Many herbs and spices have anti-diabetes properties and can easily be added at every mealtime to enhance the taste of your food, naturally making your meals even more enjoyable.
Turmeric – is recommended in Ayurvedic medicine for people with diabetes or pre-diabetics due to its disease-fighting abilities. It is, as we have known for ages, wonderful combined with lentils, meat, fish, rice and vegetable dishes.
Garlic – helps to lower blood sugars and fats. Add to just about any savoury dishes to enhance flavour; use to make dressings, add to soups, pesto and salsas for that extra healthy punch, marinade fish and meat with garlic and herbs or spices and add to dips and salad dressings.
Ginger – is great for fighting diabetes and high blood fats. By just adding 3 grams of ginger powder daily, diabetes patients showed significant reductions in blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol in just 30 days. Delicious in soups, sauces, salad dressings, marinades, fresh juices, infusions and desserts.
Cinnamon – helps to lower cholesterol, aids weight loss, speeds metabolism and lowers blood sugar. It adds natural sweetness to dishes so can be used in replacement of sugar or honey in smoothies, porridge and drinks. It also goes well in savoury dishes and can be boiled in water to make a delicious sweet infusion.
Cumin – has beneficial effects on blood sugar and cholesterol. Boiling the seeds in water makes a delicious digestive infusion that can be drank at meal times. Other than India, it is commonly used in North African and Mexican cooking enhancing meat, lentil and rice dishes.
Dill – is under investigation for its potential to fight diabetes. Dill is delicious with fish dishes, eggs and mushroom; it can also be added to salad dressings and dips.
Fennel – contains a phytochemical known as anethole, which reduces inflammation. The vegetable is lovely roasted with meat dishes or sliced fresh and added to salads. The seeds are commonly used in our cuisine.
Thyme – contains 75 active phytochemicals that work against diabetes, and its delicious aroma enhances any savoury dish. It supports inflammation-fighting cytokines and helps certain immune cells (macrophages) secrete agents that fight inflammation.
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