5 powerful herbs to maximize nutrition

Herbs have powerful nutrition and healing properties—they don't just make your food taste better! Delicious and nutritious, there are endless ways to add fresh herbs to your diet.

Fresh or dried basil is teeming with powerful antioxidants, responsible for basil's unique flavour.

What's in it: The flavonoid and terpene phytochemicals in basil are under review for their potential benefit in reducing total and harmful LDL cholesterol, as well as suppressing tumour growth.

Add more to your diet: Use in homemade pasta, pizza and bread doughs; savoury soups and stews; tomato sauces and pesto sauce; pilafs, risottos and other grain dishes; stuffings and fillings for poultry or fish; and mashed potatoes. Use as whole leaves in sandwiches and wraps.

Cilantro's bold, distinctive taste is popular in Chinese, Indian and Mexican cuisines. Fresh cilantro is far more flavourful than dried cilantro.

What's in it: The coumarin, phthalide, polyactylene and terpene phytochemicals in cilantro are thought to stimulate anticancer enzymes in the body.

Add more to your diet: Use in salsas, relishes, condiments and chutneys; pesto and other pasta sauces; rice, grain, bean, corn and tomato salads; peach, pineapple, mango, plum and papaya desserts; savoury cheese pancakes and carrot muffins.

A relative of fennel, wispy green dill is available both fresh and dried.

What's in it: Dill contains carvone, coumarins, flavonoids, limonene and phthalides. Studies suggest that carvone and limonene have the potential to inhibit tumours, and the flavonoids may neutralize harmful free radicals. Coumarins and phthalides show promise in stimulating Cancer-fighting enzymes in the body.

Add more to your diet: Use in salads and salad dressings; creamy mustard sauces; quiche; and savoury turnovers. Dill matches well with lamb, fatty fish and chicken.

This pungent root is a member of the mighty cruciferous family, which includes broccoli, cabbage and watercress.

What's in it: Horseradish's bite comes from a powerful chemical called allyl isothiocyanate, which may alleviate congestion and respiratory inflam­mation, and possibly protect against food-borne pathogens. Kaempferol, also in horseradish, is believed to detoxify Cancerous agents.

Add more to your diet: Use in salad dressings; cocktail sauces, vegetable dips and spreads; crusts for fillets of fish, beef and chicken; and potato salads.

Fresh or dried peppermint and spearmint add a refreshing zest to any dish.

What's in it: Mint has traditionally been used to relieve abdominal pains, bad breath and sore throats. Powerful terpene phytochemicals present in the mint family—carvone, limonene, menthol and perillyl alcohol—may inhibit tumour growth.

Add more to your diet:  Use in teas and drinks; yogurt or mild-cheese sauces and spreads; sautéed vegetables; vinaigrettes; pasta sauces; and poached fruit. Matches well with lamb, beef and chicken.