Flavouring your food- Spicy Combinations

A question I often get from students is how to use herbs and spice to flavour there food so it tastes good. Food when eating for fat loss doesn't have to be bland at all if you put some simple thought into your cooking. 

There is a belief and stereotype promoted by some bodybuilder's that you must stick to only to plain chicken breast, tuna, rice and broccoli when on a fat loss mission in order to get in shape. This in my opinion is unnecessary and in fact negative from a health and psychological point of view

It no wonder that most bodybuilder's who follow this kind of regime then after their diet binge on what they perceive to be flavoursome food (Junk). Then again I find that a lot of people who are deep into body building are dealing with some issues relating to their psychology and health is often the last thing on their mind but that's a different topic that is worthy of its own article.

Back to flavouring your food. Here are five tips that I think will help improve the taste of the food that you eat.

Tip 1- Make sure your flavourings are real!

I advice to avoid all ready made sauces as they are heavily processed and normally contain excess sugar and  artificial flavour enhancers. This includes chinese plum and sweet and sour sauces, ready made bolognese or creamy sauses. Organic Passata and tomato puree which is only made from tomatoes is acceptable to use. 

Learn to read the label. If there is something on there that you don't know what it is then avoid it. Anything containing Mono Sodium Glutamate should be avoided like the plague.

I'll use wholegrain mustard for example. A real mustard should contain mustard seeds, vinegar water and salt and not much else. If you look on most mustards in supermarkets they will contain dextroses, flavour enhancers and all sorts of other crap. 

Tip 2 - Use good quality herbs and spices

I would to use organic herbs and spices where possible to get them. Your best bet to find these is at farmers markets. I further recommend to use fresh herbs as the taste they impact is markedly superior to the dried varieties. Fresh herbs are seasonal but can be frozen to extended storage life.

Herbs and spices also provide numerous health benefits as they contain trace amount of micro nutrients and also many have an anti inflammatory or anti parasitical properties.  Here is a good site listing some of the health properties - Health Benefits of Herbs and Spices

Tip 3 - Choose a flavour theme

I find the easiest way to plan flavouring is to stick to an ethnic theme. Here are some of my favourite basic combinations. These of course can be massively expanded on and I understand that I have left out many options.

Indian

Cumin

Coriander

Garam Masala

Turmeric

Chilli Pepper to taste

Thai

Thai 5 spice

Lime or lemon

Garlic

Ginger

Turmeric

Chinese

Garlic

Ginger

Gluten free soy sauce

Italian

Basil

Oregano

Garlic

Tomato Puree

Black Pepper

Sea Salt

Tip 4- If using salt use the right type

I personally highly recommend Pink Salt as it contains more trace minerals and adds a very nice flavour. 

Avoid processed table salt (sodium chloride) as this is chemically made and often contains anti clumping agents which are toxic to the body (aluminium).

Tip 5 - Don't over flavour you food

Practice moderation with the amount of spices you use in your food, its easy to over flavour food and thus ruin its taste. This is especially true for pungent spices used in Indian cooking.

Of course there are many varieties and the above are only some easy basic combinations. You are only really limited to your flavouring by your imagination.

Pretty much any recipe can be modified to fit into your eating whether you are eating a high or low carbohydrate routine. Here is a site I like for some recipe ideas - http://www.paleofood.com/

Fats can be added in appropriate amounts as needed. I recommend to cook with either ghee (clarified butter) or extra virgin coconut oil as both have quite a high smoke point. I would recommend to add extra virgin olive oil or macadamia nut oil to your food at the end as these are damaged by excessive heat.

One book I recommend which gives you lots of information and ideas on the best things to use in your cooking is Jonny Bowden’s The-150-Healthiest-Foods-Earth.

Wrap Up

I'm a bit believer that food is the best medicine and if you base your eating primarily on REAL whole foods that your health will be a lot better. Variety is important to provide a wide range of nutrients. The human body is a incredibly smart organism and if you give your body the right raw materials it will use them in a positive fashion.

A caveat to this is that you still need to eat the appropriate amount of whole foods, you will still put on fat or sabotage your fat loss goals if you eat too much of them for what your body needs.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-150-Healthiest-Foods-Earth/dp/1592332285/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343461444&sr=8-1