If you want to optimize or elevate your daily dishes, there’s one simple thing you can do. That is to add herbs and spices to your cooking! These ingredients can surely enhance the flavors of your dishes. More importantly, they are packed with nutrients that offer remarkable health benefits. To help boost your diet, here are the herbs & spices you should have.

1. Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a potent spice with a sweet flavor; no wonder it’s a go-to ingredient for baked goodies. But there’s a sweeter reason you should add it to your daily diet: it has the maximum amount of antioxidants among spices. It helps you build immunity and improve your heart function. And even if it’s sweet, cinnamon helps reduce your risk of diabetes since it can lower blood sugar through different mechanisms. One of which is by slowing the breakdown of carbohydrates in your digestive tract & boosting your insulin sensitivity. 

1. Turmeric

What makes curry yellow? It’s turmeric. And it does more than give your dish a vibrant color. Turmeric is a remarkably powerful antioxidant that can help fight oxidative damage in your body. Oxidative damage is believed to be one of the risk factors for aging & other diseases. With potent properties, turmeric can help fight multiple diseases, including inflammation, skin problems, arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular issues, cancer, and even depression. 

How to add turmeric to your daily diet? You can mix it with your rice, frittatas, or soups. You can blend it into your morning smoothie, or why don’t you make some turmeric tea? With tons of recipe options, it will be easy to explore how to add turmeric to your daily cooking.

1. Basil

Basil is particularly popular in Italian cuisine. Its strong peppery flavor profiles pair well with tomatoes, cheeses, and other ingredients often present in Italian dishes like pasta. It is also packed with antioxidants and nutrients good for your immune system and skin, as well as anti-inflammatory properties that can fight arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. So don’t shy away from adding basil to your tomato and garlic pasta, salad, stir-fry meals & other go-to Italian recipes. You can also make drinking basil tea part of your morning routine. 

1. Ginger

Ginger adds the much-needed zing to any meal. More importantly, it’s a popular spice used in alternative medicines for treating or relieving a wide range of conditions and illnesses. Ginger has a therapeutic compound called gingerol, which has incredible anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. You can rely on ginger to treat nausea, digestive disorders, menstrual pain, colds, cough, and fungal diseases. It is also known to lower cholesterol, boost brain function, and relieve morning sickness often associated with pregnant women. 

Best of all, ginger is easy to incorporate into your home cooking. You can add freshly peeled, sliced, or shredded ginger to many recipes, including soups, stir-fry dishes & baked goods. Dried or powdered ginger works well, too. You can add powdered ginger to your jam or smoothie. But note that fresh ginger contains more gingerol than powdered or dried ginger.