'Enliven' your meals with herbs and spices...

So many food groups are mentioned whenever health & wellbeing is discussed, but one group - herbs and spices – is generally overlooked when it comes to the health equation. I use them daily, several times, in their fresh and dried forms, and can’t imagine preparing food without them!

Also, there is so much talk about ‘super foods’ these days – and to be frank, I’m not a big fan of that term as, more often than not, it’s only the more expensive ‘super foods’ that end up being discussed by certain writers, often at the expense of the more affordable & less exotic ones. Yet, in my opinion, there are so many inexpensive foods that deserve the status of a ‘super food’, because of their ‘nutritional superpowers’ - and herbs & spices are definitely to be included!

I like to refer to foods that are beneficial to our overall health, not just our digestive health, as ‘nutritional powerhouses’.

Whilst I appreciate that not everyone may have a garden, I believe that most of us should at least have access to a window sill where we can grow some herbs. Nothing should give you more joy than ‘harvesting your own’, no matter how small the harvest is! 😉 Harvesting your own herbs is a project to perhaps think about once the garden centres and plant nurseries reopen - or maybe see if you have any luck ordering your ‘gardening kit’ online. However, if growing your own isn’t an option for you – for whatever reason - then you can perhaps ‘upgrade’ or refresh your spice rack by purchasing them from the shops or online! I would imagine, as we’re all self-isolating at home now, that our herbs/spices end up being used more.

So, in the spirit of culinary adventure, try to include more herbs and spices in your meals or get more daring, even if you already are a ‘seasoned’ user of herbs and spices (pun intended!).

Here follow some of my most ‘treasured’ ones: