March is National Nutrition Month and this year’s theme is Celebrate a World of Flavors. Celebrating flavors from cultures around the world is a tasty way to nourish ourselves and appreciate our diversity. We are all unique with different bodies, goals, backgrounds and tastes! This month, try to incorporate your favorite cultural foods and traditions, as well as vary your diet by trying new flavors from around the world. A registered dietitian nutritionist can help you create healthy habits that celebrate your heritage and introduce you to new foods and flavors.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association recommend limiting sodium intake to less than 2300 mg a day. Sodium is an essential nutrient that our bodies need for normal cell function. It helps us regulate blood pressure, transmit nerve impulses, and maintain a healthy acid-base balance. But too much sodium is linked to adverse health outcomes, including increased blood pressure. Some foods, such as milk and meat, naturally contain sodium. Sodium is added to packaged foods to enhance flavor, preserve freshness, and improve texture. Many people season the food they eat with table salt, also known as sodium chloride. Reducing the amount of salt in our cooking can help us lower our overall salt intake, which can help our heart health.
Here are six flavorful seasonings from different countries around the world to try this month. By making them at home, you can modify the ingredients as necessary to make them fit a heart-healthy diet.
- China: Five-spice powder
- Five-spice powder is usually a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. You can make your own Chinese five-spice powder at home by combining all the spices into a bowl and grinding them together. In addition, there are premade seasonings at Asian supermarkets. Five-spice powder is a great way to spice up your protein sources such as chicken, duck and pork dishes. Other ways to include this spice are with breaded fried foods or noodle dishes.
- Ethiopia: Berbere
- Berbere is an Ethiopian spice blend used in meat and vegetable stews. Berbere is comprised of paprika, chili powder, onion powder, cayenne, fenugreek, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. Some common dishes include slow-cooked stews containing lentils, beans, and meat. Some chefs add berbere to roasted vegetables, lentil soups, burgers, meatballs, and roasted chicken.
- Japan: Furikake
- Furikake is a common Japanese seasoning or garnish rice for an umami-rich flavor. You don’t have to stop at rice, try it out on our popcorn or vegetables. Furikake consists of sesame seeds, dried nori, and sugar. Other add-ins for the seasoning include chili flakes, bonito flakes, shiitake powder, and kelp powder.
- Ghana: Pili-pili sauce
- Pili-pili sauce is made using ingredients that are common in Ghana. It’s commonly offered at the dinner table to spice up dishes. Pili-pili sauce consists of hot chilis, red onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil or water. Depending on the heat of the pepper, this sauce can really spice up your dishes. It’s traditionally served with tomato-based stews made with fish, chicken, pork, goat or beef. It pairs nicely with any dish you are trying to spice up! Try it on eggs, sandwiches, burgers or meatloaf.
- Mexico: Cinnamon
- Mexico uses a variety of spices such as cinnamon to add flavor to their lives. Ceylon cinnamon or true cinnamon is used. It is a different type of cinnamon that is commonly found in the US. Instead, they use cinnamon in different baked goods or sometimes boil water with cinnamon to get rid of any unwanted smells in the kitchen.
- Jamaica: Jerk Seasoning
- Jamaican jerk seasoning is a cooking style where meat is dry-rubbed or marinated with a hot spice mixture. The main components of jerk seasoning are allspice and scotch bonnet peppers. A store-bought jerk seasoning such as Walkerswood also contains onion powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, dried thyme, white pepper, cinnamon, smoked paprika, ground nutmeg, coconut sugar, vegetable bouillon, dried green onion flakes, along with 210 mg of sodium per tablespoon. To have a more heart-healthy jerk seasoning, it will be beneficial to make a homemade seasoning with less added salt. A salt-free recipe includes similar spices, but you can add some more spices to heighten the flavor such as dried sage or dried rosemary.
You don’t have to compromise on taste to take care of your heart. Part of following a healthy heart lifestyle is not overconsuming sodium. Using a wide variety of spices can help you to enhance flavors to your meals while being heart healthy!
written by Alessandra Echeverria, Jessica Hunter and Dominique Miller
References:
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/salt-reduction
- https://www.cdc.gov/salt/role_of_sodium.htm
- https://www.yumofchina.com/chinese-seasonings/
- https://www.daringgourmet.com/berbere-ethiopian-spice-blend/
- https://www.spicesinc.com/p-3753-the-ultimate-guide-to-mexican-spices.aspx
- https://www.naturespath.com/en-us/blog/complete-guide-mexican-spices/
- https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/239790/jerk-marinade-seasoning-rub/
- https://www.africanbites.com/jamaican-jerk-seasoning-recipe/