Fall Spices for Health Report Topics

When the fall season begins, it is the perfect time to start cooking and baking more 
often. Not only will it provide you with new flavors by using these spices, but you also 
get a lot of health benefits you might not have been aware of.

Here are 5 amazing fall spices that are also loaded with important nutrients.
 
1. Nutmeg

The first spice you can use not only for your favorite fall dishes, but also for health 
purposes, is nutmeg. If you have ever made treats in the fall season, you have most 
likely used nutmeg. What you might not know is that it has a lot of health benefits in 
addition to being tasty. 

Nutmeg is almost always shipped from other countries, since the nutmeg trees are 
native to areas of the Spice Islands and East Indies. The nutmeg tree contains seeds, 
which have kernels inside them. These kernels can be ground up, which is where you 
get the nutmeg spice. 

The flavor of nutmeg is a nutty and sweet spice, often used in Western recipes, and 
many Asian recipes as well. Not only can you get ground nutmeg for your dishes, but 
nutmeg essential oil is also available for even more health benefits. 

Health Benefits of Nutmeg

So, why should you use nutmeg? It isn’t just because this is a wonderfully delicious and 
versatile spice. It also has a long list of health benefits. Here are some of the ways 
nutmeg can benefit your physical and mental health:

It is loaded with nutrients – Nutmeg has a lot of nutrients just in a simple serving. It 
contains plenty of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, folate, fiber, vitamin B 6, 
and manganese. 

Nutmeg helps with your insomnia – If you are suffering from insomnia, nutmeg is an 
excellent spice to add to your kitchen. It helps to calm the mind and help relax you for 
bed.

Nutmeg helps with digestion – Nutmeg, like many other fall spices, can help with your 
digestion, including relieving constipation.

You can use it for natural pain relief – Don’t forget nutmeg also has a natural 
property that works similar to menthol, where it can relieve minor pain in the body.

Ways to Use Nutmeg

If you are new to using this spice, you might not be entirely sure how to use it for your 
dishes. Here are a few options to help get you started:

* Make spiced coffee or cider – Nutmeg is really easy to add to hot and cold 
drinks, especially when you mix in other spices like cinnamon and allspice. It 
tastes great in spiced cider and coffee drinks.
* Add it to your roasted veggies – Make a pan of roasted fall vegetables like 
squash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes, and sprinkles some olive oil and nutmeg 
on top.
* Try it in your breakfast baked goods – Nutmeg is perfect with your breakfast 
foods, from pancakes to sweeter baked goods like muffins.

2. Cinnamon

If you are like most people, you are probably no stranger to the delicious taste of 
cinnamon. However, like many spices on this list, the health benefits are often 
surprising. Cinnamon has actually been used as a medicinal spice for many years, not 
just for flavoring your foods and drinks. 

Cinnamon is harvested from the bark of different types of evergreen trees, with different 
varieties coming from all over the world. The majority of the cinnamon you find in stores 
is Ceylon cinnamon, coming from Sri Lanka. Then there is cassia cinnamon, most often 
harvested in Indonesia. You might also have cinnamon from China.

Health Benefits of Cinnamon

Cinnamon should be added to your spice collection to help improve your health while 
also adding more flavor to your dishes. Take a look at some of the top health benefits of 
cinnamon:

There are lots of nutrients – Like nutmeg and other spices on this list, you are getting 
multiple nutrients from cinnamon without realizing it. There is no fat, sugar, or carbs in 
cinnamon, and it is low in calories. However, it contains a good amount of fiber, iron, 
calcium, and vitamin K.

It is packed full of antioxidants – If you are looking for ways to get more antioxidants, 
having cinnamon every day is the perfect way to start. The antioxidants in cinnamon are 
known to help increase your immunity and boost your immune system, fight off illnesses 
and bacteria, and even help fight against bacterial infections.

Cinnamon reduces inflammation – Having extra inflammation in the body can be 
disastrous and painful if you have arthritis. The inflammation is where the pain in your 
joints comes from, and can also worsen pain from chronic conditions like Crohn’s 
disease and gout. Cinnamon is a natural anti-inflammatory spice, so you can use it for 
chronic pain and also reduce inflammation that leads to brain problems and heart 
disease.

Ways to Use Cinnamon

There are many ways to use cinnamon on a daily basis, from your drinks to the foods 
you eat. During the fall, these methods are good to try out:

* Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of your coffee, tea, or other morning drinks
* Add cinnamon to your smoothies for a boost in flavor and health properties
* Use cinnamon with other spices to roast fall vegetables
* Mix in cinnamon with your baked goods

These are definitely not the only ways you can use cinnamon and get all of these health 
benefits, but they are good places to start. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little and see 
what you come up with.

3. Clove

The next fall spice that you can use for health is clove. People are often unfamiliar with 
clove, aside from adding it to oranges for deodorizing a home, or using it alongside 
other spices on this list for baked goods and spiced drinks. However, there are many 
health benefits to clove, giving you lots of great reasons to use it more often. 

Many spices come from parts of Asia, and clove is no exception. It has been around 
since the 13th century, providing flavor and medicinal properties in Asia. It can also be 
found in many other countries, from Africa to Europe. 

Health Benefits of Clove

You can use clove in a few different ways for health, from using the actual cloves 
themselves in dishes, ground clove in your spiced foods and drinks, and clove essential 
oil for aromatherapy and natural health remedies. Look at the different ways you can 
benefit from clove:

Use the essential oil for aromatherapy – If you like to use essential oils, you are 
probably familiar with the different methods. You can use the oils directly in a diffuser, 
where you inhale the scent as it surrounds you, add oils to a bath, or make simple DIY 
care products with the oils. Clove oil is available for aromatherapy, helping to relax you 
and provide many health properties.

Balance out your blood sugar levels – People with diabetes often look for natural 
remedies to use for their disease in addition to medical treatments. While clove should 
not replace medical care, it can add to balancing your blood sugar levels if you have 
type 2 diabetes. This is due to the eugenol that can be found in the clove spice.

Reduce the risk of infection and viruses – Clove has antioxidants, which as you 
know can help reduce illnesses, infections, and viruses. Not only does it help boost your 
immunity to these illnesses, but it can help provide natural treatment for viral and 
bacterial infections.

Relieve tooth pain – You may also like to know that clove oil when applied to a cotton 
swab can be placed on a sore tooth and provide natural pain relief. It is good to avoid 
using over-the-counter pain relievers in excessive amounts and look for more natural 
remedies. However, this should not replace proper dental care.

Ways to Use Clove

Now for the different ways to use clove so that you can benefit from using it routinely. 

Add clove to dishes that use curry powder – A good way to tell when clove will be 
appropriate for more savory dishes is to think about what you use curry in. For example, 
an Indian dish that is using curry powder, like rice, will taste great with clove as an 
added spice.
Combine it with other fall spices – You can always make pumpkin spice cookies or 
snickerdoodles with more spice by adding in some clove.
Try marinating meat or fish with clove – Go a different direction by marinating 
chicken, fish, or other meat with clove and spices like turmeric and ginger.
Spice your Asian cuisine – Most Asian dishes taste great with this spice.

4. Ginger

Ginger is one of the best fall spices, especially in terms of its health benefits. You might 
be no stranger to using ginger for your digestion and stomach issues, but it also has 
many other medicinal purposes as well. Ginger has a spicy flavor with a strong smell 
you will notice instantly. It is often found in the spicier Asian and Indian dishes, though 
there are many other ways to use it as well. 

Ginger can be found as the root of the ginger plant, which you can shave or grind 
yourself. You can also get ground ginger or fresh ginger at farmer’s markets, natural 
food stores, and even your regular grocery store. 

Health Benefits of Ginger

It relieves nausea – Using it for gastrointestinal distress is one of the most common 
reasons to use ginger as far as medicinal purposes goes. Ginger is wonderful for 
relieving any stomach pains or distress you have, calming down your stomach if you are 
getting seasick while on a boat, or if you have morning sickness from pregnancy. 
Anyone with nausea can use ginger, from those who ate something funny to people with 
nausea as a result of another illness or cancer treatments.

You can protect yourself from heart disease – Ginger also happens to be a great 
spice for improving your cardiovascular health. It is considered a superfood, helping you 
to reduce blood clotting which can lead to heart disease and the resulting heart attack. It 
can also help you to prevent strokes.

Ginger boosts your immune system – Want a nice boost to your immune system? 
Add ginger to the other spices that help with your immunity. When you naturally improve 
your immune system, you are helping to fight off illnesses, infections, and diseases in a 
perfectly natural and healthy way.

Ginger also has similar antioxidants as the other spices listed here, so it is good for 
treating bacterial infections as well.

Ways to Use Ginger

If you are not accustomed to using ginger, here are some different ways to benefit from 
it:

Shave off pieces of gingerroot for your savory dishes – This is good on vegetables, 
in rice and other grains, and to spice up your meat.
Get ground ginger for spiced dishes – Ground ginger can also be used when you 
want to add more spice and a kick to soups, chilis, and many other savory foods.
Make ginger tea – If you want a drink that includes ginger, try making ginger tea to 
relieve nausea.

5. Turmeric

The last fall spice on this list that you should use for health benefits is turmeric. 
Turmeric has been trending a lot lately, both as a superfood, and as something that has 
a long list of medicinal uses. This spice is often associated with fall, but you can 
definitely find it year-round, which is another added bonus.

Health Benefits of Turmeric

The reason turmeric is constantly trending in the health community, especially in the 
natural health community, is because of all the medicinal benefits it provides you. Here 
is just a short list of the many ways you can use turmeric for health:

* Reduce pain and inflammation
* Use it as an anti-depressant
* Help balance out blood sugar if you have diabetes
* Get more antioxidants into your body
* Help improve your skin
* Aid in your weight loss efforts
* Treat high cholesterol

Ways to Use Turmeric

If you want to get all of these and other health benefits, there are many ways to start 
using turmeric daily. Here are some good options that aren’t too difficult to do:

Make a cup of turmeric tea – This is probably the easiest way to use turmeric when 
you want to have it daily. You can make a cup of turmeric tea, sometimes called golden 
milk. It isn’t actually like a regular tea drink, but is a combination of turmeric with spices, 
and any type of milk you like. You can use almond milk instead of cow’s milk if you 
prefer. You of course can also make a traditional cup of tea mixed with the ground 
turmeric.

Try making turmeric broth – You can also drink broth if you want something else 
warm to drink and don’t want to make the tea or the golden milk with your turmeric. This 
starts with bone broth, chicken or beef broth, then has some ground turmeric mixed in. 

Season your veggies or rice – As a spice, you can also use turmeric to season your 
savory dishes, like vegetables that you are roasting, or rice, quinoa, and other grains. 
To add some turmeric into soup or chili, just start with a small amount, then test the 
flavor to see how you like it.

Make a spice mixture for meat – If you are making chicken, beef, or other types of 
meat, you can marinate the meat in a mixture of spices including turmeric, ginger, and 
others that you enjoy using for this type of cuisine.

All of these fall spices are readily available, inexpensive, and easy to use. You are 
getting the delicious flavors while also gaining all of the health benefits at the same 
time.

