Do you spice it up?
No, I don’t mean that kind of spice (geez ). I mean do you spice your food up?
By spice, I’m referring to those cute little bottles that reside on your counter, or pantry, or if you take them more seriously, you might even have a spice rack (or spice cabinet if you’re like me ).
With the holidays around the corner, one of which being Thanksgiving for those of you who live in the US, there are certain spices we’ve come to know as Thanksgiving spices that we tend to use a lot of this time of year like sage, cinnamon, and nutmeg. These Thanksgiving spices are herbs just like all the other medicinal herbs out there, but often they’re used without even knowing about their surplus of health benefits.
Thanksgiving Spices Anyone?
A common favorite spice is actually a blend of spices, and it’s one that has grown in popularity over the past decade. I’m referring to pumpkin pie spice and this time of year it seems to be infused into coffees, teas, meals, desserts, soaps, body washes, you name it! I swear November should be renamed to Pumpkin Pie Spice Month.
Now Pumpkin Spice has actually become controversial because of its popularity. You have the straight out obsessed camp of people and then the I despise it camp of people, and there doesn’t seem to be too much of a gray area. I for one though sit in the gray area as I love it, but I use it interchangeably with cinnamon year round, but mostly for their health benefits, so seeing it’s a norm in my daily life, I don’t get as excited as some do.
Have You Heard of Culinary Aromatic Herbs? You Need To!
Each spice like every other medicinal herb out there has a plethora of benefits. However, spices have one thing in common and it’s that they are also known as culinary aromatic herbs.
What the heck is a culinary aromatic herb you might be asking.
Well, despite the long name, a culinary aromatic herb is really an herb we use to cook that has an aroma to it, which, surprise surprise, is every spice out there! Their aroma is why we tend to use them in the first place, but it’s not the only thing spices have going for them.
Why Do We Use Culinary Aromatic Herbs (Spices), Especially Thanksgiving Spices?
So we know we use them because they smell amazing. That scent carries through into the food we put them in so our food tastes delicious too. I mean can you image stuffing without Sage or an apple pie without Cinnamon? The world would be so gray!
However, culinary aromatic herbs also have many health benefits to them and it’s not something many know about, despite incorporating them often into their daily life. Actually, the fact that almost everyone uses some form of spice here and there, makes herbalism very relatable and seem far less intimidating once you realize you have been unknowingly practicing it all along!
Pumpkin Pie Spice Health Benefits
So what are the health benefits of pumpkin pie spice (and all these other culinary aromatic herbs)?
All culinary aromatic herbs have a common medicinal benefit and it’s that they help improve digestion. That’s why we use these particular plants in our food, plus, the fact they’re tasty is a nice bonus of course!
Spices have a ton of ways they improve digestion, including:
- Warming up your digestive system
- Preventing your digestion from being sluggish
- Reducing bloating
- Helping with gas
- Getting bowels moving to avoid/lessen constipation
- Improving blood sugar by counteracting the effects of sugar causing insulin spikes
That’s just some of their amazing benefits and you can assume when you add spices to your food either while cooking or afterward, you’re obtaining some of these benefits no matter what type of spice you use. The pumpkin pie spices however are phenomenal with all of these aspects, especially helping with blood sugar imbalances.
Pumpkin spice can vary in its recipe but it usually contains some amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. All of these are spices that improve digestion, boost circulation, and help with insulin resistance and blood sugar regulation. Can you now guess why it’s added to all these sweet treats nowadays like pies, sweetened drinks, and even ice cream?
Besides its mesmerizing scent often associated with the holidays, it helps counteract the impact of those heavy dense treats and helps your body process that heaviness, as well as the sugar spike they create, and only a small amount, is needed to do so.
Now that doesn’t mean I’m giving you permission to eat a whole pumpkin pie rather than a slice if you douse it with pumpkin spice haha. It does mean that you can give your body a bit of help and extra love when you do choose to consume sugary treats
Want To Make Your Own Homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend?
Here’s a Pumpkin Pie Spice recipe I often use:
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Combine all the powders and stir together.
Use the amount stated in whatever recipe you’re making (or add anywhere from a dash to a heavy pinch on an individual serving of something like ice cream) and store the remaining amount in an air-tight jar.
How To Use Thanksgiving Spices:
This is easy. You can pretty much add your homemade pumpkin pie spice blend or any of the Thanksgiving spices to anything you want to give a holiday kick to, but for improving digestion and counteracting the impact of sugar, here are some favorite combos:
- Oatmeal
- Smoothies
- Ice cream
- Pies- pumpkin, apple, pecan, you name it
- Deserts of all kinds
- Root veggie dishes like sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips
- Squash dishes like Butternut Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Acorn Squash or Pumpkin
- Teas, coffee, and beverages of all kinds
What’s your favorite way to spice it up? I hope this brings you some inspiration, and don’t forget to consider pumpkin pie spice on your treats year round now for its health benefits. Let’s 365 the pumpkin pie spice craze!
