Use This High-Antioxidant Spice in Hot Drinks

By RealAge

This Week's Tips

Next time you cozy up with a hot mug of something special, consider tossing in a spice that's bursting with antioxidants: cloves.
It makes mulled cider taste amazing. And it dresses up hot coffee drinks nicely, too. And in a recent study, cloves bested rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano when it came to phenolic content and antioxidant activity.
Powerful, Spicy Protection
Phenolic content and antioxidant activity are two qualities you definitely want in a spice. They help to quell lipid peroxidation -- a damaging process that leads to all sorts of bad things. In food, it causes decay. In your body, it can trigger the type of inflammation that damages cells and opens the door to a bevy of inflammation-loving diseases, like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. (Get your clove on with this citrusy, spicy, hot EatingWell recipe: Fireside Mulled Cider.)
Clever Clove Recipes
Cider isn't the only way to bring more cloves into your life. Make this superspice part of your holiday cuisine by whipping up some of these healthy and delicious treats from the EatingWell:

Give brunch a festive twist with this recipe: Gingerbread Coffeecake Muffins.
Make winter squash special with this seasonal dish: Roasted Acorn Squash with Cider Drizzle.
Pass on the ho-hum traditional pie and serve this instead: Pumpkin Coconut Tart..

Make room for these three antioxidant-rich veggies at your table, too. My tip: Cloves can also be found in pumpkin pie spice. I have a seperate grinder to grind my spices so buy it whole and grind your own. Also if you have small votive glass holders you can add a few whole cloves on the bottom, make sure the votive sits level and as it burns and the hot wax spills over it will sent your house. I also add it to my coffee in the morning. Don't add the cinnamon to the coffee before brewing it will clog the filter and make it over run.

Recipes for your health and Vitality

Monday, November 8, 2010