Spices...What are the nutritional values??

[DanHarris]

Hello there,

I was wondering if anybody could help me. I would like to start using some spices on my grilled chicken to try and give it a bit more flavour than the usual plain chicken taste that I have become so used to.

I was thinking cajun and piri piri spices, but do these have a good or a bad nutritional content? I am not the type of person that has a stomache sensitive to things like this so mainly interested in what difference they are going to make to my meals in terms of nutrition and if they are bad for you or not...?

 

[philsaigon]

I would go with pure spices such as cayenne, tumeric, cumin, fennel, allspice, ginger, oregano, etc. Spices contain antioxidants and other valuable nutritional properties - with very few calories. I would stay away from the spice mixes that have added salt, sugar, msg, coloring, etc.

 

[Tanizaki]

Hello there,

I was wondering if anybody could help me. I would like to start using some spices on my grilled chicken to try and give it a bit more flavour than the usual plain chicken taste that I have become so used to.

I was thinking cajun and piri piri spices, but do these have a good or a bad nutritional content? I am not the type of person that has a stomache sensitive to things like this so mainly interested in what difference they are going to make to my meals in terms of nutrition and if they are bad for you or not...?

They generally have very little to no nutritional content, so they will have no difference in the nutritional value of your meals.

Antioxidants are worthless, by the way, so don't be swayed by any spices that tout their antioxidant content. Antioxidants had their heyday in the 1990s, and the science didn't really live up to the hype. (Imagine that)

 

[philsaigon]

You may or may not be right, but I think herbs and spices do play a role in our health when included in a balanced diet.

Dan - You can read about some herbs/spices here:


Anyway they come from nature and add a lot of flavor with minimal calories. And hell, even if the benefits are just a placebo effect, I feel good - so it's win/win.