Ever wondered about the natural health benefits of spices? Well today I am explaining a few of them and I have joined Gousto the recipe kit company for Spice Up Your January!
January is all about the diet and detox for a lot of people. I know that after a heavy festive season I start to feel tired and like I need bit of a boost. I started the year thinking about healthy eating but did not want to set myself unrealistic goals and start some fad diet that I could not keep up in the long term. After seeing this Spice Up Your January with Gousto campaign I was eager to try it out.
By adding spices to your food for flavour you not only gain some of the wonderful health benefits, but also add flavour and interest to your food but with no extra calories. They can add complex and sophisticated tastes to savoury and sweet dishes alike.
Here are some well known health benefits of spices as stated on the Gousto Blog
- Black Pepper: acts as an antidepressant
- Cardamom: counteracts digestive problems such as bloating, heartburn and loss of appetite
- Paprika: very good for maintaining eye health
- Coriander seed: controls blood sugar levels
- Star Anise: a natural anti-fungal
- Cloves: very good for treating tooth decay. A natural anaesthetic
- Fennel Seeds: thought to prevent osteoporosis
- Cinnamon: helps aid weight loss
- Chilli: helps speed up metabolism
- Saffron: used to prevent insomnia
- Turmeric: a natural antiseptic
The benefits are wonderful and it’s all natural which is what I like.
Each week in January Gousto are doing a different spice box filled with healthy recipes made with spices.
Week 1: Ras-el-hanout
Week 2: Sumac
Week 3: Allspice
Week 4: Nigella
Gousto sent me over a Ras-El-Hanout spice box to test and I absolutely loved it.
Ras-El-Hanout is a north african spice blend. The mix would traditionally contain dried rose petals, cumin, coriander, black pepper and turmeric but it can be a mixture of a myriadspices.
It arrives in a box delivered to your door at the perfect temperature due to the clever wool cool packaging.
The kit included all the ready measured out ingredients to make:
Grilled Yogurt Chicken
Persian Halloumi
I’ve tried a few recipes from Gousto now and I must say they have all been wonderfully easy to cook and very fresh high quality ingredients. I really of highly rate the service. They are great for busy people who want to eat fresh.
The dishes were fun and easy to cook and tasted delicious!
I hope you have enjoyed reading about the Health Benefits of Spices and finding out about the wonderful Spice Up Your January Campaign by Gousto.
Let me know as always in the comments section below what you think!
