Healing Foods Pyramid™
Seasonings are included in the Healing Foods Pyramid™ as part of a balanced, whole foods, plant-based diet. This Food Pyramid emphasizes foods that nourish the body, sustain energy over time, contain healing qualities and essential nutrients, and support a sustainable environment.
What are the recommended servings per day?
- Use a variety of spices, herbs, and alliums in your daily food preparation. Experiment cautiously with hot peppers.
What are spices, herbs, alliums and hot peppers?
- Herbs refer to leaves of low-growing shrubs; they can be used fresh or dried.
- Spices may be the seeds, buds, berries, bark, root, or fruit of tropical plants and trees.
- Alliums are bulbous plants that are used as flavoring for foods and for their medicinal properties. They are found in most regions of the world except the tropics, New Zealand and Australia.
- Hot peppers are edible, pungent fruits of the species Capsicum. They are used as spices and flavoring for foods and for their medicinal properties.
Why choose a variety of seasonings?
- Seasonings are grown for their culinary and medicinal properties
- They may be helpful in many medical conditions, such as:
- Nausea
- Autoimmune disorders
- Infections
- High blood pressure
- Cancer
- High cholesterol
- Inflammatory conditions
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The following information is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Due to limited space, we have highlighted only a few of the many beneficial seasonings. More information can be found in the resources section of this document.
Selected
Seasonings |
|
Spices |
curry, turmeric, cumin, chili pepper, fennel, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, mustard seed, black pepper, paprika, salt, cardamom, vanilla, horseradish, anise |
Herbs |
parsley, chives, thyme, sage, oregano, mint, rosemary, tarragon, basil, dill, cilantro, coriander, marjoram, caraway, savory |
Alliums |
green onions, onions, shallots, leeks, chives, garlic |
Hot Peppers |
cayenne, jalapeno, Anaheim , chipotle, habanero, Serrano, ancho |
Special Considerations
Whole Turmeric in Powdered Form
- Tumeric is the yellow spice most familiar in Indian cooking and American prepared mustard
- Has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
- May decrease symptoms of autoimmune disorders, arthritis, tendonitis, and other disorders with inflammation
- Curcumin is the part of turmeric that gives the yellow color
Fresh Ginger Root
- Ginger is an underground stem or rhizome which sprouts large pink and orange flowers that look as if they have been carved out of wax
- Has anti-inflammatory properties
- Helps with nausea and motion sickness
- Decreases symptoms of arthritis and bursitis
- Reduces platelet stickiness and therefore has a beneficial effect on heart disease
Fresh Garlic Cloves
- Garlic cloves are the segments of a head or bulb of garlic
- Natural antibiotic and antiviral agent as a result of sulfur-containing compounds
- May help with infections: colds, sore throat, ear infections in children, fungal or yeast infections
- May slow development of atherosclerosis, improve high blood pressure and decrease total and LDL (bad) cholesterol by reducing blood platelet stickiness and artery spasms
- May decrease risk of developing colorectal, prostate, breast, liver, skin, and digestive tract cancers by inhibiting the growth of tumors and stimulating the immune system
- Chop or mash garlic 10 minutes before you need to use it - letting chopped garlic sit at room temperature before cooking increases antioxidant activity and allows the active medicinal component, allicin, to be released.
Fresh or Dried Peppermint
- Fresh or dried peppermint are the leaves from the peppermint plant
- Used as a digestive remedy for relief of indigestion and nausea
- May soothe the lower GI tract by decreasing spasms and gas formation
- Contains antioxidants called flavonoids which stimulate bile and saliva production
- Its soothing effect results from the stimulation of salivation, which increases the swallowing reflex and suppresses cough
- Peppermint is not recommended for individuals with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) because it causes relaxation of muscles surrounding the digestive tract and may increase symptoms associated with GERD.
Cayenne Pepper
- A very pungent spice produced by drying and grinding the orange to deep-red fruits of small-fruited species of Capsicum
- Capsicum is used to stimulate digestion
- Eases toothache pain
- Improves peripheral circulation
- Reduces blood clotting tendencies
- Decreases cholesterol
- Helps to prevent atherosclerosis and heart disease
Whole food vs. supplements
- Whole foods are the best sources of vitamins, minerals, and other plant compounds that help you stay healthy and fight disease
- We recommend these foods in their natural form. Taking them as a supplement may reduce their effectiveness and may increase the risk of side effects.
- If you decide to take these herbs as supplements consult your health care provider.
- Spices and herbs should be stored in a cool, dry place.
- Green herbs should be protected against direct sunlight exposure.
- Whole spices such as cloves, cumin, or bay leaf, should be added at the beginning of cooking so their full flavor can be extracted.
- Crumbling dried herbs, such as oregano, just before use helps to release their flavor.
- Fresh leafy herbs, such as basil or parsley should be added in the last five minutes of cooking.
- More robust fresh herbs such as rosemary can be added earlier in the cooking period.
- To reduce the heat of hot peppers, remove the seeds.
- Fresh herbs can be added to salads, soups and sauces.
- For more ideas on how to add herbs and spices to home cooking look at the “Spices” article in the resources section of this document.
Resources
Add a Little SPICE (& HERBS) to Your Life!
Henneman, Alice
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
NU Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County
www.lancaster.unl.edu/food
Accessed September 3, 2009
Allium
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
www.britannica.com
Accessed September 3, 2009
Capsicum
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
www.naturaldatabase.com
Accessed September 3, 2009
Cayenne Pepper
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
www.britannica.com
Accessed September 3, 2009
Chili Pepper
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
www.britannica.com
Accessed September 3, 2009
Garlic
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
www.naturaldatabase.com
Accessed September 3, 2009
Ginger
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
www.naturaldatabase.com
Accessed September 3, 2009
Herbs and Spices
Ann A. Hertzler
Virginia Cooperative Extension
http://www.ext.vt.edu/
Accessed July 29, 2009
Peppermint Leaf
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
www.naturaldatabase.com
Accessed September 3, 2009
Original Research and Review Articles
Ahuja K, et al. Effects of daily ingestion of chilli on serum lipoprotein oxidation in adult men and women. British Journal of Nutrition. 2006; 96:239-242.
Bielory L. Complementary and alternative interventions in asthma, allergy and immunology. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 2004;93(Suppl 1):45s-54s.
Calder PC, et al. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, inflammation and immunity. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2002;56(Suppl 3):14s-19s.
Cavagnaro P, et al. Effect of Cooking on Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Antiplatelet Activity and Thiosulfinates Content. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2007;55:1280-1288.
Craig WG. Health-promoting properties of common herbs. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999;70(Suppl):491s-499s.
Fleishauer AT, et al. Garlic consumption and cancer prevention: meta-analysis of colorectal and stomach cancers. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2000;72:1047-1052.
Gorinstein S, et al. The aethrosclerotic ehart disease and protecting properties of garlic: contemporary data. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 2007;51:1365-1381.
Grigoleit HG, et al. Gastrointestinal clinical pharmacology of peppermint oil. Phytomedicine. 2005;12:607-611.
Grzanna R, et al. Ginger – an herbal medicinal product with broad anti-inflammatory actions. Journal of Medicinal Food. 2005;8(2):125-132.
Hlebowicz J, et al. Effect of cinnamon on prostprandial blood glucose, gastric emptying, and satiety in healthy subjects. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007; 85:1552-1556.
Kaefer C, et al. The role of herbs and spices in cancer prevention. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2008; 19:347-361.
Mason L, et al. Systematic review of topical capsaicin for the treatment of chronic pain. British Journal of Medicine. 2004;328(7446):998.
Sharma RA, et al. Curcumin: the story so far. European Journal of Cancer. 2005;41:1955-1968.
Tapsell LC, et al. Health benefits of herbs and spices: the past, present, the future. Medical Journal of Australia. 2006; 185: 2s-25s.
Wongcharoen W, et al. The protective role of curcumin in cardiovascular diseases. International Journal of Cardiology. 2009; 133:145-151.
The Healing Foods Pyramid™ was created by the Nutrition Education Team at the University of Michigan Integrative Medicine, Department of Family Medicine in 2005 and updated in 2009.
© copyright 2010 Regents of the University of Michigan - University of Michigan Integrative Medicine
Monica Myklebust, M.D. and Jenna Wunder, M.P.H., R.D. For questions and licensing information please call 734-998-7874 or email umim-hfp@umich.edu.
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