HealthNews Dozen: 12 Most Important Herbs & Spices to Add to Your Diet

Most people have difficulty adhering to healthy diets because of the special ingredients and detailed preparation involved. The food cannot only get expensive but complicated to prepare and inconvenient for busy lives. For people on the go and looking to get eat healthier foods without altering their entire lifestyles, there is a relatively easy solution. Add spice to it.

Herbs and spices are the basis of any good food dishes, and many of them are essential to living long, healthy lives. But fast foods lack natural herbs and spices, as do many quickly-prepared meals, whether of the frozen or natural variety. When looking for foods that fit into a diet, people often grab the bland options, figuring that the less delicious the better for one’s health. That couldn’t be more wrong.

Per a rather dated article—December of 2008 to be exact—Dr. Eric Braverman provided a list of the most essential and beneficial herbs and spices to be included in the average diet. He claimed that processed foods give people “all the bulk without the nutrients,” and he suggested simply flavoring meals with herbs and spices, which adds no calories or fat but does contribute an immense amount of flavor and healthy additives. He notes that spices and herbs add antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins while also increasing the body’s metabolism and allowing the body to feel full, meaning less food will need to be consumed. According to Dr. Braverman, substituting herbs and spices for salt will reduce bloating, water retention, and snack cravings.

In addition, there are numerous medical benefits to adding specific herbs and spices to a daily diet. From the reduction of blood-glucose levels to improving blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, each additive has properties that can improve health from the inside out.

To help with heart health, add garlic, chicory, and mustard seed to foods, and to preserve skin and prevent early aging, use basil and thyme with dinner.

Fighting inflammation from injuries or health conditions can be done with a little rosemary or basil, battling dementia is done by using cumin and sage, and combating obesity is a job that requires cayenne and cinnamon for their assistance. Coriander and cinnamon help regular the body’s sugar levels. And for those suffering from mood disorders or depression, try lemon grass, nutmeg, bay leaves, saffron, coriander, rosemary, cayenne, allspice, and black pepper.

Those bits of advice may seem overwhelming, but keep in mind that they are merely suggestions but that they possess not only the health benefits listed above but, according to numerous surveys, many others as well. Each herb or spice is beneficial to a diet.

But what, some might ask, does one do with chicory? Cook it like any greens-type food and add it to a salad, pasta, or serve as a side to any main dish. And mustard seed? The list of recipes when it is searched on the internet offers such dishes as crab cakes, spareribs, baked beans, meatloaf, salad dressings, and even sloppy Joe mix. But without seeking an entirely new list of recipes for the home meal menu, simply try some of the herbs and spices on their own and decide where to best add them to an already-existing diet.