5 Natural Products to Enhance the Flavor in Your Recipes

While everyone wants to eat healthier food, many believe that there is an inverse relationship between how healthy something is and how flavorful that item is. Some people will overcome this perceived discrepancy by adding taste-stimulating ingredients or toppings to their healthy meals to make them delicious and more savory. Unfortunately, many approaches to adding flavor to nutritious, healthy meals wind up overcompensating for a perceived lack of flavor and flood the dish with excessively unhealthy and unnatural substances. Fortunately, there are several natural products that you can add to your food to keep it healthy while also boosting its flavor profile.

Cinnamon

Whether you get the cheaper cassia or the luxury-valued Ceylon variety, cinnamon is a flavorful natural spice that can also do wonders for combating free radicals via anti-oxidation. It is also beneficial to the immune system. . This product is ideal for oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beef and even coffee.

Turmeric

This yellow, peppery relative of ginger is one of the primary ingredients in curries and mustard. The iconic yellow coloring of turmeric is thanks to the presence of curcumin, a substance helpful in combating free radicals and soothing the body. A poultice containing turmeric is a standard option for skin irritations in rural portions of southern Asia.

Essential Oils

Peppermint, vanilla, and cinnamon are unique flavors that can be captured in an oil and used to cook food cleanly. If you can think of a particularly fragrant or flavorful plant, the chances are high that you can find a matching essential oil. Don't let the name deceive you though: you shouldn't use essential oils like cooking oils, and you need to make sure that the oil in question can be ingested (not all can be). Pure essential oils are very strong, and you usually only need a drop or two of the oil to flavor a meal—any more, and the flavor will be overpowering.

Salt

Salt is one of the most essential food additives to humanity, to the point that humans developed specialized taste buds to detect the presence or absence of salt. While being mindful of your sodium intake, remember that salt is also a crucial element in humankind's early efforts as preserving food.

Ginger

Whether served as is, candied or even pickled, this root does wonders for adding sweetness and spice to your food. It also does wonders for soothing sore muscles and assisting with digestion and occasional nausea.

Hopefully, you have a better idea of what to consider when looking for natural, flavorful additives to your cuisine. You can find most of the things on this list either in your pantry already or in a grocery store, so start experimenting with your meals: your taste buds will thank you.