Even when our food choices aren't the best, herbs and spices do more than just improve taste. They give any meal a nutrition boost. And according to one study they may even reverse the damage from an unhealthy meal. 

Researchers from Penn State University cooked up coconut chicken, cheese bread and a dessert biscuit for six men. The subjects were aged 30 to 65 and overweight but otherwise healthy. On one day the meal was served plain. On another day researchers added two tablespoons of a blend of nine herbs and spices to the meal. 

After each meal the researchers drew blood from the subjects every 30 minutes for four hours. They found that antioxidant activity in the blood increased 13% after the spicy meal compared to the plain meal. 

Published with permission from skinnychef.com

Everyone now seems to know how good turmeric is for your body and mind, but how do you use it in cooking?

When it comes to eating healthy, spices are many times overlooked. So if you want to supercharge the health benefits of the foods you're already eating while adding more interest to your meals, head to the spice rack.

Just because you consume a particular food or drink, doesn't mean all the nutrients make their way into the body, to the locations where they end up being used or stored. Sometimes they just pass right out of your gastrointestinal tract without being absorbed and other times they are broken-down immediately by the liver and excreted by the kidneys.

Nutrients have to make it through a variety of obstacles, starting from the moment they enter your mouth to the moment they are used or stored. The bioavailability of a particular nutrient refers to the ability of the nutrient to pass through some or all of these obstacles, so that they are absorbed into your body and become available for use or storage [1].