Spice it up!

Herbs and spices aren't just for adding flavor to your food - they all have health benefits, primarily as digestive aids and as natural anti-inflammatories. Herbs come from the leaves of various plants and spices come from the bark, roots, fruits, stems and seeds of trees and plants. Salt is the most common seasoning, and while it is an essential body mineral that is used by all your cells to maintain fluid balance, it is also the most overused seasoning - mostly because it has already been added to your food in the manufacturing process. Pepper, the second most common, has antibacterial properties that protect your food, but also acts as as anti-inflammatory, and as a diuretic by causing you to sweat, which aids in removing toxins from your body. Allspice, anise (I don't like this one - it tastes like black licorice), dill, fennel, mint, mustard and thyme all act as digestive aids; basil, bay leaves, sage and tumeric all fight infection. Ginger (a lifesaver if you have motion sickness!!), cloves and tumeric are also natural anti-inflammatories; and celery seed and parsley have diuretic properties (guys - you probably don't know much about the "puffy and bloated" syndome, but I can tell you us girls are going to start using a LOT of celery seed and parsley...). There are many others, and many other health benefits to the ones listed above - it's easy to go online and research your favorites and learn about the others. Herbs and spices lose their power after six months, so buy the small sizes and USE THEM - they won't help you sitting on the shelf! Melissa