Thursday, Mar. 11, 2010

Rethink seasoning options during National Nutrition Month

FORT LEE, Va. — March is National Nutrition Month. What are you going to do this month to improve your nutritional health? Try to lose weight? Increase your fruit and vegetable consumption each day? Eat less red meat? Drink more water? What about trying out some new herbs and spices?

Most people don’t think of herbs and spices as improving their nutritional health, but they are some of the best sources of nutrition known to man. For example, if you look at the Department of Agriculture’s database for Oxygen Radical Absorbance

Capacity, you’ll find a listing of the antioxidant levels of common foods.

Despite the belief that herbs and spices have no nutritional value, there are many herbs and spices that top the ORAC list.

For example, ground cinnamon rates higher than blueberries or pomegranate juice, while oregano and turmeric rate above powerhouses like raspberries, strawberries and asparagus, all extremely healthy foods.

Also, “standing tall” on this list include paprika, rosemary, ginger and thyme, to name a few.

So, for National Nutrition Month, how about putting down the salt shaker and sprinkling some herbs and spices on your food?

Consider the following:

Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to your oatmeal, toast with peanut butter, fruit cup or yogurt and granola.

Sprinkle some ground ginger into a shrimp and vegetable stir-fry.

Chop a tablespoon of thyme and rosemary into your omelet.

Make your own hummus, experimenting with different amounts of cumin, coriander, red pepper and paprika. Always experiment with smaller amounts, such as one-fourth teaspoon.

Try yellow curry in your whole-grain rice.

Sprinkle meats with thyme, rosemary or oregano.

For more information about making healthy choices, visit Ask the Dietitian on www.commissaries.com. Post your questions on the DeCA Dietician Forum and be sure to look for other useful information in the “Dietician’s Voice” archives. Sign up with the DeCA Dietitian on www.twitter.com and get messages sent to your cell phone today.