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The health value of spices in your cooking is as important as that of the main ingredients like the vegetables and meats. Besides adding extra flavors, these make your meal more nutritious, healthier and add medicinal value to your food. Three of the popular ones are turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Let’s find out what they add to your food: 

Turmeric 

It is one of the most beneficial spice. It is full of bioactive compounds with powerful medicinal properties. Besides giving the yellow color to the curry, it contains curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Therefore, turmeric helps with reducing inflammation. Arthritis patients find turmeric effective in symptomatic treatment. 

Curcumin neutralizes free radicals in the body and stimulates the body’s own antioxidant enzymes. It is also known to increase growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes, which makes it a great remedy to prevent brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and depression. It also helps in prevention and treatment of heart ailments, cancer and may also aid longevity. 

Turmeric can be consumed in broths, curries, gravies, in teas and even be added to the water that cooking grains. In its whole and natural form, all you need is a pinch of it in a pot of soup; in other words – ½ tsp for a 2-3-quart dish. For recipes with turmeric please visit here. 

Ginger 

Ginger is high in gingerol, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In medicinal uses, just 1–1.5g of ginger can help prevent various types of nausea, like chemotherapy-related nausea, nausea after surgery, and morning sickness. Gingerol appears to have protective effects against cancer as per some early studies. 

According to studies, ginger helps improve weight management, and is also effective in symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis, especially of the knee.  

It drastically lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels and improves heart health of the type 2 diabetes patients. Ginger speeds up digestion, which makes it a great inclusion in meals and a home remedy for stomach discomfort and indigestion. Besides, it is a great remedy for menstrual pain and can also fight infections by inhibiting growth of bacteria and viruses. 

Always using fresh ginger is recommended. Peel the skin and use it crushed or finely chopped in broths, curries, gravies and even in teas or rice and casserole dishes. In its whole and natural form, all you need is ½” piece for 2 quarts of food. Or ½ inch crushed ginger for 4 cups of water to make tea. 

For recipes using ginger please visit here. 

Garlic 

Garlic is a plant in the onion family that is grown for its distinctive taste and health benefits. Garlic is delicious and one can use it in savory dishes, soups, sauces, dressings and more. It contains sulfur compounds, which are believed to bring some great health benefits. 

It is low in calories and rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese. It is a great home remedy for preventing and reducing the severity of common illnesses like the flu and common cold. Garlic, when taken in high doses, can improve blood pressure in patients suffering from hypertension just like regular medications but with zero side effects. It also reduces cholesterol levels which makes it beneficial for heart health. 

The antioxidants in garlic protect against cell damage and aging. It may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. It significantly reduces lead toxicity and related symptoms.  

Use freshly peeled garlic to get the best of what it has to offer. Peel the skin and use it crushed or finely chopped in broths, curries, gravies and even in teas or rice and casserole dishes. When freshly peeled and chopped 1-2 cloves of garlic for every 2 cups of uncooked ingredients in a good ratio.  

For recipes using Garlic please visit here. 

Obviously, the three spices are not simply great for adding taste to your food but also supply essential nutrients and bio compounds for many health benefits and medicinal uses. One may use them as spices in food or as ingredients in herbal teas and decoctions. But what is important is to cook them while retaining their health and medicinal value. How? 

How to retain the nutrients and biochemical compounds in turmeric, ginger, and garlic? 

To get the benefit of all these and other healthy spices have to offer, it is best to cook them in pots made from the healthiest raw material. While metals and ceramics leach toxins that react to food. Miriams Earthen Cookware (MEC) is a company that makes cooking pots from 100% tested primary clay.  A pot when made the way MEC makes it is naturally inert (non-reactive to food), because they make it without the use of any chemicals or toxins during any of the processes. And no glaze is used. Every one of them is made by hand! 

Also, the delicate nutrients are destroyed when cooked with harsh heat from conventional metals or ceramics. MEC’s pots again come to the rescue with their food friendly far infrared heat cooking. This gentle heat penetrates deep into food and cooks thoroughly at low heat in less time compared to metals.   

Interested in cooking your nutritious spices like turmeric, ginger and garlic, and all others in 100% healthy pots, and retain all their health value? Head over to MEC Store and order a pure clay pot today!