Spice Up Your Meals to Boost Your Health

Adding spice to your home cooked meals doesn’t just improve the taste, it may also improve your health.  FitClub found five readily available, easy to use spices that you can add to your spice cabinet without breaking the bank or studying a cookbook to use.  Ready to add a healthy, tasty spice to your next healthy meal prep?  FitClub has a list of the healthiest spices that can be added to your next favorite dish.

1. Turmeric. Turmeric has antioxidant properties and has been shown to reduce health problems ranging from a toothache to heart disease.  Turmeric can be easily added to smoothies, coffee, and even egg-based dishes.  As a key ingredient in curry, turmeric can be added to anything you might be inclined to spice up with curry without adding any heat to your dish like rice, chicken, or tofu. While it’s a brightly colored spice, it doesn’t pack the heat like other spices.
2. Ginger. If you’ve ever sipped a ginger ale to combat nausea, you already know that ginger is the golden-child of spices. Not only is ginger a great-tasting nausea-fighter, but it also reduces inflammation that can help soothe sore muscles after a hard workout.   Ginger makes a delicious addition to your tea and can be added simply by just chopping ginger root and letting it steep.  If you’re dealing with muscle soreness, you can even add ginger root to your post-workout bath for relief.
3. Cinnamon. Even the American Heart Association recommends swapping sugar for cinnamon when your dish needs a dash of sweetener. Unlike its nemesis sugar, cinnamon actually lowers blood sugar for people with diabetes.  Cinnamon is especially popular during the holiday season and can be easily added to coffee or tea for a dash of taste in lieu of sugar. Adding cinnamon to otherwise relatively bland foods like oatmeal can improve the taste and your health.
4. Peppermint. Like cinnamon, this spice is very popular this time of year.  Don’t be fooled, though, just because something has peppermint flavor doesn’t mean it’s healthy.  There are a lot of sugary, fattening treats on display right now that taste like peppermint.  Instead of giving in, try peppermint tea which may help with nausea and reduce anxiety and depression.
5. Garlic. Garlic is a staple in many recipes and it can help to reduce high blood pressure. Garlic’s strong flavor can enhance the taste of many of your favorite healthy dishes like chicken and fish.  If you’re making your own healthy salad dressings at home, try adding garlic to spice up your healthy concoctions and adding flavor to your salad or marinades.  Garlic seasoning can even replace standard table salt to flavor your dishes without hurting your health.