By MACROS | Published on February 22, 2017
Ally your unseen interior mechanics with these spices to be healthy from the inside out. If you want to go the distance and improve the health of your lungs, these are the key herbs you need to grease your internal engine.
1. Mustard
Best for absorbing more nutrients
Having the strength to fight against the sting that hot foods can bombard your palate with will help you add more muscle.That’s because an enzyme in wasabi, mustard and horseradish heightens your food’s cancer-fighting abilities and helps you absorb more of its muscle-building nutrients, especially when vegetables are included, found research in the British Journal of Nutrition. Don’t just save it for your next hotdog.
How to eat more:
Slap some of this on your broccoli or dip sweet potato fries into it. If you can grow the leaves yourself, then throw a load into a nutrient-packed soup or stew.
2. Rosemary
Best for brain health
If you want to spend a penny for your thoughts, then spend it wisely and splash out on some nutritious rosemary. It contains an ingredient that fights off free radical damage in your brain, protecting it from a stroke and neurodegeneration, among others, found research conducted at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, US. It’s the smart way to eat healthy.
How to eat more:
Unfortunately, even the fresh variety is tough, so make sure you blend it thoroughly and then sprinkle it thickly onto a chicken sandwich, add to marinades, throw onto some roasted vegetables or add it to lemonade (the vodka is optional – in moderation).
3. Basil
Best for all ailments
The cornerstone of all good Italian cooking, this herb is drastically undervalued. Research in Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects found it has antioxidant, anti- mutagenic, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. If ever there was a catch-all leaf for your health, it’s basil.
How to eat more:
Substitute it for almost every salad leaf you can think of. It’s an excellent accompaniment to just about every white meat and is the life of any pasta sauce. Get heavy handed with it.
4. Coriander
Best for bone health
Love it or hate it, you should be eating more of it. It’s full of vitamin K, which is essential for bone and skin health and can even protect against food poisoning, making it the ideal accompaniment for cuisine you take travelling in a lunch box.
How to eat more:
It’s the ultimate concomitant to all white meats, so lavish big bunches on wraps or sandwiches. You can also chuck its stalks into a stir-fry, where they’ll soften and taste delicious, but try to avoid cooking the fresh leaves as they’ll wilt and lose their flavour.
– RELATED: 4 Spices You Should Add To Your Diet –
5. Parsley
Best for fighting cancer
This breath-freshening herb could see you living longer. Parsley is rich in a compound called apigenin, which can help fight off cancer, found research at Ohio State University, US.
How to eat more:
Blend a huge bunch with olive oil and garlic for a great-tasting sauce you can lather on chicken. Wrap fish in it and bake slowly, or add to any soup or stew for an extra zing.
6. Fennel
Best for heart health
Although it’s the perfect companion for just about any fish, you’re a fool if you limit your consumption of it to just seafood. Research in Nutrition and Cancer found it has powerful anti-cancer effects. Plus, it’s super-rich in fibre, which is great for keeping your heart and digestive system in great health, and its seeds can also prevent osteoporosis.
How to eat more:
The stalks can be used to replace celery in most recipes, while the bulb is a great replacement for onions so you can fry it or eat it raw in a salad.
7. Thyme
Best for staying young
Use this powerful herb to push back your ageing clock. Research in the journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition found an extract from this herb can help reduce blood pressure. Further research suggests it can also fight colon cancer and food- borne infections.
How to eat more:
If you like protein, this can be paired with any kind of meat. It’s best to get the fresh variety by pulling the leaves off and having them as a salad with your meat to ensure you’re always improving your looks and performance.
8. Milk thistle & dandelion
Best for endurance athletes
These are divisive supplements but show lots of promise. Research at the University of Colorado, US, found milk thistle kills skin cancer cells. Plus, there’s a growing body of research suggesting it fights lung and colon cancer.
How to eat more:
Shore up the strength of your liver using milk thistle and dandelion supplements. To get a great taste, it’s best to stick to drinking them as a tea.
