It is widely known that chronic inflammation wreaks havoc on our bodies and is the underlying cause of nearly every single chronic disease, such as heart disease, auto-immune disease, and cancer. While this may seem like a depressing way to start a Nutrition Tip, I bring the good news that you can control and even prevent chronic inflammation with the foods you eat! Today is all about ways to use certain spices that naturally reduce inflammation and can help you avoid those serious chronic diseases, while also adding some tasty spice to your life!
This week's Nutrition Tip: Spice Up Your Life and Reduce Inflammation
Research shows that certain spices have anti-inflammatory effects and my momma always told me that there's nothing a little spice can't fix! So let's add some of these spices to our life!
1) Turmeric
Closely related to ginger, Turmeric is often used today by practitioners of naturopathic medicine as remedy for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, tendonitis, and auto-immune conditions. How to: Add ground turmeric to smoothies, or eggs, cooked vegetables, whole grains, and potatoes.
2) Ginger
Ginger is one of the anti-inflammatory spices which may play a role in lowering the incidence of certain neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, brain tumor, and meningitis." How to: Buy dried ginger root, or crystalized ginger and eat a few per day, add fresh ginger root to a smoothie, stir fry, or salad dressing.
3) Cinnamon
Not only is Cinnamon a great flavor additive, it has been shown to have excellent anti-inflammatory effects too! How to: Add a dash of cinnamon to your oatmeal, coffee, smoothies, and yogurt. Try my favorite Cinnamon Bliss Balls for a fun and tasty way to eat more Cinnamon!
4) Garlic
Aside from it's immune-boosting effect, Garlic has also been shown to reduce vascular inflammation and reduce the risk of developing heart disease. How to: Add garlic to sautéed vegetables, lean meat or fish, beans, and potatoes.
5) Nutmeg
Recognized for centuries as having medicinal value, nutmeg has recently entered the realm of scientific interest for its potential to treat inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and is also thought to alleviate muscle and joint pain associated with inflammation. How to: add a dash or two to some of your favorite Fall baked goods or make my Pumpkin Spice Smoothie Bowl and drink up some of that Nutmeg flavor and reduce your chronic inflammation one sip at a time!
Now, that was only my top 5 anti-inflammatory spices, but the good news is that there are several other spices and herbs that you can experiment with in the kitchen and obtain all their associated health benefits!
Food really is thy medicine, so eat up!