Top
Fresh and Dried Herbs and Spices for Antioxidants Adding
herbs and spices to your diet provides healthy antioxidants
Antioxidants, the hottest topic
to hit nutrition in years, have cropped up in a host
of whole foods—fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains.
Now a recent study indicates that a surprising category
of plants should be added to the list: herbs and spices.
When Rune Blomhoff
and other scientists at the University of Oslo in Norway
assessed just how much these culinary accents can contribute
to a person’s total intake of dietary antioxidants,
they found the amount to be significant. As little as
1 gram (about 1⁄2 teaspoon) of cloves will contribute
more dietary antioxidant than a 1⁄2-cup serving
of blueberries or cranberries, two foods famous for
their antioxidant levels. And 1⁄2 teaspoon dried
oregano contains the antioxidant of 1⁄2 cup sweet
potatoes.
Cloves, oregano, allspice, cinnamon, sage, peppermint, thyme and lemon balm lead the pack. Blomhoff says both fresh and dried varieties work: “Many fresh herbs contain so much antioxidant that when dried they are still very good sources.” And benefits can even come in the form of teas, which, according to Blomhoff, “may be a significant dietary source."
