Five Healthy Spices to Your Health
From balancing blood sugar to boosting brain power, and even promoting weight loss, here are five of the healthiest spices on the planet—plus helpful tips for making the best purchase for the ultimate healing spice rack!
COCOA: HEART-SHAPED HEALING
Studies show that people who consume cocoa–as a hot drink or eaten as dark chocolate–are in much better cardiovascular shape than those who don’t. Women who ate one to two servings of high-quality chocolate per week had a 32 percent lower risk of developing heart failure than those who said no to the cocoa. Researchers attribute cocoa’s health benefits to polyphenols and flavanols, anti-inflammatory compounds that help protect the heart in a number of ways. In fact, new research shows that, gram for gram, cocoa has an even higher antioxidant capacity than fruit juice! This sweet spice can help control inflammation-related diseases such as diabetes, liver cirrhosis, and degenerative diseases of the brain like Alzheimer’s.
CINNAMON: BALANCING BLOOD SUGAR
Cinnamon–the warm spice that gives sugary baked goods extra flavor–can help control blood sugar and prevent against diabetes. One study found that adding a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon to a starchy meal is as effective as older generation diabetes drugs at stabilizing blood sugar and warding off insulin spikes. Researchers theorize that cinnamaldehyde, cinnamon’s active ingredient, works as a blood-sugar balancer by stimulating insulin receptors on cells and allowing excess sugar to move out of the blood.
TURMERIC: BOOSTING BRAIN POWER
Traditional to Indian cooking, turmeric owes its health benefits to the active ingredient curcumin, a powerful antioxidant shown to release its anti-inflammatory goodness to almost every cell in the body, boosting the immune system and treating a host of maladies from indigestion to cancer. The most recent research shows turmeric may be an effective treatment for brain disease. Turmeric is the only edible source of curcumin, so you want to sneak it into your diet as much as possible.
GINGER: TAMING TUMMY TROUBLES
Ginger helps prevent and treat motion sickness by suppressing the release of vasopressin during “circular vexation,” aka, spinning around in a chair. Vasopressin is a hormone that regulates levels of water, salt and blood sugar. Other research paints ginger as a powerful muscle relaxant, that helps reduce soreness brought on by exercise by as much as 25 percent, as well as banish bloat. Ginger may reduce symptoms of arthritis, improve cholesterol and prevent cancer.
CHILI: BURNING UP FAT
Chili can do everything from reducing blood pressure to clearing up sinus inflammation. But the hottest research revolves around weight loss. Fiery capsaicin, the compound that gives chiles their signature kick, has been shown to increase body heat, boost metabolic rate and decrease appetite. chili can do everything from reducing blood pressure to clearing up sinus inflammation. But the hottest research revolves around weight loss. Fiery capsaicin, the compound that gives chiles their signature kick, has been shown to increase body heat, boost metabolic rate and decrease appetite.
