SPICES & HERBS : how many benefits

Whenever insaporiamo our foods with herbs or spices are literally " improving " the value of food , without adding a single calorie .

It starts from something ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary by adding color, flavor, vitamins, and often medicinal properties.

Spices are tasty weapon that nature offers us to make more healthy foods . The nice thing is that spices are relatively inexpensive and are available in a wide variety of flavors , so it's impossible not to find a spice that can be to the liking of each.

Set in a kitchen cabinet with various types of spices and herbs and use them freely to flavor dishes can double and even triple the medicinal properties of the foods we eat .

Some healing properties of spices and herbs

Spices and herbs maximize nutrient properties of foods. Herbs and spices contain antioxidants, minerals and multivitamins fundamental to our feed

The spices and herbs are thermogenic , which means , of course, increase metabolism , burn more calories and they do accumulate less fat .

Some spices and herbs they increase the feeling of fullness and satiety, so lead us to eat less.

You can eliminate or reduce the use of salt , replacing the salt with spices , this immediately gives a better state of well-being , less water retention and less swelling.

The spices and herbs have real medicinal properties. Study after study show the benefits of the different herbs and spices. A study at Malmà University Hospital in Sweden , showed that more than two hours after people have eaten the rice pudding spiced with cinnamon had significantly lower levels of glucose in the blood compared to those who ate the spicy version .



Other studies suggest that cinnamon may improve blood glucose levels by increasing insulin sensitivity.

They also improve the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood , perhaps because insulin plays a key role in the regulation of fat in the body.

If we are concerned about some health problems , we can add to our dishes certain spices or herbs to obtain a benefit.

In particular:

* Rosemary and basil for their anti-inflammatory power
* Cumin and sage for their effectiveness against dementia
* Cayenne pepper and cinnamon for their ability to fight obesity
* Coriander and cinnamon for their regulatory powers sugar
* Nutmeg , bay leaves and saffron for their calming effects
* Turmeric for his help fight cancer
* Oregano for its power antifungal
* Garlic , mustard seed and chicory for their benefits to the cardiovascular system
* Basil and thyme for their ability to protect the skin
* Turmeric, basil, cinnamon, thyme , saffron and ginger for their power immunostimulant
* Coriander , rosemary, cayenne pepper , red pepper and black pepper for their ability to prevent depression.



How to reduce the risks linked to meat cooked on the grill

Who has the habit of grilling any kind of meat - burgers, steaks , chicken , lamb, pork can try different spices and become familiar with their use . This simple step could drastically reduce the exposure to carcinogenic substances that are formed during the cooking process .

And ' well known that with the push of cooking grilled meat, are formed of harmful substances such as heterocyclic amines ( HCAs ), which are carcinogenic .

The part of the meat was more harmful to health is burned , the one that takes the black color .

Recent studies have found that the use of spices and herbs reduces the risk of contracting cancer by 40%.

The three spices or herbs that added to the meat before cooking to reduce the risk of 40% are:

rosemary that is the strongest protector against the HCAs
Turmeric is the yellow spice widely used in mustard
Chinese ginger or ginger

The three spices can be used together but they are also beneficial for themselves.

Rosemary : an ally to prevent damage of the meat cooked on the grill



It ' an aromatic herb fortunately very widespread and very used mainly in the Mediterranean countries .

The rosemary leaves contain an essential oil very valuable ; its major properties are due to some compounds among which we mention : pinene, borneol , camphor , and cineol .

In addition to these substances rosemary leaves also contain saponins, rosmarinic acid , flavonoids and tannins. Many of these substances , once isolated and analyzed , showed strong antioxidant properties .

Already in Roman times rosemary was used for medicinal purposes in order to soothe a toothache or sprains, stiff neck , and today it is used to treat colitis, nausea, as a remedy for rheumatic pains, the dense cardiac or digestive problems .

In ancient Greece , students wore garlands of rosemary to enhance learning , and a recent study has shown that people turned out better on tests of memory and attention, were those in whose cabins had been conveyed aromatic oil rosemary spray.

Rosemary is often used in marinades for meats and poultry , and there's scientific wisdom behind that tradition : rosmarinic acid and other antioxidant compounds are effective to fight bacteria and prevent deterioration of the flesh.

In March , researchers at Kansas State University have reported that the addition of rosemary extracts in ground beef helped prevent the formation of heterocyclic amines ( HCAs ), which are produced when cooking meat on the grill , grilled or fries.

We can say that rosemary has many more positive effects to give pleasing flavors to foods .

Therefore us use in meat marinades , and add it to twigs or chopped in the dishes that we love to cook.

ginger



Originally, ginger has been used mainly in China. These days, there are many plantations around the world - particularly in East Africa and the Caribbean.

Many branches of natural health care such as herbal therapy , aromatherapy , ayurveda and naturopathy depend on the multiple benefits of ginger .

People have experienced over time the health benefits of ginger but the time has come in which the spice is considered more of an ingredient for many dishes , but also as a powerful natural remedy for many common diseases.

It also has a positive effect on more serious diseases and can not be overlooked.

One of these serious health conditions where the ginger has been recognized for several years that can contribute to the treatment of ovarian cancer.

The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered through research done that ginger can also destroy ovarian cancer cells .

They found that ginger causes two types of cell death - apoptosis and autophagy . " ... The apoptosis of tumor cells essentially carries the same cells to self suicide. The other type of cell death , called autophagy , refers to self digestion of the cells. "

Even more impressive as regards the ginger in the protection against cancer , is its ability to overcome , such as effectiveness , hazardous drugs used against cancer.

A study conducted by Georgia State University administration of ginger extract to mice , revealed the ability of the spice to reduce the size of prostate cancer by a whopping 56 % by avoiding the harmful side effects caused by drugs normally used in anti-cancer therapy .

As mentioned earlier , ginger also possesses incredible anti-inflammatory properties . The anti-inflammatory compounds can significantly reduce the inflammation are called gingerols . These compounds make ginger a great tool useful for various types of inflammation related to our health conditions .

Numerous studies have found that the compounds of ginger are effective for reducing pain and improving mobility for people with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

In two clinical studies , it was found that 75 % of patients with arthritis and 100 % of patients with muscular discomfort have obtained relief from pain and / or swelling. So , in addition to pain, the compounds of ginger can also reduce swelling.

But the health benefits of ginger does not stop there : there are dozens and dozens of other ailments that can be alleviated with the regular use of ginger.
 
Never tried turmeric ?



Who has just introduced the world of spices, turmeric may not know about and do not be familiar with its characteristic aroma .

For more than 5,000 years , turmeric has been an important part of Eastern cultural traditions , including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.

Valued for its medicinal properties and its spicy peppery flavor , this yellow- orange spice has more recently earned a place even in Western medicine .

In India, people call turmeric " holy powder " because it has a wide range of health effects.

In fact , curcumin has been shown to influence more than 700 genes , with benefits that include :

The strengthening and improvement of digestion
The function of support for a healthy liver
The detoxification of the body
The purification of blood
The fight against cancer , arthritis and Alzheimer's disease
Anti-inflammatory properties

In addition, there is no confirmation about the positive role that turmeric can play in the following diseases :

cystic fibrosis
Type 2 diabetes
Crohn's Disease
psoriasis
rheumatoid Arthritis
cataract
gallstones
muscle regeneration
Inflammatory bowel disease

The flavor of turmeric enhances many foods. Just choose a pure turmeric powder , rather than a curry powder , as in at least one study has been verified that the curry tends to contain amounts of curcumin very low compared to the turmeric powder .

If the flavor of turmeric does not like , you can also get the benefits taking a high quality supplement , in organic form.

At the moment we have examined only a few of the spices and herbs useful for nosatra health, but in nature they are many others, from chili pepper and sage , from cloves garlic , coriander and basil from and so on ...

We will resume after the topic to deepen the benefits of other herbs and spices on our health.