Why is the organic, freshness and quality of spices important?

How the right spices made our healthy food really taste good

Author of the article: Kertu Elusväli from the team

I believe that quite a lot of people who want to eat healthily have thought that healthy food equals tasteless food. When people think of a healthy diet, often a rather boring picture comes to mind – cooked vegetables and various salads. Food that is good for the body but not very exciting for the taste buds. The difference is particularly stark if you’re used to ultra-processed and fatty foods.

Our family’s experience was quite similar at first. When we started paying more attention to what we were eating, the menu became much healthier, but surprisingly tasty at the same time. I probably would have eaten the same way myself for better health, but our three younger children often refused to eat, and every meal was accompanied by a strong protest. Cooking without dairy, gluten, meat, eggs and sugar was already a challenge for us. The result was food that, while healing, no longer offered the same pleasure and eating experience as before. Fortunately, we found our own way pretty quickly. The Living Food Recipe Repository, where you can find an incredible amount of sinless recipes, and which reassured you that healthy food is not the same as tasteless food.

Thanks to these recipes, we discovered something very simple, yet powerful – spices. Not just any seasonings, but those that help to heal the body and make even the simplest food so delicious that even our demanding children eat and praise it. I’m talking about BioMenu seasonings.

An interesting fact about spices: when a spice is fresh, its flavour is concentrated, not diffused over time. When a flavouring is fresh, it is not time-consuming. The essential oils have not yet oxidised and the flavour has not changed. The flavouring hasn’t already been oxidised and the aromas haven’t oxidised or changed, which means that a smaller amount is enough to achieve a better result. You don’t need to add a double amount to get the flavour. On the contrary, just a pinch of spices can give the roe a depth of flavour that an old, long-standing seasoning will miss.

Up until then, we had been using fairly standard store-bought mixtures of different spices, which we then shook liberally on the food to make it tasty. We had never even considered what they actually contained, but with the change in diet came a new knowledge of spices. It became clear that just as important as the use of flavourings was actually the quality of the flavourings. We started to keep track of what flavourings we were adding to our food in the first place and what they contained. As I always tend to go into a lot of detail when I delve into a subject, I started to do more research on flavourings. The more I read about it, the clearer one thing became – when it comes to flavourings, it’s always best to go for organic labelled products.

Why is it important to use organic flavourings?

Conventionally grown condiments may contain residues of pesticides and other plant protection products used to protect plants from diseases and pests during the growing process. Because of the highly concentrated nature of spices, these residues may also be more concentrated than in many other foodstuffs.

In addition, additives such as:

• anti-caking agents
• taste enhancers
• fillers
• artificial flavourings or colourings

They may not always be a direct health risk, but they are often not something we would consciously want to include in our daily diet. That’s why we now prefer organic flavourings, which are grown without synthetic pesticides and are usually much cleaner and simpler. Most of Biomenu’s condiments contain only one ingredient (except curry) that is 100% organic.

A pinch of the right seasoning can add depth to vegetables, give soups that something they were missing and salads a whole new character. With the right seasonings, healthy food can be richer and more interesting than many conventional roads.

Over time, it became clear to us quite quickly that condiments are not just a small addition to food. They are the most underrated heroes in the kitchen that can transform the entire food experience and when seasonings are of high quality and freshly ground, the difference is even greater.

Why are freshly ground spices better?

Have you ever cooked with spices that have been sitting in the cupboard for years? If so, you’ve probably been missing out on a whole world of flavours.

Imagine opening a jar of seasoning and the whole kitchen is filled with a strong, authentic aroma. Not a faint, vague smell, but an aromatic and intense spicy smell. That’s exactly what happened to us when we first ordered BioMenu spices for our home. I had never experienced before that spices can be so aromatic that even those who were far away from the open jar could smell it. That’s the difference between freshly ground and long-ground spices. If you value clean food and conscious consumption, then this difference is definitely important to you, and that’s why our whole family loves BioMenu spices. They’ve even got the kids interested in cooking and flavouring, so it’s a great way to get the little ones in our family involved in the world of cooking.

In fact, taste is not just what you feel on your tongue, most of the taste experience comes from the aroma. Freshly ground spices release their aroma the moment they are used. The kitchen is filled with a special aroma that gives you an idea of the quality of the food even before you take your first bite. It is these more subtle and volatile aromas that are first lost when spices have been standing for a long time. A strong or pungent note may remain , but the nuances disappear.

Onion powder is very often used in recipes from Elusväli, and since I had never tried onion powder before, we decided to give it a try and ordered it for our home. From the first time I used it, I understood why it is often used in recipes, it made the food taste much more interesting than fresh onion. The kids loved it so much that I had to put the onion powder out of their reach so they didn’t sprinkle it everywhere in large quantities or eat it naked. It instantly became one of our family favourites.

Health benefits from spices

For me, it has always been very important that what we eat at home is good for our health, not bad. Herbs are known to be very good for our health. This is because they are rich in natural bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, essential oils and various vitamins/minerals that positively support various processes in the body.

I had been looking for an alternative to regular salt for a while and we used Himalayan salt at home. As I read more about spices, I became wiser about this too. Did you know that you can substitute your salt with ground seaweed, for example? Dulse or kombu flakes, for example, are a particularly good substitute. Dulse offers a distinctive salty and rich flavor without the concentration of sodium. For this reason, dulse is a good substitute for ordinary sea, Himalayan and table salt. Drizzle dulse on top of pasta, pizzas, salads, baked vegetables – there are so many possibilities! We buy our Dulse from the Elusväli shop because the Wild Irish Seaweed products they sell are mild and undergo regular laboratory tests to check for the presence and concentration of heavy metals and other unwanted elements in the product, and the extra convenience of being already in a ground form makes it very easy to use.

Many herbs are known for their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and digestive properties. For example, several spices help stimulate digestion, support the immune system and improve nutrient absorption. They can also help reduce oxidative stress in the body, which is linked to the development of many chronic diseases. The antioxidants in spices and herbs are very effective as they have high antioxidant activity.

For example:

• Turmeric contains curcumin, which has been attributed with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The content and activity of curcumin may decrease if the powder is exposed to air and light for long periods.
• Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, which gives cinnamon its distinctive smell and has been linked to supporting blood sugar balance. This compound is also sensitive to oxidation.
• Clove is one of the most antioxidant-rich spices, containing eugenol, which supports the body’s natural defences.
• Oregano and thyme contain compounds of hair chrool and thymol, which have been studied for their antimicrobial properties and help to preserve flavour.

So spices are not just a way to make food tastier, it’s also worth using spices and herbs in everyday cooking to support your body’ s natural balance and well-being. Choosing the right spices , freshly ground, can be a small but important part of a healthy diet.

A little tip: Did you know that some spices can also be used to make a delicious and useful tea? For example, if we don’t have any fresh thyme on hand, we make our nightly thyme tea from BioMenu dried thyme. If you constantly have to go to crowded places and feel like you need extra protection from the various viruses circulating around, thyme tea could be your everyday helper. You can read more about the healing thyme tea HERE.

Storage and shelf life

The most effective way to store spices is to minimise exposure to oxygen, light, heat and moisture. Opaque, airtight glass jars with rubber-sealed lids are best. Plastic allows up to ten times more oxygen to pass through than glass. Spices should be stored separately in a cool cupboard, away from stoves, dishwashers and windows. The ideal temperature is 15-18 °C and humidity below 50%. Ground spices usually retain their best flavour for 4-8 months.

Signs that the flavouring needs replacing:

• faded colour
• faint or no aroma
• tasteless or very delicate taste

Did you know that the colour of the flavouring in the jar speaks quality? Have you ever noticed that store paprika is often a faded brickstone red? Freshly ground peppers are bright red and smell sweet. The faded colour may indicate an oxidised product.

In mass production, the flavouring moves through a long and slow chain. First, the raw material is ground in large quantities, often in the country of origin. It then sits in warehouses, sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months. Then it is transported to another country where it is packaged, moves on to the wholesale warehouse and finally to the retail store. In turn, it may stand for months more at the supermarket. During this time, the product is technically fine, but its most valuable part, the essential oils and volatile fragrance compounds, have gradually degraded through constant exposure to air.

For freshly ground seasonings, the logic is the opposite. The raw material is ground in small batches and for a short period of time just before sale. This means that the aromatic oils are retained, the flavour is stronger and more aromatic and the natural colour is brighter.

Why are bulk spices usually not the best choice?