WHY WE NEED TO SPICE UP OUR LIVES and SPICED PARSNIP SOUP

I was flicking through The Times earlier this week, when I spotted – buried away on page 14 – a short piece about pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer: Pfizer gives up on dementia research.

Pfizer has said it will no longer be researching treatments for Alzheimer’s. The company has also stopped investing in a cure for Parkinson’s. Given that a cure for either condition is the jackpot every Pharma company dreams of, this is big news.

In the last six years, several potential dementia drugs (all designed to stop the build-up of amyloid proteins in the brain) have made it to the final stage of trials only to be found ineffective, suggesting that for most of us over the age of 40, there may not be an effective cure for Alzheimer’s, dementia or even Parkinson’s in our lifetime.

So far, only lifestyle choices seem to make any difference. In the last few weeks, a study from Chicago’s Rush University found that eating green leafy veg could keep the brain a decade younger, while the American Academy of Neurology updated its guidelines to include twice weekly exercise sessions for those with early signs of memory loss.

All this has been at the back of my mind, as I chose my New Year’s Resolutions. I’m rather partial to a resolution and usually make them for everyone in my family. They take no notice (obviously) but at least I feel as though we’re all moving on an upwards trajectory of progression and self-improvement. If only for a few days …

This year I’ve made three resolutions and I’ll share them on the blog over the next few weeks. My first came as I read Dr Michael Greger’s How Not to Die. Dr Greger is an evangelist for plant-based diets. I don’t agree with everything he says but I like his audacity, his non-commercial sincerity and his approach to supplements (watch this space). He also appears to have read every bit of nutritional research ever done.

Just as I was smugly thinking how much I knew from my years of blogging, I came across a fact that blindsided me: the power of a pinch of spice – or dried herbs. Of course, we know that herbs and spices are good things, but quite how good had escaped me. Besides, not all herbs and spices are equal. Very small doses of certain herbs and spices can so dramatically (and easily) boost the nutritional punch of a dish that it seems madness not to make full use of them

Doctor Greger gave two examples that had me reaching for the google bar. The first was a bowl of porridge that had its anti-oxidant power increased by around 500% with the addition of half a teaspoon of cinnamon; the second was a plate of pasta that had its anti-oxidant power increased by almost 400% with a single teaspoon of dried oregano. Interestingly a teaspoon of marjoram would have made it even more potent. He then suggested adding a pinch of cloves to the porridge. Cloves, apparently, are the king of anti-oxidants or off-the-chart-amazing as Greger puts it.

A quick check of the US ORAC table (see below, that’s the list of anti-oxidant values for each foodstuff although why the Spice table includes prunes and rice bran I’m not sure) confirms everything Greger says about herbs and spices.

Cloves aren’t consumed as much now, but I’ve been researching and cooking recipes from 200 years ago and our forebears (in England at any rate) made good use of cloves. A ginger cake I made from an 1845 recipe contained a heaped teaspoon of ground cloves and 25g of ground ginger, considerably more than most contemporary recipes. As my children gobbled up the cake, my thoughts turned to whether I could make more generous use of herbs and spices. And a 2018 New Year’s Resolution was born: to be more adventurous with herbs and spices.

I’ve started by replacing all the out-of-date herbs and spices from my larder and drawing up a list of herbs-to-plant-in-2018. The ORAC table below suggests that dried herbs are more potent than fresh, but I’m not one to routinely sacrifice taste for health. If a fresh herb tastes better, use it. My planting list includes some of the herbs Greger raves about but aren’t so easily bought – like lemon balm and marjoram. And I’m researching interesting ways of using less obvious spices like … cloves, obviously.

So what are Dr Greger’s top herbs and spices? His favourites for fighting inflammation (thought to be at the root of most degenerative disease) are:

• Cloves
• Ginger
• Rosemary
• Turmeric.

But he also likes: allspice, basil, bay leaves, cardamom, cayenne, coriander, cumin, curry powder, fenugreek, ginger, nutmeg, mustard powder, vanilla, saffron, smoked paprika, horseradish, lemon grass, lemon balm, marjoram, oregano, dill, parsley, peppermint, saffron, sage, thyme.

Oh, and he’s very excited about saffron (more to come…)

You can see him talking about herbs and spices in this very brief video: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/antioxidants-in-a-pinch/

 SPICED PARSNIP SOUP (8 portions)

This is one of my favourite winter soups. My Mum made it regularly when we were children and now I make it for my children. I’ve amended it to include extra turmeric. Any good curry powder will do, or make your own blend if you prefer. Feel free to increase or decrease the spices, as you – or your family – like.

Parsnips, a rich source of fibre, folate, anti-oxidants and potassium (amongst other things), are in season now. Serve this soup with lemon wedges, good bread and a green leafy salad. And plenty of black pepper to boost the nutritional value of of the turmeric.

• 1 -2 tbsp olive oil
• 500g parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 tsps curry powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 litre veg stock or bone broth (I’ve been using stock made from the Christmas turkey bones)
• Lemon wedges and chopped parsley, coriander or mint to serve

Put the parsnips, onions, curry powder and turmeric into a large roasting pan, with the olive oil and make sure they’re well oiled.

Roast in the oven at 180 degrees for approx. 30-40 minutes or until the parsnips are soft.

Tip into a bowl with the stock. Then blitz in a blender, bit by bit, until everything is smooth.

Season if you want.

Happy New Year!

Annabel

ORAC SPICE TABLE

SPICES	ORAC per 100 grams	ORAC per 1 tsp (4 grams)	ORAC/ 1 TBsp	# tsp per 100 grams
Cloves, ground	290,283	11,611	34,833	45.45
Oregano, dried	175,295	7,011	21,035	66.66
Rosemary, dried	165,280	6,611	19,833	90.91
Thyme, dried	157,380	6,295	18,886	69.44
Cinnamon, ground	131,420	5,257	15,771	44.25
Turmeric, ground	127,068	5,083	15,248	44.25
Vanilla beans, dried	122,400	4,896	14,688	23.08
Sage, ground	119,929	4,797	14,391	142.86
Szechuan pepper, dried	118,400	4,736	14,208	33.33
Parsley, dried	73,670	2,947	8,841	80
Nutmeg, ground	69, 640	2,786	8,357	42.86
Basil, dried	61, 063	2,443	7,329	66.66
Cocoa, dry powder unsweetened	55, 653	2,226	6,678	55.81
Cumin seed	50, 372	2,015	6,045	50
Baking chocolate, unsweetened squares	49, 944	1,998	5,994	36.36
Ginger, ground	39, 041	1,561	4,683	57.83
Pepper, black	34, 053	1,362	4,086	46.73
Sage, fresh	32, 004	1,280	3,840	150
Mustard seed ground, yellow	29, 257	1,170	3,511	36
Thyme, fresh	27, 426	1,097	3,291	126.32
Marjoram	27, 297	1,091	3,273	177.78
Rice bran, crude	24, 287	971	2,913	40.68
Chili powder	23, 636	945	2,835	37.5
Paprika	21,932	877	2,632	44.04
Pepper, red or cayenne	19,671	787	2,361	56.82
Raspberries, black	19, 220	769	2,307	39.02
Nuts, pecans	17, 940	718	2,154	40
Tarragon, fresh	15,542	622	1,866	165.52
Ginger root, raw	14, 840	594	1,782	21.16
Peppermint, fresh	13,978	559	1,677	375
Oregano, fresh	13,970	558	1,674	66.66
Nuts, walnuts English	13,541	542	1,626	48
Raisins, golden seedless	10,450	418	1,254	33.1
Prunes, dried	8,059	322	966	28.24
Garlic powder	6,665	267	801	30.97
Lemon balm, leaves raw	5, 997	240	720	50
Coriander (cilantro) leaves raw	5, 141	206	618	60.24
Basil, fresh	4,805	192	576	114.29
Blueberries, raw	4,669	187	561	33.1
Nuts, almonds	4,454	178	534	34.78
Dill weed, fresh	4,392	176	528	100
Beans, black, boiled(raw 8,494)	2,249	90	270	27.91
Avocados, Hass, raw	1,922	77	231	32.88
Potatoes, red, flesh and skin, baked	1,326	53	159	39.34
Parsley, raw  1 spring=1 gram	1,301	52	156	78.69
Tea, green, brewed	1,253	50	150	75
Zucchini or summer sq	180	7	21	26.67

 

USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2 – Prepared by Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – May 2010