We all know cooking spices are as diverse as they are delicious, but do you know just how healthy spices are for you, and how beneficial adding them to your diet can be to your overall well-being?

At Pinch, we believe in spices and their ability to promote a happier, more content body.

Antioxidants to the Rescue!

Antioxidants are powerful compounds that stop (and sometimes prevent) the oxidation of molecules in our bodies.

This is important because humans naturally create “free radicals” (unstable atoms) inside our bodies, and if free radicals are left unchecked, damage to tissue and illness and chronic disease can occur.

Spices as Antioxidants – The Unsung Heroes

Antioxidants are in so many foods we consume, such as blueberries, beets, beans, apples, kale, cabbage, red spinach, artichokes, pecans, green tea and dark chocolate.

These foods are all similar in that they contain considerable amounts of antioxidants, phytonutrients, and flavonoids. They’re also foods you often hear labelled as “antioxidant rich foods”.

But people forget to mention that spices can be an amazing source of antioxidants! Spices are truly the forgotten antioxidant super heroes. Spices also don’t go bad as quickly as fruits and veggies, so they can be on-call sitting in your spice cabinet whenever you need a boost.

By volume, spices such as cloves, oregano, rosemary and sumac all have exponentially more antioxidant power than black raspberries, cucumbers, watermelon, and even squash with its skin.  Of course, it’s much easier to eat 100 grams of cucumber than 100 grams of cloves, but when used liberally with your cooking, you will dramatically increase your antioxidant intake.

Freshness Matters – The Other Guys Often put Years-Old Spices on the Rack for You to Buy – Not Us!

Many spices contain huge amounts of health-friendly compounds. The fresher the spices, the more of antioxidant-rich they will be.

Some spice companies take literally years to get the spices from the farm, to the processing factory and to the grocery store shelf (spices can often sit for very long times on factory floors waiting to be shipped or stocked to supermarkets).

And, as companies add in pesticides and other non-organic practices/matter, the health benefits continue to decrease.

The good news is that organic, freshly packed and ground spices is all that we do at Pinch Spice Market. Our fresh spices retain their freshness and power much longer than pesticide-laden harvested spices.

Ask your experts at Pinch how you can get more of a certain spice into your diet, and start giving your body those added benefits, along with the gift of deliciousness.