5 Healthy Spices to Include in Christmas & Holiday Baking

5 Healthy Spices to Include in Christmas & Holiday Baking
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Savory Treats

Christmas is a time for culinary indulgence, but that doesn’t mean you can’t follow a healthy diet at the same time. By including some or all of the following spices in your scones, cookies or pastry, you can prevent flatulence and indigestion which are often a result of over eating.

Cardamom is the seed of a tropical fruit called Elettaria which belongs to the ginger family. The plant is grown in India, Guatemala and Ceylon and the seed is used either whole or ground. Cardamom’s medical and health benefits include the prevention of indigestion and flatulence. Use of cardamom as a medicinal herb dates back as far as the 4th century BC in India. Greeks and Romans imported the spice for the same purpose, whereas the ancient Egyptians chewed cardamom seeds to clean their teeth and for fresh breath. Scandinavian countries in particular are fond of using cardamom in bread and pastries, where it is even more popular than cinnamon.

Cumin is a dried very small plant which belongs to the parsley family and originates from the Mediterranean region. Although cumin, ground or whole, is often used in hot dishes, it’s very popular in bread and buns in Germany. The loaves are often encrusted with cumin and sea salt grains and eaten with fresh butter. The health benefits of cumin are very similar to cardamom. The spice acts as an anti-inflammatory, has diuretic properties and serves as a remedy to dyspepsia, jaundice, diarrhea, flatulence and indigestion.

Sweet Treats

Health and well being can be improved if vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon are added to sweet treats like cakes, cookies and pastries.

Vanilla are the seed pods of an orchid of the same name which originates from Mexico. It’s actually the second most expensive spice after saffron because of the laborious process involved in generating the spice. Old, medicinal literature and legend attribute aphrodisiac properties to vanilla, but it’s also considered a remedy for fevers. As vanilla is often used as a soothing agent in aromatherapy, it’s not only the consumption of vanilla cake that’s good for your health but also the inhaling of the scent.

Nutmeg is the seed kernel of the nutmeg tree which grows in the Moluccas (Spice Islands). It’s not a nut, so people who suffer from nut allergies can safely consume nutmeg flavored dishes and cakes. The taste is warm and slightly sweet. Nutmeg is either grated or ground to powder. The health properties of nutmeg include fighting indigestion and diarrhea, vomiting and nausea. The oil which provides the flavor does however contain myristicon, which is a poisonous narcotic. When used in high dosage, it can cause hallucinations and even death. But, as nutmeg has a very strong flavor, only a hint of grated powder will find its way into the Christmas bakery, so sudden death by poison is highly unlikely.

Cinnamon is derived from the bark of the cinnamon tree which belongs to the Lauracea family and grows in Sri Lanka. The benefits of cinnamon are manifold. On the one hand, it’s considered to lower the blood sugar level of diabetes Type 2 sufferers and help control cholesterol. On the other hand cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant which fights free radicals and also acts in an antimicrobial fashion. Like the other spices mentioned above, cinnamon benefits the digestive tract and helps with diarrhea. Moreover, if directly applied to an aching tooth, cinnamon can alleviate the acute pain.

Go easy on the fat and sugar, include all or some of the 5 spices in your sweet or savory Christmas treats and you can benefit your health whilst enjoying a treat.