Health Matters – An A to Z Guide to Good Health – S is for Spice

S is for sugar and spice and all things nice!

I think you all know my opinion on refined sugar so it will be Spices this time.  Think for a moment how boring our food would taste without adding spices of some kind and in recent years we have become much more adventurous in our use of spices in this country.  The spices we use are steeped in history and some have been used for centuries as natural remedies for many different ailments.    The following are some of my favourite spices and their suggested health benefits

• Black Pepper – Improves digestion, reduces flatulence, may help relieve constipation and improves circulation.
• Cayenne Pepper has been used as a medicinal substance for centuries.  It is said to lower the chance of developing heart disease, reduces flatulence, and acts as a tonic to the digestive system.
• Ginger is a remarkable spice; well known by natural health specialists for improving digestion, easing nausea, vomiting, and motion sickness.  Ginger contains gingerol which is a powerful anti-oxidant and stimulates the liver to remove toxins from the body.  Make your own ginger and lemon tea – simply infuse some freshly peeled and chopped ginger root about a thumb-sized piece in a little hot water for a few minutes.  Boil the water again and fill up the tea pot and then add half a chopped lemon.  Delicious even when it has cooled!
• Cinnamon – there is mounting scientific evidence that cinnamon can help balance blood sugar levels and also reduce bad cholesterol (LDL). Half a teaspoonful a day is recommended.
• Saffron is one of the most expensive spices, and is used to ease menstrual and menopausal problems, depression, diarrhoea and neuralgic pain.

Spices are a much healthier alternative to salt in our diet so why not start experimenting?

Live with joy and health. 💚

Elizabeth Beetham