A Spicy Month of March, honoring National Nutrition Month.
Celebrate National Nutrition Month with tastier food, flavored with spices from around the world. Medical science has rediscovered the health power of spices.
I raise my cup of herbal tea and toast National Nutrition Month. Today, I will drink the organic, caffeine free tea blend, Sweet & Spicy, by Good Earth. Cinnamon, orange, lemongrass and more. Delicious, calming, and healthy.
The flavoring of teas and food with spices is anciently old. In addition to making food more palatable, spices were used to make ointments, potions, incense, for religious ceremonies, and for medicinal purposes.
For centuries, spices were more valuable than gold. Wars were fought over access to spices. Civilizations in the past sent explorers, such as Christopher Columbus, out to find a shorter, safer, and tastier ‘Spice Route.’ Today through research and by using modern agriculture production and transportation, spices are grown, harvested, and distributed worldwide.
The freshness and combination of spices is never-ending. Pumpkin spice without the cinnamon is not pumpkin spice. Every October, I buy myself a fresh set of Simply Organic Baking Essential Spices, cinnamon sticks, cinnamon, ginger, and pumpkin. These spices are healthy and their aromas permeate the house. Ahh! Yummy!!
Spices are from plants. They have plant-derived chemicals with antioxidant properties. Every cell needs access to these antioxidant chemicals. I hear my cells yelling, where are the antioxidants? I need them every day!
To review, in our bodies, our cells live and work together. As a result, cells form products called free radicals, like a household producing trash. Too many free radicals, or trash, can cause cell damage and contribute to diseases. Antioxidants from food such as spices capture or get rid of the excess free radicals. Antioxidants are the trash removal system for the cells, keeping the cell household clean. Spices such as turmeric and cinnamon have antioxidant properties.
For National Nutrition Month, route those spices, with their antioxidant, free radical trash removal properties, into my cells. A healthy reason to sprinkle my whatever with cinnamon while savoring another cup of tea. Shall I choose Turmeric Cinnamon Tea or Turmeric with Green Tea or Turmeric Ginger Tea? Thanks, Republic of Tea, for these Turmeric Tea choices!
Spice up your food as we celebrate National Nutrition Month. Your taste buds and cells will thank you. Share with me DrMarleneMD.com your favorite spice up the month discovery and DrMarleneMD.com with easy newsletter sign-up at https://drmarlenemd.com/newsletter/
No content in this article and any article on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or healthcare provider.
References:
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, (2022), National Nutrition Month,
https://www.eatright.org/food/resources/national-nutrition-month
Godman, H., (November 16, 2022), 21 Spices for Health Holiday Foods, Harvard Health Publishing
Harvard Medical School, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/21-spices-for-healthy-holiday-foods-
2020120421550
John Hopkins Medicine, (2022), 5 Spices with Healthy Benefits,
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-spices-with-healthy-benefits
