By F.R.E.E. Will, LuxEco Editorial Assistant, Author of In The Spice Cabinet series
There’s an old saying that I’m sure many of people have heard, but have never really took the time out to truly comprehend: “you are what you eat.”
So is it any wonder that a good number of Americans these days are not only out of shape but suffer inextricably obesity and are just down right unhealthy? Think about it, we spend most of our time either in our vehicles on our way to work, or in that very same office space that we are confined to for 8 hours, 5 days (sometimes even more) a week. How does all this play into our collective dietary habits you ask? Our results/performance driven society doesn’t leave much room for someone to truly nourish themselves let alone enjoy what it is they are eating. That’s where your favorite fast food eatery comes in. They’re on every corner, cater to a wide variety of tastes and the best part about it is we get all that good food without having to put any elbow grease (lord knows fast food contains enough grease as it is) into the making of our favorite combo meal. The problem arises from the fact that most fast food joints, while big on taste and convenience, aren’t necessarily big on nutrition and only contribute further to the unhealthy state of this country. The food is heavily processed and contains more fat and indigestible material than our bodies can completely break down, leaving it to collect and sit in our intestinal tract and other organs, hindering the absorption of vital nutrients, upsetting the balance of the human body leaving it susceptible to various diseases and chronic ailments.
The purpose of this article, and the In the Spice Cabinet series as a whole, is to examine the ingredients that go into some of your favorite dishes, particularly the benefits some of the more familiar (and some not so familiar) herbs and spices contain. One cannot get a sense of the bigger picture (our health) unless we take a closer look at the smaller components of which it is made up. It is my belief that we won’t be able to truly alter our eating habits until we have a firmer grasp on what goes into our food and are therefore able to make a more informed decision regarding that with which, and how we choose to nourish ourselves.
What many people fail to realize, or never knew to begin with, is that one of the keys to a more fulfilling and healthier diet, and lifestyle as a whole, starts right your kitchen, and you need only look as far as the pantry. Many of the herbs and spices we currently use to season our food have a very storied past which lend themelves to everything ranging from beauty and cosmetics, to even preventive health. Without further ado, welcome to In The Spice Cabinet. You’ll never look at your pantry the same way again.
That way the next time someone says to you that you are what you eat, you can say that you are; and you are healthier because of it.
The first destination on the discovery of the LuxEco Spice Cabinet is Tumeric. Read about it here.
Editorial Note:With anything in life, consistency is what yields the greatest results, but always in moderation. Too much of anything may leave you to deal with undesireable effects; so be sure to seek balance in what you do.
