Herbs and spices to fight cancer

Let's face it. What have you ever eaten that did not improve due to the right herbs and spices used to enhance the flavor of the food? It's the difference between good food and great food. We've come a long way from the days when the most exotic seasoning was seasoned salt! These don't just improve the flavor of the healthy food you eat, they also, properly used, make the food even healthier and more beneficial for your life.

We have herbs in our garden. It's a joy to be able to walk out the door and snip a few to add to whatever I'm cooking – or assembling – fresh and clean tasting from the garden. As noted elsewhere on this site, we never ever use chemical pesticides or weed control on our garden. So we know that everything from it is as good for us as it is in us.

Just about every one we've listed are ones we grow in our garden and have terrific antioxidant properties. Since antioxidants are extremely beneficial in eliminating free radicals, that pesky stuff that attaches to healthy cells and turns them into abnormal cells that lead to cancer, we suggest you use as many of these in your daily cooking as possible. Also, when dining out, look for dishes on the menu that contain them.

Here's a list for you to experiment with together with the benefits – other than the taste. Just about every one of them has antioxidants in some degree. You don't have to see these listed in the recipes ingredients list to use them. Just be creative!

Basil
Our basil grows so big that we are giving it away all summer and fall. It grows in a bush with large smooth green leaves. Use in just about anything you can think of, either cooked or not. You can make wonderful pesto for your freezer for use all year long. We put this in every tomato based dish because the two together are like a long happy marriage – made for each other. Add to sauces, freshly chopped in salads, sprinkle over vegetables and stir frys. Quick way to stir up new flavors in ordinary dishes. Basil helps absorb breast cancer cells and prevents the spread of cancer.

Bay Leaf
You will find these leaves whole at your grocers, usually in the spice aisle. Use them whole (so you can fish them out before serving) in soups, stews and sauces as they need long slow cooking to release all of their flavor. Widely used in Mediterranean dishes, this leaf contains eugenol which contains antioxidants. As we know, antioxidants are very good for eliminating free radicals, a major cause of cancer.

Chives
The mildest of the onion family, this is a soft subtle flavoring for sprinkling on salads, potatoes, appetizers and other uses as garnish. Does not do well in cooking so use it as a finish to your dishes. Easy to grow in the garden, just snip off the long green sprouts as needed. Chives have no known cancer fighting benefits but they add a nice flavor to dishes that do.

Coriander
A seed, it's best bought whole and ground in your kitchen just before using as it loses it's flavor quickly. Adds a nice flavor to soups and stews. This herb is also readily available in the spice aisle of your grocers. Be sure to keep in airtight container if bought powdered. It is not specifically thought to fight cancer, but is worthy of your cooking. Coriander is thought to be good for the intestines and what is good for the intestines is good for YOU.

Dill
Also easily grown in your garden, you will find yourself looking for ways to use this fresh-cut with cucumbers and other dishes. Dill is beneficial in many bodily functions, but as we are primarily concerned here with cancer fighting herbs, we focus on the antioxidant properties of dill and it also deactivates free radicals and neutralizes carcinogens that might find their way into our bodies. Find uses for this herb for maximum benefits.

Mint
The aroma of mint is intoxicating for it's clean, healthy smell. Mint is most often used as a garnish but it's wonderful crushed in iced tea, either black or green, and lemonade. I know people who chew it to freshen their breath naturally and from what I can tell, it works! We have some recipes that use this herb, easily grown, again, in your organic garden.

Oregano
We love this seasoning and use it in many dishes even where the recipe does not call for it. Wonderful relationship with tomato based dishes, Italian and Mediterranean cookery. This is good to experiment with and is always in our garden. Oregano has one of the highest amounts of antioxidants of all the herbs so use it frequently not just for it's anti-cancer benefits but also because it makes eating so much more fun.

Add these herbs to your daily diet to fight cancer. This act alone could make ALL the difference! And support

to help us continue our fight for Mary and for everyone who has or will be diagnosed with cancer.
20% of the proceeds from our GTK-wear Store will be donated to Cancer Research Institute.

Parsley
You probably think parsley is good laying on a plate of something edible, making the whole presentation look inviting. Well, it's much more than that. Parsley is brimming with vitamins that are needed to fight cancer and has zero calories, so it's great for healthy diets. Also rich in cancer and disease fighting properties. And you thought it was just another pretty face! We grow it and chop it and add it to many dishes even where parsley is not called for. You just can't get too many antioxidants in your diet and this is a very easy way to remedy that as it does not add strong flavor on it own.

Rosemary
Studies are underway to determine just how well rosemary blocks cancer cells. Rosemary is a rich source of cancer fighting properties and you know by now just how critical this is to avoiding cancers of all types. Plus, it's got many uses in cookery and you will find some of those recipes in our recipe pages. Use this herb in soups, stews. I throw it in stem and all and just fish it out before serving. Great used with fresh fennel in pork dishes, sprinkled over chicken or fish. Also loves hanging out with garlic. And as usual, everything goes with tomatoes!

Sage
I'm betting you use sage once or twice a year in turkey stuffing. This is too good for you to use so infrequently. Find some new recipes (check ours out) to incorporate this into your healthy eating menus. Sage goes quite well with vegetables for a new taste sensation. It's a strong flavor so test slowly until you reach the right amount for your taste. And remember, this gets stronger as it cooks. Again, very beneficial for fighting cancer.

Tarragon
Not just for vinegar any more, tarragon is known to have countless cancer preventatives that flush free radicals out of the body. A naturally occurring chemical, caffeic acid, that serves to cleanse the body of viruses also. Use tarragon in soups and sauces or any dish that uses thyme. We have yet to add this to our garden but would love to hear from you if you are growing it.

Thyme
You just cannot cook with tomatoes without using thyme. And it's great sprinkled over fresh tomatoes with a drizzle of high quality olive oil. Not just delicious, but also nutritious and beneficial. As with all of these herbs, antioxidants help to rid you of cancer causing free radicals. You can toss this into your other vegetables to perk up the flavor. In our garden, should be in yours.

Only after we lost Mary and spent time with Todd as he dealt with the many issues that come with the loss of a loved one did I realize that she rarely used any of these herbs. Cooking was not her thing and being of Korean descent, she focused on many Asian foods, some of which are now being thought to be at the root of stomach cancer. This cancer has a higher incidence in these cultures than in non-Asians. This is not yet definitive but it's for sure that the diets of Oriental and Asian cultures commonly contain more highly acidic and pickled foods than diets in other cultures. You might consider going easy on these foods and adding some of these vitamin packed foods to your daily diet if you routinely consume a lot of these acidic foods...just as an insurance policy!

Additional Resources
Alternative Medicine
Traditional medicine can make you well if you are sick, but alternative medicine can keep you well AND make you well.

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