Many other herbs and spices have therapeutic value as well,
including cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, dill and basil. These
can be found fresh in groceries or can be grown in your garden, win-
dow box or even an inside window sill. Dried spices can lose not only
their flavor but also their therapeutic value over time, as many potent
substances break down. And, since they contain polyunsaturated oils,
they can go rancid. Buy spices in small packages, and keep them
sealed tightly and stored in a cool, dark place.
Deadly Doughnuts
Love the taste of doughnuts? If you want to be healthy you bet-
ter get over it. Even though some are “cholesterol-free,” these
crispy items are one junk food to avoid. Their bad ingredients
include trans fats, sugar, refined flour, artificial flavors and col-
ors, and many other chemicals with names you can’t
pronounce.
But there’s more danger — the ingredients tell nothing of what
really gives doughnuts their unique crispy flavor. Most dough-
nut makers buy oil that other fast-food operations have already
used to fry their products. This tired oil often has been used to
fry other foods for weeks. The intense heat breaks down the oil
and turns some of it to soap. This combination gives doughnuts
their special crispy taste and texture; something that fresh oil
fails to do. There are many other flour products made with used
oil out there as well, so beware.
The main problem is that these oils — including trans fats —
adversely affect the delicate balance of fats in your body, pro-
ducing too many cancer-promoting eicosanoids. Along the
way, inflammation, increased blood pressure and other prob-
lems can be triggered too. Even just one doughnut contains
enough of these dangerous fats to remain in the body and trig-
ger unhealthy actions for months.EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY • 173