How to Spice -Up Your Holiday Festivities

You really don’t have to sacrifice all the holiday festivities to stay healthy. A number of common herbs and spices that are traditionally used around the holidays are jam packed with unique nutritional and also medicinal substances.

Nutmeg is the seed of the Myristica tree and is usually sold in powdered form. Nutmeg is known for easing indigestion. Studies have found that the essential oil of nutmeg contains a number of compounds that block the oxidation of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid . Nutmeg can be toxic in very large doses. You should keep nutmeg consumption under 6 grams/day.

Cinnamon also promotes digestion a s well as to help to regulate blood sugar. Researchers in Maryland published a paper in the American Diabetes Association journal Diabetes Care, describing cinnamon’s ability to reduce levels of blood sugar, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and total cholesterol without inducing harmful side effects, such as those associated with statin drugs.

Cloves are the flower buds of a tropical evergreen tree native to Indonesia. Cloves contain eugenol oil, which is a natural sedative used in holistic dentistry. Cloves or clove oil can help to relieve heartburn, gas and bloating, by helping to prevent toxic buildup in the digestive tract. Clove oil has potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties.

Peppermint has a long history of medicinal use. It is botanically known as mentha piperita and has been scientifically-proven to aid indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), halitosis (bad breath), toothaches, headaches and pregnancy-associated nausea as well as respiratory infections, depression, chronic pain and poor circulation.

Choose Organic/Non-Irradiated Herbs and Spices:

Many commercial spices are irradiated, which kills off pathogens. Irradiation also destroys much or all of their nutrient content, while also leaving behind toxic byproducts, such as formaldehyde, formic acid, and benzene.

Your best choice is to choose only organic, non-irradiated herbs and spice sold by reputable brands, such as Frontier or Simply Organic.

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