Let’s discuss something I think could take your health to the next level today. It’s easy and practical, and your taste buds will love it.
What am I talking about?
I’m talking about culinary herbs and spices.
If you’ve listened to me before, I talk a lot about how salad, fruits, and vegetables are so important as the central part of your eating plate because they give you vitamins, minerals, and many phytochemicals.
As a scientist, I love phytochemicals. In fact, they drive the body’s reactions and can protect our health – everything from being cancer-preventative to helping your detoxification channels.
So, these culinary herbs and spices are a great way to add taste and flavor to your foods and make them pop. It’s a great way to support your health!
Clients ask, “How much salad, fruits, and vegetables do I need?“
Well, I always say as much colour and variety as you can get.
There is some research out there saying twenty (20) different salad fruits and vegetables is beneficial.
This can be difficult
But if we include the herbs and spices in there, you could quickly achieve the required variety of salads, fruits, and vegetables… and herbs and spices for phytochemical intake!!!!
Why include herbs and spices in your diet?
Herbs and spices indeed pack a punch in small quantities. While we may not need them in large amounts, they offer potent flavours, phytochemicals and health benefits when incorporated into our meals.
Adding these herbs and spices to our everyday cooking can supercharge our plates. They bring depth and complexity to dishes while also offering various health perks. Here are some of its benefits:
Antioxidants
Antioxidants help reduce our aging process, protect our DNA, and reduce what I call the rusting process of the body. These antioxidants are essential for our health.
Herbs such as basil, cinnamon, and turmeric all have antioxidants, and they’re not the only ones.
Add these small things to your food to increase your antioxidant status. I mean, we always talk about how red wine or chocolate has antioxidants, but what about thinking about these herbs and spices as well?
Anti-inflammatory
Herbs and spices have phytochemicals and nutrients that can help reduce inflammation.
Normally, we would talk about fish oils or avocado, flaxseed oil, or olive oil as being anti-inflammatory, but what about something like:
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
They can all be anti-inflammatory as well.
Digestive Aid
If you are struggling with digestive issues, bloating, struggling to digest your foods, or feeling tired after meals, why not try adding these to your food?
They can help stimulate the digestive juices of your body or digestive enzymes.
- Fennel
- Black pepper
- Ginger
- Cumin
Cancer Prevention
Many of the phytochemicals in these herbs and spices can help suppress cancer cells’ growth cycle. There’s a lot of research showing that turmeric does this, and that’s why turmeric has become so popular.
Did you also think about mustard and how mustard added to your meal could help with being a cancer preventative agent as well?
Think about how many foods you could put mustard into – it could be any mustard! It could be Dijon mustard, Hot English mustard, or mustard powder.
Detoxification
If you’re looking at supporting detoxification, maybe make a salad out of rocket lettuce, spinach, red cabbage, and red onion.
But what if we were to add some spices and herbs to it too?
You could put coriander into some of your meals, whether it be a stir-fried meal, a salad, or even a pesto. And other herbs like:
- Turmeric
- Black pepper
- Rosemary (which is absolutely fabulous at helping the detoxification of estrogen)
Balance Blood Sugar Levels
If you’re looking at supporting and balancing your blood sugar levels, you can’t look past cinnamon and basil. Two great herbs and spices that help to regulate your blood sugar levels alongside a healthy eating plan.
You can see just from this snippet, how you could introduce herbs and spices into your food to support your health, promote detoxification, and balance blood sugar levels.
I haven’t even spoken about how some of these herbs and spices could support immune health and help with gut health, as far as the microbial levels of the gut.
Oregano can also help eliminate some undesirable microbes in the digestive system of the intestines.
Including these herbs regularly can help to support your health and your body. And there’s no limit to what you could do.
Go into a spice shop and see how many herbs and spices are available to add to your meals.
It’s just about looking for recipes that include these because your taste buds will love them.
It is a great way to spice up each of your meals to savour the flavour, and you’ll want more.
These herbs and spices promotes health, not only your current health, but also your future health.
I’d love to connect with you if you want to know more about how you could include these culinary herbs and spices into your meal and create healthy, entertaining, but easy meal plans.
Ready to kick start Gut Health? Book a Call!
This is how gut microbes can influence weight!
Probiotics can help you gain weight or lose weight by interacting with our genetics, food and metabolism.
And yes, I did say lose or gain weight……..
Firstly, let me explain that the trillions of microbes in the gut need to be varied, meaning that there should be a large variety of species. There are many different species (or breeds) of microbes, and they all have their place in aiding health — the more variety and balance, the better health results.
Back to the weight loss or weight gain issue….
Do you eat yogurt and berries for breakfast? Thinking that it’s helping you lose weight?
Well, Lactobacillus acidophilus (like the species found in yoghurt) has been connected to weight gain.
I am not saying throw your yoghurt and berries in the bin. Instead, I am suggesting looking at the overall picture. If Lactobacillus acidophilus is the predominant micro-organism of the gut, then weight gain can result.
It is about the variety of species of gut microbes. Imagine if we only have trained german shepherd guard dogs in the world. It may be a safe world, but I am sure that other breeds may be more suitable as a family pet.
While Lactobacillus acidophilus is associated with weight gain, other Lactobacillus species correlate with weight loss.
Species like Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Bifidobacteria animalis have been found to support weight loss.
Want to lose weight?
Look at your gut flora to support your goal.
Tests can be performed to identify the predominant species of the gut, and specific species can be utilised to support weight changes.
Want more information about your gut health?
Or want to look at all the factors contributing to weight gain, I’d love to be able to help.
