Three spices that are good for your health

Cinnamon and cloves. Photograph by Leslie/Flickr

Whole spices are great all year around, but especially during winter when they not only help you keep warm, but also increase your system’s immunity against all kinds of infections and allergies. “In fact, a lot of the festive food that we eat during this season includes spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves because traditionally, these foods were also meant to be healthy,” says Tanya Munipalli, clinical dietician with Wellspring chain of clinics.

A lot of Indian food uses ginger paste. Photograph by Larry/Flickr

While most of us cannot imagine our morning chai without some ginger in it, cinnamon and cloves make for excellent ingredients in a spiced cake. Both cinnamon and cloves are also staple ingredients found in garam masala, which is used to spice up a lot of Indian food. Munipalli lists the benefits of these three ingredients in our daily diet.

Ginger has great digestive properties.

It is also a spice that has anti-fungal propeties and helps combat fungal infections.

Ginger also boosts immunity levels in the body, which further helps fight allergies and ailments.

Cinnamon aids weight control. Photograph by Vanjasphotos/Flickr

Cinnamon is  a spice that aids in blood thinning, which helps control the functioning of the heart and the nervous system.

The fragrant spice also has anti-hypertensive properties that control the blood pressure level.

When mixed with warm water, cinnamon powder aids weight control.

Cinnamon can also be used whole and boiled with water. “You can strain this water, add a little honey and drink it in the morning to help with weight control,” adds Munipalli.

Cloves are integral to most biryani and pulao preparations. Photograph by Ondrej/Flickr

Cloves are known for their antiseptic properties, and prevents the spread and growth of disease causing microorganisms.

Cloves can be added to foods whole or boiled with water and drunk in the morning, similar to how cinnamon can be consumed.

Cloves also have fantastic digestive properties.

Cloves are also known to aid in weight loss.