Thanks for visiting Soothing Spices! Here we talk about all the ways you can improve the taste of foods and drinks while also improving the nutrition, too. Over the past number of years I’ve learned about spices and herbs that I hadn’t previously used to (literally) spice up foods and even drinks. Since meeting my wife, I’ve been introduced to a number of other new spices that I hadn’t used before, too.
Spices are plants or at least come from plants and can come in several forms. They are usually either fresh (taken directly from the garden for example), dried (basil, bay, chives for example) in stick form (cinnamon), or granulated (garlic, turmeric, cumin). Dried spices have the benefit of visually improving the look of dishes, being cheaper, last longer and have a higher antioxidant concentration than fresh spices.
But don’t think that spice necessarily means spicy because it doesn’t. I’m not great with really spicy foods. I just don’t have a taste for it and find it difficult to handle spicy foods. Not all spices make foods spicy. Some spices like cajun, chilis, jalapeno, peppers and even ones with spicy in their name like spicy BBQ are just that: Spicy. But many other spices aren’t.
And while some spices are standalone spices, others like spicy BBQ, Italian seasoning, five-spice powder and Old Bay seasoning to name a few are combinations of spices. So many options and possibilities.
My personal favorite spices in no particular order that I use regularly for cooking include turmeric, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, cloves, cardamom, oregano, basil, rosemary, garlic, black pepper, garam masala, bay leaf, coriander, sesame, chia, cinnamon and chives. That’s quite a list but once you learn how to use them to improve the taste of foods and even drinks, you’ll receive both flavor and health benefits of spices.
There are plenty more spices too. Those are just the ones I’ve used recently.
While spices can add taste and nutrition to your foods and drinks without much effort, spices may also help with weight loss by reducing your caloric intake, reduce body fat, improve digestion and improve your heart health too.
While many spices add taste to foods and drinks some add nutrients without changing the taste at all. Think chia seeds for example. It’s a seed but it comes from the sage family. I began adding chia seeds to protein shakes and I also toss them over salad and into Greek yogurt too. You can’t taste them but they are very high in nutrients particularly. Chia is very low in calories and high in antioxidants, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, protein and fiber. When you soak chia in liquid before consuming them, they expand and give a feeling like you’re drinking bubble tea with tiny bubbles. And it takes virtually no effort on your part.
One of the things I learned after meeting my wife is that there are so many interesting spices and herbs to incorporate into your cooking that can change the way you look at food. And if you routinely pay $5 or more for a small plastic container full of chicken rub or steak spice at the store, you can easily buy several full size spice containers and make the rubs yourself. Again, with virtually no time spent on your part. You’re not only saving money, you can make the spice rubs the way you like them.
One of the interesting things to reiterate is the fact that adding spices to foods and drinks can be an easy and healthy way to add nutrients to your foods in a way that you may not even notice. By combining various spices to foods, you’ll often mask the taste of some of them but still get the benefits. So if you’re worried about the taste of insert spice name here, it’s likely you can hide it so to speak with other ingredients you use including other spices.
Thanks again for stopping by and do check back often as I update the site regularly with new spice ideas for you to try!
Carl