Spice Up Your Life

Seasonings, flavorings, spices, herbs: we don't usually think of them in terms of nutritional value, only for their ability to make things taste good. I am constantly surprised in my research at just how valuable these things can be in our diet for reasons other than taste. Take chocolate for example. With very few exceptions, almost everyone loves chocolate. When was the last time you attended a party where chocolate wasn't anywhere on the desert table? "Wait!", you're thinking, "chocolate is responsible for half of my weight problem!" Well I'm here to tell you that it's the sugar we use to hide the bitter flavor of the chocolate that's causing your weight problem.

1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder has only 12 calories, and check out these RDA's: 2% Protein, 7% Fiber, 4% Iron, 7% Magnesium, 4% Phosphorus, 2% Potassium, 2% Zinc and how about a drum roll for these last three which are big cancer fighters: 10% Copper, 10% Manganese, 1% Selenium. That's a lot of really good stuff for just 1 tablespoon, but wait, there's more: "Cocoa supplies more antioxidants than red wine or green tea, it contains several neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and andandamide which help improve mood. It also contains the appetite-suppressant PEA, a compound that controls alertness and mental awareness. Also, observational data shows a 90% reduction in the risks of stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes in persons consuming cocoa on a regular basis." (http://elitesportsandfitness.com/2009/11/15/organic-cocoa-antioxidant-and-appetite-suppressant/)

Just as with anything else, you can have too much of a good thing. Theobromine is an element in chocolate which can be toxic if you have too much and is the same element which makes chocolate poisonous for dogs. 1 pound of milk chocolate can cause heart arrhythmia's in a 45 pound dog. It would take 4 times that amount to do that in a human, but it's best to avoid anything close to that and consume cocoa in moderate amounts.

Here's another one: Cinnamon. 1 tablespoon of cinnamon gives RDA's of 1% each of Protein, Vitamin E, Niacin, B6, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Copper, 3% Vitamin K, 8% Calcium, 4% Iron, 16% fiber, and a whopping 68% of the cancer fighter Manganese. One teaspoon of cinnamon contains as many antioxidants as a full cup of pomegranate juice and 1/2 cup of blueberries. (Have you seen the cost of pomegranate juice and blueberries lately?) Cinnamon is also a hunger suppressant that can stabilize blood sugar levels.

If your brain works anything like mine, you're probably already trying to figure out how to use cocoa powder and cinnamon together to lose weight and improve your health. Just don't forget that using sugar to make it taste better is going to undo most of the good you can get out of these seasonings. I suggest steeping cinnamon in water with your herbal tea, and a warm cup of unsweetened almond milk with a tablespoon of cocoa is no more bitter than a cup of coffee, and a heck of a lot more nutritious. Get creative! One suggestion I read on the Hershey website suggested cocoa powder in your chili. Remember those poached pears I served on Christmas? I concede that I put a tablespoon of honey in the lemon juice they were poached in, but I also sprinkled cinnamon on them. Pears, high in copper, and cinnamon, high in manganese is a great combination.

Here's some other seasonings:

• Thyme has 21% Vitamin K and 7% Iron and others in just 1 teaspoon.
• Oregano has 8% Vitamin K and 2% each of Calcium, Iron, Manganese and Fiber, inhibits bacterial growth in food, and has as many antioxidants as 3 ounces of almonds and 1/2 cup of asparagus. (This web site asks: Why not have a cup of asparagus with almonds and oregano? I'm thinking it should be sauteed in garlic and olive oil too! {http://cancerdietitian.com/2010/02/cancer-fighting-spices-oregano.html})
• Ginger is very strongly anti-inflammatory, and has 70% Manganese, 3% Selenium, 5% Vitamin E, and other great nutrients. Not only that, but forgive me for putting this in capitals, I want everyone to see this: GINGER KILLS CANCER CELLS, prevents them from building up resistance to cancer treatment, and is a good remedy for nausea.

I could go on forever, but you could help me out by going to http://nutritiondata.self.com/ (which I've recommended on two other posts) and enter your favorite seasonings into the search bar. I can't stress enough what an awesome tool this is for planning meals and recipes. It's well worth registering because they have a custom entry tool that allows you to enter your own recipes and evaluate them for their nutrition content.

If you want to prevent cancer, or supplement your cancer treatment, I suggest you go wild and spice up your life. It'll do wonders not just for your health, but for your attitude. Go ahead! Live it up!