Amazing Health Benefits of Herbs Suggested by Grill Heat Aid

Herbs are a fantastic way to add flavor and color to any sort of dish or drink, whether sweet or savory, without adding fat, salt, or sugars. In addition to flavor and color, they each also tend to have their own set of health-promoting properties. Generally, fresh herbs are delicately flavored, so if adding them to your cooking, do so in the last few minutes. Tasting your dish as you go along will help you tell if you’ve added enough. If not enough herbs are used, then little difference will be made to the flavor of the dish, but if too many herbs are added, their flavor will overpower other ingredients.

Consuming herbs may help to prevent and manage heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. It may also help to reduce blood clots and provide anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. Research is ongoing but studies have shown that: 

• Garlic, linseed, fenugreek, and lemongrass may help lower cholesterol.
• Garlic is useful for people with mildly elevated blood pressure.
• Fenugreek can help control blood sugar and insulin activity (as can linseed, flaxseed, and cinnamon).
• Garlic, onions, chives, leeks, mint, basil, oregano, sage, and many other herbs can help protect against cancer.
• Herbs are rich in antioxidants, especially cloves, cinnamon, sage, oregano, and thyme, by helping to reduce low-density lipoproteins (‘bad’ cholesterol).

Fresh herbs often contain higher antioxidant levels compared to processed or dried herbs but if you are using herbs in order to harness their health-promoting aspects first and foremost, aim to add your fresh herbs at the end of cooking or as you serve to preserve these properties.