A Hack For Your Rack

Get your mind out of the gutter, today we're talking about spices

Did you know that your spice cabinet is one of **the** healthiest places in your kitchen?

Spices don’t just add flavor to your food, they add vitamins, minerals, and loads of antioxidants.

(Antioxidants are substances that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that produces free radicals. A diet high in antioxidants reduces your chances of getting certain diseases, including brain disorders like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and some cancers. Antioxidants find and clear free radicals from the body. In doing so they prevent, reduce, or even reverse any damage done by oxidation.)

Why are spices so good for you? While specific health benefits vary by spice, spices are either dehydrated or fresh plants. Plants contain many nutrients essential to human health.

“The vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants in plants help keep your cells healthy and your body in balance so that your immune system can function at its best,” according to the University of Texas’s MD Anderson Cancer Center. As herbalist Donnie Yance explains, plants in nature create all kinds of natural defenses to protect themselves from drought, environmental toxins, and diseases, as well as from animals that want to eat them. These natural defenses often translate into health benefits to humans, especially when we eat wild-grown plants. 

Organic only, stored in glass containers 

In order to get the full benefit from spices, it’s important to purchase ones that were grown without harmful pesticides and herbicides. Buy your organic spices in glass jars only. Plastic containers, especially when heated, will leach harmful chemicals into your food. 

Now let’s take a closer look at the health-giving properties of three of my favorite spices and **then** I’ll tell you the hack for your rack.