Welcome to Dishing of Nutrition's midweek segment Ask a Nutritionist.

I am Amy Crumb of registered and licensed dietitian, and today we will be discussing herbs and spices.

We're going to delve into all benefits of different herbs and spices. So often we think of them just for flavor, but herbs and

spices have lots of other benefits that we'll talk about today. They contain phytochemicals,

which naturally occur in the plant to help protect them from pests and diseases. But when we eat the

phytochemicals, they help us by being antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial.

Today we'll talk more about the types of herbs and spices, how to use them, the benefits of specific herbs and spices, and what to look for when

you're buying them. Let's go through a quick description of what herbs and spices are.

Herbs are the fresh or dried leaves of non-woody herbaceous plants. Spices are the aromatic

or pungent parts of plants that aren't the leaves.

That could be the roots, bark, seeds, fruits, or flowers.

Spices usually have stronger flavors and are often from tropical regions.

And so some plants have both herbs and spices.

I think it's interesting that coriander seeds come from the same plant that produces cilantro

leaves. You can use herbs dry or fresh. Fresh herbs are usually ideal for adding at the end

of cooking as a garnish or on salads because they have those good aromatics that do best

and fresh. Dried herbs have a stronger flavor by volume than fresh and they're best used while cooking.

You only need to use about a third of the amount of dried herbs as you would fresh.

So think of a ratio of one teaspoon of dried herbs to a tablespoon of fresh.

Leafy and delicate herbs like basil, parsley, chives, dill, and tarragon lose their flavor when dried.

Herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, stage, and bay leaves hold up better when they're

dry, especially for dishes that are cooked longer, like soups and stews.

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