Wellness at MGH
  • Home
  • Meet Our Experts
  • Nutrition
    • Eat Well Blog
    • Recipes
    • Choose Well, Eat Well
  • Fitness
  • Mind Body
  • Results
  • Contact

Spice Up Your Health

8/27/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Spices add flavor, but they can also offer up health benefits. Cinnamon and turmeric are  two examples that don't require a lot of prep to incorporate into your diet.
 
Don’t Wait for Pumpkin Spice Season
 
Consuming the equivalent of at least 1 teaspoon of cinnamon a day has been associated with lowered blood sugar and cholesterol in people with diabetes. Cinnamon can also be used as an alternative to sugar to add flavor to food.

Sprinkle cinnamon into …
  • Oatmeal
  • Tea or coffee
  • Apples and peanut butter
 
Try it the savory way! Add it to …
  • Chili
  • Meat marinades
 
And try this recipe: Spiced-Pumpkin Smoothie
 
Pair Turmeric with Black Pepper
 
Turmeric contains curcumin, a protective plant compound that has been associated with lowered triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood that may contribute to heart attacks), decreased inflammation in patients with high blood pressure or blood sugar, and less arthritis pain.  Although powerful, curcumin is not easily absorbed by the body. To increase absorption, add black pepper.
 
To add turmeric to your diet ...
  • Warm up your milk of choice, mix in turmeric, and sprinkle in other spices like ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper
  • Add it to scrambled eggs, rice, roasted vegetables, or smoothies
 
And try this recipe: Red Lentil Dal
 
REFERENCES
Carlsen MH, Halvorsen BL, Holte K, Bøhn SK, Dragland S, Sampson L, Willey C, Senoo H, Umezono Y, Sanada C, Barikmo I. The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. Nutrition Journal. 2010;9(1): 3.
Gupta, S. C., Patchva, S., & Aggarwal, B. B. Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials. The AAPS Journal. 2013; 15(1): 195–218. 

Hewlings, S. J., & Kalman, D. S. Curcumin: a review of its effects on human health. Foods. 2017; 6(10): 92. 
Khan A, Safdar M, Muzaffar M, Nawaz K, Anderson RA. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003; 26 (12): 3215-3218.
​Kizilaslan N, Erdem NZ. The effect of different amounts of cinnamon consumption on blood glucose in healthy adult individuals. Int J Food Sci. 2019; 4138534. 
Paultre K, Cade W, Hernandez D, et al. Therapeutic effects of turmeric or curcumin extract on pain and function for individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2021;7(1). 
Zare R, Nadjarzadeh A, Zarshenas MM, Shams M, Heydari M. Efficacy of cinnamon in patients with type II diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Clin Nutr. 2019;38(2):549-556.

By Chessie Cox, MGH Dietetic Intern  
0 Comments
    Picture

    TOPICS

    All
    Cooking
    Diets
    Eat More Plants
    Hydration
    Probiotics
    Protein
    Supplements
    Vegetables

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Meet Our Experts
  • Nutrition
    • Eat Well Blog
    • Recipes
    • Choose Well, Eat Well
  • Fitness
  • Mind Body
  • Results
  • Contact