Spice up your life!

Spices – which come from seeds, roots or the bark of plants – have been used for centuries around the world to help cure and ward off illness and can become part of your daily diet

WE KNOW they put taste and flavour into food but spices can aid health and wellbeing.

Spices have been used for their culinary and medicinal properties for centuries – healing and protecting the body from disease.

Here’s our guide: Turmeric for cancer protection The plant compounds in turmeric, such as curcumin, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which protect the body from damage caused by excess-free radicals, said Rob Hobson, Healthspan’s head of nutrition (healthspan.co.uk).

“It is now believed that low-level inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic Western disease – including heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various degenerative conditions.”  Mix half a teaspoon of turmeric with Greek yoghurt to make a healthy dip or a spread for wraps. Add turmeric to the cooking water when making rice or sprinkle on egg salad. Garlic for heart health Garlic is part of the onion family, and garlic powder (mixed with salt) is used as a spice.

“Research suggests that garlic can help lower high blood pressure and cholesterol and maintain healthy blood flow,” said Alix Woods, nutritionist at Quest Nutra Pharma (qnutrapharma.com).

“This could be one of the reasons why the Mediterranean diet – which uses a lot of garlic – is associated with good heart health. It also has potent antimicrobial properties so may have a strengthening effect on our immune system, too.”  Use garlic powder to season meat and vegetables, and to increase the flavour of roasted nuts and popcorn. Fennel seeds for bloating and period pain These sweet anise-flavoured seeds are used to help relieve bloating and flatulence while aiding digestion, said Hobson.

Fennel has anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties and, according to a recent study, women who took fennel seed extract during their periods found substantial relief from menstrual pain.  Add a teaspoon of fennel seeds to boiling water and simmer for about five minutes. Let the tea cool before Spices lose their flavour over time, with ground spices losing flavour faster than those whole. Make sure they’re sealed in glass containers and stored in the dark, away from the heat of the oven, for optimal freshness adding a teaspoon of honey for sweetness. Chew fennel seeds to help freshen breath after eating. Saffron to help boost your mood The world’s most expensive spice was used in Persia as a medicinal tea to lift mood.

Research has found that saffron could be used to help relieve PMS and depression.

Three-quarters of women who took saffron capsules daily reported a 50 per cent reduction in PMS symptoms, compared with eight per cent who didn’t take the spice.  Add a pinch of saffron to cooking water when preparing rice or to add flavour and colour to tomato sauce. Ginger for nausea and headaches Ginger has been shown to have strong anti-inflammatory properties – and has been used to treat nausea, including sickness caused by pregnancy, chemotherapy and sea sickness

Woods said: “If you’re coming down with a cold or flu, it can help increase body temperature to fight infection.”

In studies, one-eighth of a teaspoon of ginger treated migraine headaches as well as painkilling drugs.  Add ginger to stir fries, grate into sauces and dressings or steep grated ginger in hot water with honey and lemon to relieve nausea or flu symptoms. Cinnamon for blood sugar control “Studies suggest adding cinnamon to food might help better control blood sugar, by lowering post-meal blood sugar spikes,” said Dr Marilyn Glenville, nutritionist and author of Natural Alternatives to Sugar (marilynglenville.com).  Sprinkle cinnamon on your cappuccino, Greek yoghurt or porridge. Cumin for weight loss Dieters who include cumin seeds in their healthy eating plans lose more weight, according to Dr Glenville.

He added: “Research has shown that adding just one teaspoon a day of cumin to yoghurt for three months will help you lose three more pounds than those who don’t.

“Those taking cumin each day lost three times as much body fat (nearly 15 per cent) as the group just taking the yoghurt without the cumin added.”  Try a teaspoon a day.