Make food more flavorful and healthy with herbs, spices and fruit juices

Do fat, sugar and salt need to be added to foods to make them taste good? Not always. The best chefs in the world know that herbs, spices and fruit juices and extracts can have a powerful effect on creating savory dishes.

So if you’re trying to eat better, think about taste as much as nutrition. This list of flavoring agents – juices, herbs, spices, concoctions – are healthy in and of themselves. But use them to make healthier foods more appetizing and you get a double whammy of nutrition.

Most of these flavoring agents are like a little dose of health added to a meal, in some cases like taking vitamins with breakfast. Here’s a quick review of the functional and healthful characteristics of these flavors:

Citrus (lemon and lime) juice. Citrus juices add zing to just about anything – I even squeeze a lime over my turkey chili. My simplest all-protein snack is a frozen chicken breast in a bowl with about a half-inch of lemon juice, sprinkled with black pepper and oregano; microwave for about seven minutes (more or less depending on your oven strength; flip the chicken after four minutes), then eat. Now scrape the brown stuff from the sides of the bowl and taste it. Yummy. Citrus is very good as a salt substitute, important to individuals needing to reduce sodium (for example people suffering from hypertension, and other heart or kidney conditions). Bottled and whole-fruit forms are relatively interchangeable and have a long shelf life. Lemon and lime are also high in vitamin C – which has the well-known benefits of preventing scurvy, helping the immune response to cold and other germs and strengthens collagen in bones. Your scurvy worries are gone when you pucker up to lemon chili.

Vinegar (balsamic, red wine, cider and others). Another acidic zinger, vinegar tastes so good to me I often drink a capful or two while cooking. It’s a dominant flavor, however, such that it’s easy to use too much. Vinegar comes in dozens of varieties; red wine, apple cider or malt versions carry plenty of taste, but the rich, dark balsamic is truly guy gourmet. Hippocrates advocated vinegar as a medicine, something the wholistic crowd espouses even today (most purported medical benefits have not been adequately studied).

Tabasco and crushed chili peppers. Made largely from hot peppers, vinegar, salt and sometimes tomatoes, onions and garlic, hot sauces are definitively strong tastes that work for simple cooks like myself. It’s best to hold off adding this taste until you’re ready to eat, just to make sure you don’t overdo it. With practice, you can learn how adding crushed chili peppers to a stew or other recipe can permeate the entire dish, leaving a pleasant aftertaste that lingers and improves your satiety. Some small studies suggest that the active component of chili peppers, capsaicin, raise metabolism during and after a meal to the extent it actually burns extra calories. True or not, it should also be noted that capsaicin derived from pepper is now also marketed as a topical pain reliever.

Oregano. An herb I first met in a wax packet accompanying a pizza delivery, this is a spice favored by Italians, Greeks and cultures throughout the Mediterranean. Its name derives from the Greek for “joy of the mountains.” Perhaps it works well for guys in a broad variety of foods (egg dishes, anything involving beans, chicken) because we’re transferring happy memories of pizzas past. Among herbs, it has one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants. Historically, it has been touted (but not necessarily proven through research) to ameliorate everything from digestive disturbances, constipation, diarrhea, parasitic infections, cough, headaches, menstrual irregularities and bacterial and viral infections. But dude, if you have parasitic infections or menstrual irregularities you seriously need to see a doctor.

Salt and pepper. Yes, salt in moderation has its place. Few tastes are as basic and universal as salt and its tabletop cousin, pepper. According to The Elements of Taste “salt is the king of tastes,” which they speculate has something to do with our evolutionary roots as halibut or something. We get too much salt in processed foods, usually, and that’s of particular concern to people who have hypertension or high blood pressure or are prone to kidney stones. Regardless, salt pushes all other flavors while peppers of all kinds (black, chili, cayenne, pimento, paprika) trigger a pain-pleasure response on the tongue (a good thing).

Sweetener (sugar, honey, aspartame, etc.). When in the American south, if you ask for unsweetened iced tea what you get is a dirty look. Some people just gotta have it sweet. Sugar of course adds calories (same goes for honey), but that’s not such a horrible thing if it gets you to enjoy fruit more. Far better you take in 16 calories from a packet of sugar sprinkled on grapefruit than to never eat grapefruit. Sugar isn’t just for sweet foods either – check the label of many non-sweet products such as ketchup or tomato sauce and you’ll see some form of sugar pretty high up the list.

Parmesan and Romano cheeses (grated). Cheeses of all types, including these two, are made mostly of fat, sodium and protein. In excess, that can work against you due to the artery clogging effects of high fat. But the beauty of these cheeses, sprinkled lightly on foods, is that a little bit goes a long way. It’s a no brainer to use either on tomato-based foods, but it goes well on steamed vegetables, egg dishes and green salads. This flavor, mixed with lemon juice on something like cauliflower, asparagus or broccoli, is food for the gods.

Prepared salad dressing (lower-fat versions). You can pretty much chuck everything else you read in this chapter and go the easy route by putting manufactured salad dressings on a lot of foods. It’s not just for green salads, you know. See all those floaty things at the bottom of the bottle? Herbs, spices, onion bits – all tastes that mix well together. Also, commercial dressings have ingredients like xanthan gum, calcium disodium edta and hydrogenated vegetable oil, which might be reduced as awareness of trans fatty acids grows. And sugar, lots of sugar in certain varieties (bothers me a little). But the easiest, healthy meal you can make at the end of a long day is nuked meat, steamed vegetables and low-fat oil-based dressing all over both. The only trouble is I like to come up with my own tastes, because prepared salad dressings can get boring after a while. So when making a meal for other people, try mixing a dose or two of olive oil with an equal amount of vinegar and a few spices (rosemary, pepper, salt, oregano, cilantro, whatever) for a fresh salad.

Olive oil. It’s almost all fat (made up of a mixture of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats – which are the good fats and which explains why olive oil gets so much press). And it doesn’t taste like much on its own. Yet olive oil is perhaps the most important ingredient for anything you do in a skillet. Oil (in addition to olive, try also flaxseed, peanut, corn or canola) is a medium for other tastes to emerge, providing a means for spices and meats and vegetables to cook and caramelize without burning. Oil also helps to absorbtion of other nutrients, like vitamin E. Vegetable oils are like meat lard in that they are mostly fat, but unlike animal fats, most vegetable oils are composed of mono- or polyunsaturated fat (beef fat is saturated, which has a negative affect on cholesterol levels and heart health). Note that for simple frying, the spray versions of olive oil and butter help reduce total consumption.

Onions. Talk about a pack of punch in a small corner of dinner plate real estate. The most common onions are reds (best used uncooked in salads, sandwiches and on burgers) and yellows (deliver more taste when stir-fried). Onions and garlic are both strong tastes that work in a variety of raw and cooked meals. Like other fruits and vegetables, onions contain specific components (antioxidant quercetin and selenium) that have known health-promoting benefits. From a study published in November 2002 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Hsing, et al.), high marks go to scallions, garlic, onions, leeks, chives and shallots (all related) for their strong association with the non-occurrence of prostate cancer, one of the most common forms of cancer in men. The flavonols present in this group collectively known as allium are also linked to lower cancer risks to the stomach, colon and esophagus.

Minced garlic. Like the name says, it’s garlic pre-chopped for you. Now, you could save money if you bought whole garlic by itself and did all the chopping. But your hands would stink for days. For the most part, garlic is a good food (see Onions, above). Like many herbal and plant foods, there is broad folklore espousing benefits that have yet to be verified by scientific study. It might work as an antifungal, moderate blood pressure, reduce “bad” cholesterol, improve circulation, mitigate impotence, work as a “cardioprotective” and an antioxidant, relieve coughs and colds and help stomach conditions. As with most traditional folk remedies and preventives, the economics required to conduct extensive, long-term research on components of diet and specific foods to verify particular health benefits is lacking. Some university research – interestingly, much more of it conducted in Europe and Canada than the U.S. – validates garlic’s ability to fight high cholesterol and heart disease, as well as the antibacterial qualities of allicin, an active component of garlic. A distant relative of mine who lived well into her nineties claimed her longevity was because she ate a clove of garlic everyday. You just didn’t want to spend too much time with her in close quarters. Regarding the breath thing, there are ways to combat it – parsley or breath mints after dinner – but the odor a day or two later comes from the fact the stuff lingers in your blood stream and stomach gases, further indication of a pervasive health effect, I think. As a rule, don’t eat or serve it on a date unless you agree to do it together (a “stink pact”).

Cilantro. This is a love it or hate it taste. Personally, I can’t get enough of the stuff – it goes great with anything involving tomatoes, avocados (such as in guacamole), mixed with green salads and chopped over grilled meat. As a green, leafy ingredient, it should be added only late in the cooking process if not after the main meal is removed from heat, and just before serving. Nice bite, it has a unique, if not overpowering, flavor. Lots of websites promote it as a digestive aid and to prevent infections, which seem to be the purported benefit of anything herbal (see ginger, garlic, etc.).

Mustards. I grew up in the era of basic hot dog mustard, but now, for better or worse, we have choices ranging from the swank Grey Poupon to my favorite earthy, grainy German-style mustards. Its spiciness is best kept in check, so don’t overdo it; but it is possible to eat mustard on most meats (including fish), vegetables and eggs. Mix it in with olive oil and vinegar for an extra kick in a salad dressing. It says something about a taste when it has a history of use in clearing the sinuses and increasing blood flow (mustard plasters). While never used in quantity such that it matters, mustard is typically free of fat and cholesterol and is about 25 percent protein. Just don’t be fooled by “Dijonnaise” or other forms of mustard that is largely mayonnaise; this labeling trick fooled a lot of people when first introduced in the fat-phobic 1990s.

Turmeric. Most prepared mustards, including good old French’s, use turmeric itself as a spicy ingredient. But you can use this über-healthy spice on almost any cooked dish – add to chicken stir-fry, for example. Just be prepared to see the whole dish take on a yellow-orange color. Long a staple of Indian Ayurvedic medicine, the U.S. National Institutes of Health has four clinical trials underway to study curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) treatment for pancreatic cancer, multiple myeloma, Alzheimer's, and colorectal cancer.

Horseradish. This is what is served at a Passover Seder to represent the suffering of the Jews under Pharaoh’s rule. That notwithstanding, horseradish is to northern Europeans what chilies are to Latin Americans and certain Asian cultures – at its best when you feel a rush up the backside of the head. The best stash should be classified a recreational drug. I was fed horseradish in my formative years on roast-beef-and-weck sandwiches (the culinary brainchild of Buffalo that preceded hot chicken wings); now I put it on anything that I like, including these bland submarine sandwiches I buy at a convenience store near where I live (lazy day gourmet). I do this intuitively, but some evidence indicates that the allyl isothiocyanate present in both horseradish and mustards might fight food pathogens such as e. coli in meats. That’s a piece of food trivia that could come in handy someday. Again, all that zing must have some good effect.

Steak sauce. Really? This is in the category of “commercial products you could make yourself but why bother?,” much like prepared salad dressings and seasoning packets. It elicits a strong association with something you already know and presumably like – grilled steak – which you then can transfer over to something new (fish, chicken or a vegetable), as the aforementioned study out of the University of Toronto suggests we are able to do. The product manufacturers sporadically promote it for non-steak use. Perhaps tuna or Brussels sprouts with steak sauce might not trip your wire, but I think it falls under our entitlement to liberty and the pursuit of happiness – try it to see if you like it. The various commercial brands vary in taste, of course; most are made with tomato puree, vinegar, salt and sugars, each of which are relatively benign in small quantities.

Prepared spice blends (in dry packs). Again, someone with the time and inclination could throw together a lot of spices on their own, but sometimes convenience can’t be beat. Something like this can mix into any dish that would otherwise take salt (for example, a bean dish); or, use it for its intended purposes stated on the product label. There are dozens of different varieties to dry pack mixes – find the ones that appeal to you most. Here’s a real A Guy’s Gotta Eat style recipe from Mrs. Dash, a brand I sometimes buy:

1 pound carrots, grated; 1 Tablespoon Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb Seasoning; 1/2 cup raisins; 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped; 1 cup yogurt with fruit, lowfat; 1 Tablespoon brown sugar. Toss grated carrots, raisins, walnuts. Mix together yogurt, Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb Seasoning and brown sugar together and add to carrot mixture and mix well, cover and refrigerate. Preparation Time: Approximately 5 minutes. Cooking Time: none.

Note that neither I, nor anyone I know, works for Mrs. Dash. I simply respect a recipe that is healthy, easy, quick and tastes good (extra points for an unusual mix of things). This recipe is also a good demonstration of how a mix of sugar, salt and spice makes for an appealingly complex taste.

Cinnamon. I put it on grapefruit and in anything involving apples. More broadly, it seems to have a real draw for many cultures to add to any fruit, including the odd-but-healthy category of “fruit soups” (different fruits mixed, sometimes with milk) as well as rice puddings favored by German and Scandinavian cooks. In medicinal folklore, cinnamon prevents tooth decay and eases stomach irritation, and may have beneficial effects on individuals suffering from diabetes, common cold, halitosis, tooth ache and diarrhea. Cinnamon also has a documented high amount of antioxidant activity and serves as a microbial in the preservation of stored foods.

Berries. Most fruit adds flavor to a dish; little chopped up bits of apple on a green salad would wow any guest you have over for dinner because it’s a cheap and easy way to add taste complexity. But berries are your best buddies for taste for a number of reasons. First, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and their exotic cousins (mulberries, blackberries, bilberries and elderberries) have distinct flavors that can make morning oatmeal, a protein shake or yogurt dessert pretty darn interesting. Second, they’re all great fresh but frozen varieties are just as tasty and easy to get all year. But now aging researchers are finding that blueberries in particular, and perhaps other berries as well, help slow the aging process of the neurological system. So berries at breakfast might help you to remember how to eat smart the rest of the day and keep your hook shot on the basketball court.

Spicy Garden Mix. Got a sandwich, vegetable or other dish that’s boring? Give it some kick and crunch with pickled and peppery vegetables. It basically combines two of my favorite tastes, vinegar and chilies, with small chunks of cauliflower, cucumbers, carrots, celery and onions. A popular submarine sandwich chain offers this as one of their toppings, which I ask for frequently.

Ginger root. You are not going to believe how talented you are when you figure out how to slice some fresh ginger into whatever you’re making. Ginger has a sharp bite that defies its Gilligan girl name; perhaps you’ve tasted it as the pink stuff served alongside the green stuff in a sushi restaurant. Added to chicken in the last few minutes of cooking, it delivers a surprising little charge – ginger almost qualifies as a pepper. Like many other herb and root things, it supposedly relieves indigestion. (With so many stomach digestion relievers, how does Pepcid ever stay in business?) Note the fresh form is a brown, hairy, gnarled tuber thing, not the least bit resembling Tina Louise, with a surprisingly long shelf life (available in the produce section – otherwise, it comes in a powdered and packaged form). Ginger is one of those food ingredients used in Asian cultures to fix just about every health condition (too numerous to list here).

Sun dried tomatoes. Someone somewhere goes to a lot of trouble slicing and drying tomato halves, but it’s pretty amazing what happens when they do. Like any dried fruit or vegetable, a big quantity is shrunk down (mostly by moisture loss) so that the taste remaining is concentrated, rich and intense. And we guys like intense. Since most uses for sun dried tomatoes are in foods requiring a little oil (salads, chicken dishes), I suggest you buy the “in oil” variety versus the dried packages (you have to add oil to those anyway to get them to work in dishes). As detailed earlier, tomatoes are a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant associated with the prevention of prostate cancer.

Basil. This is a leafy green that has a distinctive flavor you might have tasted in combination with sliced tomatoes and goat cheese. A guy cooking for himself is unlikely to use basil on an everyday basis; I certainly don’t. But for guests, if you want a cheap and easy wow for your meal, get a bag or bunch of basil in the fresh produce section of the grocery store. Chop it up and sprinkle it on cooked meats or vegetables, or, add it to a green salad. According to MotherNature.com, “In Japan, India and West Africa, various species of basil are used to treat colds, flu, fevers, joint pain, stomach cramps, nausea and headaches.” If you know anyone who gets cramps or headaches, perhaps on a monthly basis, you might show your sensitive side by suggesting she go out and get some basil.

Salsa. A food fact that rocked American xenophobes a few years ago was how salsa sales surpassed that of ketchup. Forget killer bees from Latin America, we’ve been invaded by Tex Mex and there’s no sending it back! And why should we? Beyond its simple tomato base, salsa has all kinds of other vegetable ingredients (tomatillos, onions, chilies, cilantro, garlic, to name a few) that add crunch and flavor and quite a few healthy things as well (with no fat, usually). Salsa is a quick way to turn anything zesty with texture, and it’s far more versatile than ketchup and chip dip, the junk food it replaces. You might even declare for yourself a Salsa Week: try it on everything from cabbage to eggs, chicken and fish, just to see what it can do.

There’s no need to just stop with these. Start paying attention to what other people serve at home or in independent restaurants (the chains rarely venture from the tried-and-true because they tend to market to the least venturesome diners – as in “quesadillas, everyone?”). You owe it to yourself and the quality of your life to find the food flavors you enjoy the most. Is it possible to overdo a taste? From a health standpoint, overdoing anything is not advised; practically speaking, you’re not likely to overdose on steak sauce or cinnamon. Having a broad variety of favorite tastes lessens the likelihood of boredom.

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Excerpted from "A Guy's Gotta Eat, the regular guy's guide to eating smart," by Russ Klettke, with Deanna Conte, MS RD LD (Marlowe & Co./Da Capo Press 2004). Available where books are sold and in more than 100 public library systems in the U.S., Canada and Europe.