Official Review: Discover the Incredible Health Benefits ...
Posted: 06 May 2015, 10:50
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Discover the Incredible Health Benefits of Adding Spices to your Diet" by Rita S Custer.]
3 out of 4 stars
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In the western world, people often approach health care with a “There’s-a-pill-for-that” kind of mentality. Western medicine is largely reactive, not preventative. Live an unhealthy lifestyle and when something breaks, get it fixed. Because doctors can do anything. Because nothing is impossible these days. Tiny, seemingly magic pills or capsules with nondescript powder in them, taken in certain dosages, will bring about a cure. No effort is required. No understanding of your physiology is needed. Science has rendered that redundant.
Rita S. Custer doesn’t think so. She clearly believes in the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” And she highlights a very simple and easy way to do this, in literal ounces: incorporate spices into your diet. In her work Discover the Incredible Health Benefits of Adding Spices to Your Diet, she discusses five different spices, their basic properties, and how they can contribute to overall better health. (I hesitate to refer to this as a book, as there is no publisher, no date of publication, etc., and – in the pdf format in which I received it – it is 19 pages.)
The players in this essay (let’s use that term, shall we?) are turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and fennel. Each spice is discussed separately in its own “chapter.” The author has a good knowledge of each spice, explaining the properties of each one. For example, turmeric is from the root of the curcuma longa plant. “Its skin is deep brown, while the interior of the curcuma longa root is bright orange. When turmeric is dried and ground, it is the orange interior flesh that lends the yellowish color to all the foods that this spice is placed in.” Cinnamon bark contains oils, and the three components found in these oils bring health benefits: cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamaldehyde. Cloves also contain essential oils and are rich in antiseptic properties. Fennel contains phytonutrients, which give it impressive antioxidant properties.
Each chapter covers the spice itself, the specific health benefits that can be derived from it, and the best way to buy it. Spices sold in grocery stores are often not in the most potent form and do not bring maximum benefit. For example, cinnamon is best when purchased in its original form – as bark – and ground at home. Whole cloves are better than ground cloves, but if the ground form is purchased, it’s best to get it in specialty or ethnic stores. When buying fennel, “choose bulbs that are bright, solid, firm and clean. They should be green or bright white in color…If the stalks have any flowering buds, this means that the fennel is past its prime and should not be purchased.” There are also a few simple recipes/ideas about how to incorporate spices into one’s diet, and precautions concerning amounts (spices in their original form are much more potent, and could adversely affect preexisting health conditions or react with medications if too much is ingested).
There is an interesting discussion of bioavailability, that is, how much of the food or nutrient will actually be available for absorption and use by the body. For example, since turmeric has a very low bioavailability as a standalone spice, it is recommended that black pepper be added, which significantly increases this particular property of the turmeric.
I found this to be very interesting and informative. The information is presented clearly and logically, and it is a good start for anyone who desires to adopt a spice regimen for better overall health and well-being. There is good, specific information and recommendations for those suffering from specific ailments such as age-related inflammation, arthritis, diabetes, Candida, sexual dysfunction, nausea, joint pain, and blood pressure, to name a few. A few typographical and punctuation errors are sprinkled throughout, including the unfortunate and consistent misspelling of the word "turmeric." This is akin to referring to "Atticus Fink" throughout the whole of To Kill a Mockingbird. It is hoped that the author will correct this.
The scope of this work is necessarily limited by both page count and the number of spices actually discussed – five. If one wishes to adopt a more thorough and effective spice regimen, more information will probably be needed. But what it does, it does well, and reflects an in-depth knowledge of the spices discussed. This is not a “Wow, I can’t believe how amazing that was!” piece of work, but I found it to be well written and informative. I am quite comfortable giving Discover the Incredible Health Benefits of Adding Spices to Your Diet three out of four stars. I recommend this to anyone who is (or wants to be) conscious of eating healthy and/or interested in proper nutrition and natural treatments and remedies.
******
Discover the Incredible Health Benefits of Adding Spices to your Diet
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like PashaRu's review? Post a comment saying so!
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
In the western world, people often approach health care with a “There’s-a-pill-for-that” kind of mentality. Western medicine is largely reactive, not preventative. Live an unhealthy lifestyle and when something breaks, get it fixed. Because doctors can do anything. Because nothing is impossible these days. Tiny, seemingly magic pills or capsules with nondescript powder in them, taken in certain dosages, will bring about a cure. No effort is required. No understanding of your physiology is needed. Science has rendered that redundant.
Rita S. Custer doesn’t think so. She clearly believes in the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” And she highlights a very simple and easy way to do this, in literal ounces: incorporate spices into your diet. In her work Discover the Incredible Health Benefits of Adding Spices to Your Diet, she discusses five different spices, their basic properties, and how they can contribute to overall better health. (I hesitate to refer to this as a book, as there is no publisher, no date of publication, etc., and – in the pdf format in which I received it – it is 19 pages.)
The players in this essay (let’s use that term, shall we?) are turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and fennel. Each spice is discussed separately in its own “chapter.” The author has a good knowledge of each spice, explaining the properties of each one. For example, turmeric is from the root of the curcuma longa plant. “Its skin is deep brown, while the interior of the curcuma longa root is bright orange. When turmeric is dried and ground, it is the orange interior flesh that lends the yellowish color to all the foods that this spice is placed in.” Cinnamon bark contains oils, and the three components found in these oils bring health benefits: cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamaldehyde. Cloves also contain essential oils and are rich in antiseptic properties. Fennel contains phytonutrients, which give it impressive antioxidant properties.
Each chapter covers the spice itself, the specific health benefits that can be derived from it, and the best way to buy it. Spices sold in grocery stores are often not in the most potent form and do not bring maximum benefit. For example, cinnamon is best when purchased in its original form – as bark – and ground at home. Whole cloves are better than ground cloves, but if the ground form is purchased, it’s best to get it in specialty or ethnic stores. When buying fennel, “choose bulbs that are bright, solid, firm and clean. They should be green or bright white in color…If the stalks have any flowering buds, this means that the fennel is past its prime and should not be purchased.” There are also a few simple recipes/ideas about how to incorporate spices into one’s diet, and precautions concerning amounts (spices in their original form are much more potent, and could adversely affect preexisting health conditions or react with medications if too much is ingested).
There is an interesting discussion of bioavailability, that is, how much of the food or nutrient will actually be available for absorption and use by the body. For example, since turmeric has a very low bioavailability as a standalone spice, it is recommended that black pepper be added, which significantly increases this particular property of the turmeric.
I found this to be very interesting and informative. The information is presented clearly and logically, and it is a good start for anyone who desires to adopt a spice regimen for better overall health and well-being. There is good, specific information and recommendations for those suffering from specific ailments such as age-related inflammation, arthritis, diabetes, Candida, sexual dysfunction, nausea, joint pain, and blood pressure, to name a few. A few typographical and punctuation errors are sprinkled throughout, including the unfortunate and consistent misspelling of the word "turmeric." This is akin to referring to "Atticus Fink" throughout the whole of To Kill a Mockingbird. It is hoped that the author will correct this.
The scope of this work is necessarily limited by both page count and the number of spices actually discussed – five. If one wishes to adopt a more thorough and effective spice regimen, more information will probably be needed. But what it does, it does well, and reflects an in-depth knowledge of the spices discussed. This is not a “Wow, I can’t believe how amazing that was!” piece of work, but I found it to be well written and informative. I am quite comfortable giving Discover the Incredible Health Benefits of Adding Spices to Your Diet three out of four stars. I recommend this to anyone who is (or wants to be) conscious of eating healthy and/or interested in proper nutrition and natural treatments and remedies.
******
Discover the Incredible Health Benefits of Adding Spices to your Diet
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like PashaRu's review? Post a comment saying so!
