WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Spice for Life

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”  

                                                                                         -- Albert Einstein

Cooking with spices is something kids learn while making favorite family cookie recipes at holiday time.  But spices are so much more than just cinnamon and nutmeg.  I love cooking with spices.  I always buy organic spices because they just taste better. Keeping a few fresh pots of herbs in my kitchen garden is the best!  Nothing better than snipping off a little fresh basil, oregano or mint to use in a recipe!   

The fact is you can replace sugar and salt with nutrient-dense spices.  Check out why you can start learning how to cook with spices: 

Spices add great flavor to your foods.     

Spices increase your mental focus.

Spices can speed up your metabolism. 

Spices can reduce inflammation and help prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Use these 6 spices to start bringing fresh flavor into your meals and pop up your health:

1.      Ginger:  Add a teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger to a cup of hot tea to reduce muscle pain after exercise.

2.      Thyme:  Add a couple of teaspoons of dried thyme to soups and stews to help protect against food-borne bacteria and to lower blood pressure.

3.      Rosemary: Sprinkle a tablespoon of fresh rosemary (or a teaspoon of dried) on roasted potatoes or grilled protein to boost your mental focus.

4.      Crushed red pepper flakes: Add a teaspoon or two into pasta sauce or chili to strengthen your immune system and increase your metabolism.

5.      Cinnamon: Add up to a half teaspoon a day to oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, coffee or hot cocoa to help control your blood sugar and lower your bad cholesterol. 

6.      Turmeric:  Adding fresh or dried turmeric to soups and sautéed vegetables helps reduce inflammation and may help prevent Alzheimer’s. 

Always buy spices is small quantities until you know how much you are going to use.  You never want to buy more than a year’s supply! 

Solving the childhood obesity crisis means taking conscious effort to improve our health, our children’s health and the health of the children in our circles of family and friendship.  I write Wellness Wednesdays to educate parents and adults how to create healthy and delicious foods for themselves and for their children and to convey how much fun it is to eat healthy foods and to be physically fit!  

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

Source:  Feel Great Right Now!  113 Ways to a Healthier, Fitter, Calmer You, AARP Magazine, April/May 2015 issue.