highlight the high levels of antioxidants in mint. As well as being used to flavour many Mediterranean dishes, mint tea is drunk daily as a digestive aid in the Middle East and in many cultures around the world. Like many herbs and spices, mint has been used beneficially for centuries. It is a good digestive with long traditional use as a herbal tea.
Finally, adding herb and spice marinades to red meat is thought to be protective as the antioxidants they contain can prevent the formation during cooking of heterocyclic amines by up to 80 per cent, which could be harmful in excess on highly charred barbecued, grilled, roasted and fried red meat.