Spice Up Your Health!

By Editorial Staff

Better health may literally be as close as your kitchen cabinet. If you love to add spices such as rosemary, sage, cloves and cinnamon to your meals, you're on your way to better health, suggests recent research.

According to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Medicinal Food, several culinary herbs and spices reduced the formation of what are known as AGE compounds. These compounds can cause inflammation and tissue damage, which contributes to clogged arteries and heart disease associated with diabetes.

The researchers tested a variety of common herbs and spices to determine their phenol levels. Phenol is a plant antioxidant thought to be responsible for blocking AGE. The most potent spices included extracts of cloves, ground Jamaican allspice and cinnamon. The most potent herbs included sage, marjoram, tarragon, and rosemary.

Obviously, it takes more than just adding the contents of your spice cabinet to ensure good health, but as the researchers noted, "There are reasons to be excited about work that will be done over the next few years."

In the meantime, adding herbs and spices to your diet - particularly in place of salt - is still an excellent idea. So dust off your favorite recipe for rosemary chicken or cinnamon spice muffins, and start cooking!