Benefits of Herbs and Spices

Marcia Herrin, a Dartmouth Medical School nutritionist, recently talked about of herbs and spices, covering their ability to fight disease and promote good health in general.

When you think of foods that contain antioxidants, fruits, vegetables or whole grains probably come to mind. But there's one food group you likely haven't heard about yet. Herbs and spices pop up everywhere from garden centers to the candy aisle, but they can do more than add zip to your dish. "Practically every herb and spice that's been studied has some health benefit," said dietician Marcia Herrin.

Here are some hightlights of the talk:

Herbs and spices are loaded with antioxidants, those chemicals that keep diseases in check. But we may not be getting those benefits as much as we could. Americans don't use many herbs and spices compared to the rest of the world.

In India, curry is part of the staple diet. There, rates of Alzheimer's disease are the lowest in the world. UCLA researcher and professor of medicine Sally Frautschy is studying curcumin, which is found in curry. Dill, sage, rosemary and ginger also rank high.

"I'm guessing we're going to end up with some really powerful medicines out of this," said Herrin.

You don't have to be a chef to reap the benefits. Just throwing a few herbs on soup or chicken is a good start.

Researchers say many of these herbs are only absorbed by the body when they are eaten with fat, so cooking with oil will help release the antioxidants.

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