Every year, across America, children’s televisions networks set aside one day where they suspend their scheduled programming. Instead of watching cartoons, young viewers are encouraged to move, dance, exercise and play outside. With the rate of obesity climbing among younger American children, parents may decide to cut back on sweets, bread, and butter as a way to facilitate weight loss among older children and teens.
Families who change their eating habits as a group enjoy higher success rates, experts report, and children who see their parents embracing a healthier lifestyle often become more active by choice. Some parents puree vegetables and incorporate them into baked goods; with spices from around the world available for purchase on the internet and at local health food stores, adding a “flavor booster” to low-fat meals can be a practical way to encourage healthy eating.
Spices like garlic, fennel, dill, and cumin are all parts of plants that can often be grown in a small kitchen garden and added to meals for flavor and variety. Edible seeds and dried leaves have been commonly used in American kitchens for over 100 years. Dried basil and oregano leaves and ground black pepper are common examples, but many home chefs report success with garlic, cardamom, and even fennel or dill pollen.
Many spices have well-documented medicinal properties and have historically been incorporated into commercially-available pharmaceutical medications. The antiseptic qualities of fresh or powdered garlic are well-known, and wild fennel and dill pollen is becoming popular among cooks who want add brightness and flavor. In other countries, fennel pollen has traditionally found a home in seasonal bread and pasta dishes, and the occasional batch of homemade ice cream.
There is a wide variety of spices available locally and online: the best website to buy spices may provide recommendations for incorporating unusual flavors into everyday dishes. For other home cooks, the best website to buy spices may be one that offers wild pollen or the opportunity to buy imported spice blends. In general, making children enthusiastic about healthy cooking and an active lifestyle remains most parents’ major goal.
