Do spices have any health benefits?

Filter 5 answers by contributor:

  • PRACTITIONER
  • GROUP
  • AUTHOR
  • TV PERSONALITY
  • ALL
  1. Dr. Mehmet Oz
     
    Dr. Mehmet Oz answered:
    Certain spices have significant health benefits. Watch the video to see which ones to always keep in your pantry.





    Helpful? 4 people found this helpful
    More Related Answers from Dr. Mehmet Oz
    Certain spices have significant health benefits. Watch the video to see which ones to always keep in your pantry. More
  2. Dr. Michael Roizen
     
    Dr. Michael Roizen answered:
    What can fight cancer, reduce pain and inflammation, protect your heart and brain, knock out bacteria, and rev up your love life? It’s Spice Man, the superhero in your pantry. Here are some things you can do with tasty spices:
    • Control your blood lipids (triglycerides and cholesterol) and reduce your insulin levels by spicing up your meals with turmeric, cinnamon, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, and paprika.
    • Ease tendonitis with the anti-inflammation properties of curcumin.
    • Improve circulation and reduce the risk of stroke with ginger. Green-ginger iced tea is nice, but fresh from the ginger root is best.
    • Fight cancer with a combination of horseradish, mustard, and broccoli.
    • Battle bacteria with capsaicin, the hot in jalapeno peppers. Capsaicin kills off ulcer-causing stomach bacteria while reducing your appetite and boosting your metabolism.
    More Related Answers from Dr. Michael Roizen
    What can fight cancer, reduce pain and inflammation, protect your heart and brain, knock out bacteria, and rev up your love life? It’s Spice Man, the superhero in your pantry. Here are some things you can do with tasty spices: Control... More
  3. Dr. Dean Ornish
     
    Dr. Dean Ornish answered:

    Some of your favorite spices also have extraordinary health benefits. When you spice up your meals, you may spice up your life as well. Spices not only help your foods taste better, they can also help you feel better. They have been used since biblical times; what’s new is research showing that some of these spices enhance your health as well as your palate.

    More Related Answers from Dr. Dean Ornish
    Some of your favorite spices also have extraordinary health benefits. When you spice up your meals, you may spice up your life as well. Spices not only help your foods taste better, they can also help you feel better. They have been used since... More
  4.  Jill Weisenberger
     

    Herbs and spices are a terrific calorie-free, sodium-free way to add flavor to your food and take care of your health at the same time. They contain the same types of disease fighters and nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. Use both fresh and dried seasonings. A few studies show that cinnamon might help with cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose. Curcumin, the source of the spice turmeric’s bright yellow color, may offer protection against cancers of the mouth, stomach, colon, skin and liver. Ginger may beat off cancer-causing compounds, and garlic might kill bacteria and viruses and decrease blood clotting. The herbs rosemary and oregano are antioxidants. These are just a few examples. Aim for variety just the way you should with fruits and vegetables. Abundance is key. Fill your plates with fruits and vegetables and season them with herbs and spices.

    More Related Answers from Jill Weisenberger
    Herbs and spices are a terrific calorie-free, sodium-free way to add flavor to your food and take care of your health at the same time. They contain the same types of disease fighters and nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. Use both fresh and... More
  5. RealAge
     
    RealAge answered:

    Instead of salt, flavor your food with antioxidant-rich herbs and spices. Research has shown that oregano may fight prostate cancer cells; rosemary helps protect against brain aging, which may help prevent dementia; thyme may suppress the kind of body-wide inflammation associated with chronic diseases; cinnamon helps lower cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose (helpful to prevent heart disease and diabetes); and turmeric fights inflammation and pain. If you want to spice things up between the sheets, reach for saffron, which may boost sexual function.

    Take the RealAge Test!

    More Related Answers from RealAge
    Instead of salt, flavor your food with antioxidant-rich herbs and spices. Research has shown that oregano may fight prostate cancer cells; rosemary helps protect against brain aging, which may help prevent dementia; thyme may suppress the... More