Dear Healthy Friend,

There's nothing like a good spaghetti bolognese that has just the right sprinkle of Italian herbs... or a curry that has just the right bite... or oven-roasted potatoes sprinkled with garlic salt and parsley... mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about these fantastic foods!

But what is it that makes these meals all so mouth-watering? What gives dishes their delightful decadence? What makes these suppers so scrumptious?

Why, it's their herbs and spices of course! And Jenny Thompson reveals the health benefits of some of the most common ingredients in most recipes...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. Winter is in the air... the cold mornings, the cold evenings and the cooler lunch times... I feel like I'm waiting on the bouts of colds and flu winter brings with it... Dr Wright has the answer to stop strep throat...

Discover some healing powers hidden in your spice rack
Jenny Thompson
Publisher, Health Sciences Institute

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...

Surely, you know how the old Simon and Garfunkel song goes.

But did you know that all four of those spices have some very healthy qualities too?

Parsley is a breath freshener and improves bladder function, sage supports short-term memory, and rosemary and thyme are two of seven "super spices" because they contain unusually high levels of antioxidants.

So in addition to rosemary and thyme, Simon and Garfunkel could have made their song an antioxidant powerhouse by adding cinnamon, ginger, red pepper, cumin and oregano. Although, good luck coming up with a rhyme for "oregano".

As hard as finding that rhyme might be (even for Paul Simon), it's quite a bit harder to provide scientific proof that spices like oregano provide genuine health benefits.

That's where the staff of the McCormick Science Institute (MSI), in the US, begins their work every day.

McCormick has been the big dog in the world of commercial spice production for well over 100 years.

A recent newspaper article examined three surprising successes that have come out of university research funded by MSI:

• Rosemary extract, added to minced beef, reduces cancer-causing compounds created when meat is cooked at high temperatures (Kansas State University)
• A hamburger prepared with antioxidant spices (oregano, rosemary, cumin and paprika) reduced blood levels of oxidised fats (University of California)
• Post-exercise muscle pain could be reduced when two grams of ginger are consumed daily (University of Georgia)

As you can see... more than just spices...

But these are just a small sampling of the studies MSI has pursued. The MSI website (mccormickscienceinstitute.com) offers further details on a number of different research projects:

• A leading nutritionist evaluated the existing evidence that shows cinnamon may lower blood sugar and insulin levels (Dr Wright has been telling us for years!), while also providing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
• A case study from the University of Toronto showed a link between intake of capsaicin (a component of chilli peppers) and a delay of PSA progression in a patient with prostate cancer.
• When a European team from Italy and Poland examined curcumin (a phytochemical that gives curry its pungent flavour), they concluded: "Curcumin can counteract the pro-inflammatory state which is believed to participate in many age-related diseases."

Most of these studies are unique in that they specifically assess the value of spices as used in food preparation rather than supplement form.

A Johns Hopkins professor assessed one of the studies and gave it high marks and called it "real-life food as medicine" .

Unlike medicine, however, these side effects are delicious. So go on... spice up your life starting tonight...

The surprising way to avoid strep throat

Q: Last winter, my son had four back-to-back cases of strep throat. I really don't want to have the same thing happen this winter. What can I do?

Dr. Wright: Recurrent strep throat can be significantly reduced or even stopped altogether by eliminating - not just reducing, but eliminating - all milk and other dairy products. It sounds too simple to be true, but it works!

I learned this technique from the book Don't Drink Your Milk! by Dr Frank Oski, former director of the department of paediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and have found it to be effective hundreds of times in my own practice over the years.