Top 5 Spices to Boost Your Immunity This Winter
Winter is here, so to help keep those winter sniffles, cold and flu germs at bay and to alleviate the severity, try incorporating some of these all-natural immune-boosting spices into your daily meals and beverages.
The following 5 spices listed below are suggestions to add to your daily meals for an added healthy and natural immunity boost.
1. Cinnamon
Not only a delicious ingredient in cinnamon scrolls, but cinnamon is also a powerhouse spice being prized for its medicinal properties dating back thousands of years.
Cinnamon is a spice that is made from the inner bark of trees scientifically known as Cinnamomum. Once rare and valuable, it has been used as a prized ingredient throughout history.
These days, cinnamon is easily available in supermarkets and can be purchased in two forms. The curled bark variety known as cinnamon sticks and the powdered variety, widely used as an ingredient in muesli and baking.
The distinct cinnamon smell and flavour are due to the oils contained within the bark, which is very high in the compound cinnamaldehyde.
Not only is cinnamon loaded with antioxidants, but it also has anti-inflammatory properties and helps your body fight infections and repair tissue damage.
Plus, it prevents blood platelet clumping, inhibits inflammatory substances, and can regulate blood sugar.
2. Black Pepper
In search of highly sought after spices, explorers travelled the world. An ancient trading commodity, black pepper was one of the most desired and highly prized spices of all.
It's now an everyday spice that is a staple in everyone's kitchen and salts best friend, black pepper has several important nutritional benefits too. Its unique combination of vitamins, minerals and oils have shown in studies to provide increased nutrient absorption, improved blood pressure, healthy cell growth, eases digestion, and contains anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, fever-reducing and immune system enhancing properties.
Add a pinch to other immune boosters like turmeric to help the absorption of important minerals.
3. Turmeric
A powerhouse of aiding digestion, this burnt yellow coloured spice from India and south-east Asia are sourced from the root of the turmeric plant. Proclaimed as a superfood, turmeric has been used in Asian medicine and cooking for thousands of years. Today's scientists continue to uncover a whole host of immune-supporting health benefits.
Turmeric contains an active compound called curcumin. Researchers have found that curcumin contains beneficial anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Antioxidants help to fight free radicals in your body, especially when in excess, can cause damaging stress to healthy cells.
Mixed with milk or water, the turmeric powder helps to ease a sore throat and can settle an upset stomach. To significantly aid your body's absorption of its immune-boosting compounds, mix a pinch of black pepper with the turmeric.
4. Ginger
Ginger is another amazing tropical plant root filled with immune-boosting benefits like its close relative turmeric.
The ginger root is a wonderful immune-booster with antibacterial properties, supporting the immune system and a fantastic natural remedy for preventing motion sickness, nausea, reduces fevers and soothing an upset stomach. Ginger also contains a phenolic anti-inflammatory compound called gingerol a natural blood thinner.
Another huge benefit during cold and flu season is that the spicy kick it contains, can help open up your sinuses and due to its blood-thinning properties, improved circulation means that more oxygen can get to your tissues to help remove toxins and viruses.
5. Cayenne Pepper
The nutritious and spicy cayenne pepper is a type of capsicum. Used widely in cooking, the cayenne pepper also has many medicinal benefits.
Cayenne pepper contains the chemical capsicum, a rich source of vitamin C that aids your immune system in fighting colds and cases of flu. Vitamin C, from bioflavonoids (plant-derived compounds), are found in certain fruits, vegetables, and other foods, like dark chocolate and red wine, have potent antioxidant power.
These qualities help your body produce white blood cells, especially the white blood cells of your lymphatic system that cleanse your cells and tissues of toxins.
Cayenne pepper is also full of beta carotene, another compound that supports your immune system helps build healthy mucous membrane tissue that defends against viruses and bacteria. Extra spicy cayenne peppers raise your body’s temperature to make you sweat, increasing the activity of your immune system.
Many factors can help to support healthy immune function, but nutrition is one of the most important. Fill your plate with natures bounty and supplement your diet with the health-supporting properties of these amazing immunity-boosting spices.
To keep your body in top form, these foods work best when consumed throughout the entire year to keep your immune system working at its best.