Common Herbs Pack a Powerful Antioxidant Punch

If you picture bland, tasteless, colorless meals when you think “health food,” you’re making a mistake.  Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland found that many common herbs used in cooking are full of antioxidants – natural chemicals that protect cells from harmful molecules produced during metabolism. Often referred to as “free radicals,” these destructive forces have been linked to the development of chronic and age-related disease.

High on their list of healthy herbs were oregano, rose geranium, sweet bay, purple amaranth, dill, winter savory, and Vietnamese coriander. For maximum benefit, buy fresh herbs. Better yet, grow them yourself – and toss in a few whenever you’re preparing a salad, vegetables, fish, chicken, or meat.

Jon Herring is the former Health Editor and copywriter for Early To Rise. While his formal education is in finance, Jon has invested over 3000 hours in the study of health and nutrition. He is deeply motivated to provide people with the information and the inspiration to live a long and active life, filled with energy and free from disease. Jon has also been a student of direct sales and marketing since an early age. Before he was 10 years old, he was selling door to door, and he has been an active entrepreneur ever since. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1993, Jon moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where he learned how to build houses, climb mountains, catch trout, and ski fast down hill. However, after several years of poverty with a nice view, Jon returned to his hometown of Nashville to seek his fortune. Within two years – at the age of 26 – he had started a direct marketing business that was earning six figure annual revenues. In addition to his passion for health, Jon has a strong interest in business and investing. He is also a staunch advocate for honest government and the libertarian values of privacy, freedom, and personal responsibility.