I truly believe that dried herbs & spices are one of the most underrated, under utilised and under appreciated wellness booster around! Hear me out...
Do you:
Get bored of the same meals on repeat?
Find making “healthy” recipes wasteful? Ie. recipe calls for mint; you buy a bunch, use a handful, the rest goes yuck in your fridge.
Want to boost your nutrient intake without spending $10000 on supplements that may or may not even be working?
Want to cook tasty meals without using sugar, 5kg of butter or processed condiments?
Want to help your gut microbes THRIVE?!
Then honey, it’s time to spice up your life 🎶 *cue spice girls music*
Good quality dried herbs and spices are the answer to all these.
Rich in nutrients, flavour, superfood compounds & most importantly (if you ask me), herbs and spices an under-utilised super-tool for a thriving microbiome.
If you’re bored with your same meal on repeat just mix up the spice flavouring (ie. classic baked veg with Italian seasoning to a Mexican/ Indian/ Asian blend and voilà! New flavour explosion.
Keep things interesting for your tastebuds and your microbes. Dried herbs and spices are an amazing way of increasing the diversity of your diet (especially for those who find they eat the same thing on repeat).
The key to a strong and healthy digestive system is strong and healthy microbiome. The key to a strong and healthy microbiome is microbe diversity. The key to microbe diversity is diet diversity.
So diverse diet = a diverse microbiome = a healthier, happier you!!
Here are some of my favourites:
Rosemary - potent antioxidant, immune booster, promotes healthy circulation and decreases inflammation in the body. I love it on roasted potatoes or lamb.
Sumac - blood sugar regulator, rich in antioxidants, protects bone health and relieves muscle pain. I live for sumac on baked sweet potato fries. Cut your sweet potato into chunky fries. Toss in sumac, salt and pepper. Bake at 220 until desired level of done-ness. Drool.
Turmeric - one of the most potent anti-inflammatories in the world (pairing it with some cracked pepper increases absorption by 2,000%!), a beauty food great for that inside out 'glow', detoxifying and increases digestive healing. Delicious in curries or even over baked veggies like cauliflower.
Dried organic garlic - heart healthy, controls blood sugar, it's antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties make it the perfect immunity booster. Delicious on everything baked or cooked over the stove.
Ginger - relieves nausea, fights fungal infections, relieves pain (great for that time of the month), regulates blood sugar, improves brain function, relieves inflammation and promotes gut healing. I love sprinkling ginger on top of my lattes. Don't knock it till ya try it!
Cayenne - boosts metabolism, stimulates digestion, reduces blood pressure and gives a heaping dose of immune boosting vit C. A little sprinkle over a stir fry is divine.
If you find the idea of experimenting with individual ingredients intimidating - "wtf goes with Sumac!?!" - then I recommend starting with a blend.
Eg. ‘Mexican blend’, ‘meat seasoning’, ‘Japanese blend’, they're usually self explanatory and a great starting point until you get the hang of it!
I get most my spices from Simply Organic (in store), iherb (online), Scoop Whole foods or The Source (in bulk).
As the aim of our game is to use them as nutritional boosters it is important to choose smart.
Opt for organic quality products vs. the $1 jars from your local supermarket with minimal nutrients and maximum preservatives and additives. If we are going to be going to the effort to spice up our lives we might as well get all the wellness goodness possible.
Happy spicing my loves!