By MACROS | Published on May 19, 2017
Use your spice rack as a powerful training aid that’ll flavor your physique and exercise goals with faster success.
Curcumin aka turmeric
Super powers:
There might be a reason India’s population is 1.2 billion strong: curcumin. It helps keep you lean by filling your body with enzymes that stop you from storing fat, found research in the journal Metabolism. This makes it a valuable ally if you’ve reached your target body fat and want to stay that way.
“What’s more, several studies have found it helps protect you against food pesticides, reduces inflammation, prevents muscles loss when you diet and fights cancer,†says sports nutritionist Matt Lovell.
How to use it:
Include a few tablespoons in your rice when it starts to cook or include it in any curry, stew or soup to add a more authentic flavor.
You can even add it to cheesy cauliflower bake, because research at Rutgers University, New Jersey, found this bolsters cauliflower’s cancer- bashing potency.
Himalayan rock salt
Super powers:
Salt has got a poor rap mostly because it rolls with a bad crowd, namely: high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and strokes. Trouble is, it makes bland foods palatable.
Luckily you can still satisfy your salt tooth and make yourself healthier by switching to Himalayan rock salt.
Rather than using the evaporating seawater technique this salt is mined from the earth, making it rich in the 84 minerals you need to keep your immune system strong. People who drank water containing this salt improved their respiratory conditions, organ functions and connective tissues, found a study conducted at the University of Graz, Austria. They also slept better, had more energy and could concentrate more.
How to use it
This salt is so healthy you can even sprinkle a little of it into your water bottle before you hit the field or gym. Why? It will help you retain water so you don’t flush as much out and become dehydrated.
Another great alternative is to sprinkle it onto sliced cucumber for a refreshing low-calorie snack.
Nasturtiums
Super powers:
These plants are often thought of as a weed. Fortunately it is found in backyards across the world and few people appreciate what a powerful effect they can have on your performance and immune system.
Research in the German journal Arzneimittelforschung found that this herb was effective at treating acute sinusitis, bronchitis and urinary tract infections. Since it grows prolifically all over the world, it is often used as an overall immune booster, which can also improve the health of your lungs.
How to use it:
Add these spicy leaves to put more zing in your beef sandwich, or include it in any stew or curry.
Mustard
Super powers:
Having the strength to fight against the sting of hot foods will help you add more muscle. That’s because an enzyme contained in wasabi, mustard and horseradish heightens your food’s cancer-fighting abilities and helps you absorb more of its nutrients, especially when vegetables are included, found research in the British Journal of Nutrition.
So adding some to your sushi will help you absorb more of its protein nutrients.
How to use it:
Mustard and wasabi are excellent inclusions to any stew or curry. And if you’re at the BBQ then a honey mustard sauce will help you gain an extra serving of muscle.
Oregano
Super powers:
We’d like to first vouch for the flavor of pizza as a superpower because even if you’ve never heard of oregano you’re bound to have tasted it on your last pizza. It’s that green stuff sprinkled across the top.
But it does more than add flavor. Research at Bonn University, Zurich, Switzerland, found it is packed with a compound that can cure inflammation. So if you’ve slogged your way through a leg workout that’s left you with squat-ravaged legs then this is the spice to reach for.
How to use it:
This herb is extremely versatile so add it in liberal amounts to any chicken or pasta dish, and if you grow it then it is an excellent filler in a pesto sauce.
