Spices Can Keep Us Healthy!

13/12/07 This time of year, there's nothing like the smell of warm cinnamon or fresh gingerbread baking in the oven. Did you know that many of the spices you use to make holiday treats can help keep you healthy all year long? Here's a list of natural ingredients you may want to include in your diet long after the holidays are over.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Barbara Schultz decided to make some changes in her life, and she started in the kitchen. Barbara switched to all organic, all natural ingredients. In the last year, she lost 40 pounds.

"It has to be pure and you know, what you eat, that's what you become," says Schultz.

It wasn't just what she was eating that made the difference. Barbara is convinced it was also the supplements she was taking. Many of them are capsule forms of the same spices found in her cupboard.

"When you look at the spice rack, you're looking at opportunities for better health," says Glen Aukerman, MD, who leads the Center for Integrative Medicine at Ohio State University Medical Center.

Dr. Aukerman says many of the spices we use during the holidays can be used in other ways to keep us healthy. Ginger, for example, can help with digestive problems.

"Ginger actually has been shown and very well demonstrated to stop nausea, stop the fullness and bloating," says Aukerman.

Cinnamon is another holiday favorite. Aukerman says in pill form, it can be taken every day, and it could be a key supplement to help your body in several ways.

"Cinnamon is a core item for lowering triglycerides and cholesterols, raising HDL - the so-called good cholesterol. Because, remember, the good cholesterol is used to move, to burn fat," says Aukerman.

If you overdo it at the dinner table over the holidays, peppermint can help. Dr. Aukerman says things like peppermint teas or pills can cut indigestion. They can even act as a decongestant if you happen to catch a cold as it turns colder.

A few more spices that can help year-round: Aukerman says rosemary is a natural way to deal with headaches. On the spicier side, cayenne pepper may help with things like back or arthritis pain.