Importance Of Condiments & Spices In Diet!

Spices have long been used in the human diet for both flavouring and health purposes. A variety of spices including cardamoms, anise seeds and cinnamon provide both great tastes in curries and dried food and help stave off damage to vital organs of your body. In addition to making your food taste the kind of exotic you have never experienced before, they can also significantly reduce your risk of allergic fevers and stomach ailments.

Here is how incorporating spices in your diet can spice up your life-

• Anti-clotting agent - There are several compounds in spices that prevent the formation of blood clots. There are three types of cells in the blood – red blood cells, white blood cells and blood platelets. Clots are formed due to the accumulation of too many platelets in one place, and excesses can lead to lethal disorders like strokes and blockages in the arteries of the heart. Consuming spices like garlic and turmeric keeps these risks at bay. Turmeric consists of curcumin, which has blood-thinning and anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger, too, has anti-inflammatory properties that may prevent blood clotting.

• Respiratory aid - Several spices can aid the functioning of the human respiratory tract. Many times, doctors suggest you gurgle your throat with lukewarm water that has the essence of thyme in it. This will relieve you from throat pain and cough. These are rather painful symptoms of serious lung diseases like bronchitis. Thyme is also used as a mouthwash that prevents the growth of germs in patients that have gingivitis.

• Booster of the general functioning of the body - Several spices such as cinnamon, cardamoms, turmeric and others can be boiled together to obtain the essence of them, a preparation known as a decoction of spices. This decoction can boost several aspects of the functioning of the body. It can treat allergic fevers like colds, sores and influenza. It can also combat stomach problems and painful, irregular periods in women.

• Blood circulation booster - Certain ingredients in spices act as a natural blood circulation booster. Cayenne, thyme, turmeric- these spices and herbs improve blood circulation in the body. They even the tone of skin in and around the area where they are applied. Therefore, they are used in cosmetic skin treatments and also in medical remedies of joint pain and arthritis.

Spices have long been an integral part of staple human diets, especially in India, where the tradition of using them started in the ancient ages. Modern medical science has proved that there is a whole host of benefits attached to this practice, as spelt out above. Hence, add spices in generous quantities to your diet to spice up the rest of your life as well!