Herbs are something we can all use as part of our every day pursuit of blissful health.

Herbs have been used since time immemorial to add flavor and zest to our food. You cannot go wrong with spice – they are a low fat addition to any dish and give each dish its own distinctive flavor. What’s more, herbs have been proven to have important health benefits and many herbs have shown remarkable healing properties.

It’s great to grow your own herbs but they are also easily available, either fresh or dried, and are rather inexpensive to buy. Care should be taken however to buy the freshest herbs available as they impart the most flavor and are rich in nutrients. If you prefer to buy the dried varieties, make sure it is packed and sold by a reputable, well-established company to lessen the chances of contamination.

The perfect situation is one where you could pick the herbs right off the plant and use it. Fortunately, it is extremely easy to set up your own herb garden at home and grow the herbs of your choice. An herb garden needs very little space. You could grow your herbs in a tiny flowerpot and all you need then is a sunny windowsill where you can keep this pot. There are even herb kits available which provide you with a variety of seeds in one handy container. You can now start your own convenient mini herb garden with a variety of herbs.

Herbs are very versatile and can be used in many combinations to get different results, whether in cooking or for healing. Oregano, basil, rosemary and garlic can all be used to enhance the taste of many dishes including stews, pastas and meats. Naturally sweet foods could be given an extra zest by adding a dash of ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg. To spice up your foods, depending on how spicy you want your foods to be, you could add either a sprinkling or a whole lot of red, black or white pepper.

Are herbs good for dieters? Herbs are that magic ingredient that all dieters use to add flavor to their foods without the excess calories. Herbs are virtually calorie free. There is a certain technique used to get the best benefits from your fresh herbs while cooking. You gently crush the herbs in your hand so that the flavor is fully released and add it to the dish when it is almost cooked. This gives you the maximum taste and nutritional value from the herb.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common homegrown herbs.

• Sweet basil is very easy to grow from its seed and is an excellent addition to pastas, stews, soups and tomato paste.
• Chives resemble tiny spears of grass at the beginning by they can soon grow to about 12 inches in height. Chives are popularly used in a variety of egg dishes, sauces and salads.
• Dill adds zest and flavor to meats and is also great for pickling. Lavender is an important component of aromatherapy. It has a lovely fresh smell and its dried leaves are popularly used in sachets for giving your wardrobes a refreshing aroma.
• Mint adds zest to lemonades and fruit drinks and mint jelly is a great accompaniment to lamb dishes.
• Sage is used very often to add flavor to turkey, pork and chicken dishes.