Spice Rack Superstars

Herbs and spices aren’t just full of flavour, they’re also packed with health benefits.

Adding some fresh mint to a salad or stirring turmeric into a curry could do more than pump up the flavour of dinner. There’s evidence that herbs and spices have important health benefits too.

So far the superstars appear to be cloves, cinnamon, garlic, turmeric, oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, mint and ginger. Studies suggest that curcumin, the ingredient that gives turmeric its rich yellow colour, may reduce the risk of a number of cancers including colon and prostate, and could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Carnosol, an antioxidant in rosemary, inhibits breast cancer. As for garlic, some research suggests that eating it regularly can reduce levels of bad LDL cholesterol, and help ward off colds and flu by boosting your immune system.

If you’re interested in nutrition, you’ll know vegetables and fruit contain thousands of friendly plant chemicals including antioxidants, that can help prevent chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease. Many of these are also found in herbs and spices, often in more concentrated amounts. This means it only takes a little to boost the nutrient value of a meal and with no more effort than snipping fresh herbs into a pasta sauce or stirring some spice into your rice. Adding a single tablespoon of fresh marjoram for instance, can boost the antioxidant value of a mixed salad by 200 per cent.

While more research is needed to understand the full potential of herbs and spices, the evidence has convinced some nutrition experts that we should be eating more of them. They certainly make it easier to create healthy meals. Simply by adding more flavour to a dish, they can help reduce the need for fats and salt, says Kylie Andrew, consultant dietitian to Fernwood’s Scientific Advisory Board. “Making a Thai-style salad with ingredients like chilli, coriander and ginger, for instance, can eliminate the need for a creamy dressing."

Or you can flavour baked potatoes by adding a sprinkling of rosemary to replace the need for salt,” she suggests. “We all know how essential it is to eat plenty of vegetables, but herbs and spices can help us up our intake by adding flavour and interest to the most basic of dishes.”