Saturday, April 12, 2014

Say Bye to the Two Bs at Meals: Boring and Bland!

Written by Taylor Horne
Part of National Nutrition Month 2014

Without question there is a wide range of attitudes toward a healthy diet in our society. At times thinking of eating well can have negativity associated with it – those bland vegetables that are pressured upon us, or the lean meats and starches that can seem to be lacking flavor. So what’s there to be done to change the approach to a healthy diet to make it more exciting? One of the easiest ways to spice up a nutritious diet is literally that simple, incorporating spices! What could be better than enriching the taste of the foods you consume while avoiding excess calories and getting added health benefits as well? Mixing spices with staple foods like pastas, eggs, vegetable dishes, and other starches and proteins will make a significant increase in the excitement of your mealtimes. Try these quick ideas:

-          Add cinnamon or nutmeg when making ground coffee
-          Replace the salt in your shaker on the dinner table with a new spice every week

These will allow you to occasionally skip on the flavored coffee and espresso drinks you love the flavor of that can be packed with calories and fat and also decrease the salt intake during meals at home. It also allows a chance to become familiar with and incorporate new spices into your everyday life! What are some spice and food combinations you’ve found to be particularly appealing? Have any of them been surprising?

You have complete control over the richness and tastes of the foods in your diet. Why settle for monotony when you could be giving your taste buds something to celebrate? Give some of these spices a try today! 

Image by Taylor Horne


Talk about an endless array to choose from...
Some articles for further reading:


References

Dhingra, D., Sharma, A. (2006). Antidepressant-like activity of n-hexane extract of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) seeds in mice. Journal of Medicinal Food, 9(1), 84-89.

Martell, C. (2009, December 4). Spice Up Your Diet; Herbs, Spices Offer Health Benefits. Wisconsin State Journal, pp. C1. 


O’Neil, C. (2009, October 21). Spices boost health benefits, too. The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. pg. 2D.

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