17
LIVING
ABOVE: To read the full report, click
on the pic. OPPOSITE: An example
of what is inside it. LEFT: Some of
the Pukka team at a recent DRWF
diabetes conference.
It calls on the government and
policy makers to do the following:
include herbs and spices on the
Eatwell Guide, the government's
recommendations on a healthy diet;
invest in research into the benefits of
herbs and spices including reducing
chronic diseases; and to teach about
the benefits of herbs and spices in
school cookery lessons. Once people
know how to incorporate herbs and
spices into their meals to improve
flavour and reduce salt and sugar, we
will start to see benefits in the health
of the nation.
Improving diets
In January 2024, some of Pukka's
herbal and health science experts
gathered at the Houses of Parliament
to present the Rainbow Paper,
to Members of Parliament and
stakeholders from academia, health
and nutrition charities. The event
was focused on increasing awareness
about the potential for culinary
herbs and spices to improve diets
and wellbeing.
For centuries, communities
across the globe have been adding
herbs and spices to food for both
culinary and health benefits, but it
has only been more recently that
the academic research has caught
up to traditional wisdom. From the
Mediterranean diet to East and South
Asian cuisine, health professionals
are realising that herbs and spices
are about more than just taste;
they also can help contribute to
our health.
Liptons/Pukka
References:
1. Pallauf K, Giller K, Huebbe P, Rimbach
G. Nutrition and healthy ageing:
calorie restriction or polyphenol-rich
"MediterrAsian" diet? Oxid Med Cell
Longev. 2013;2013:707421.
2. Mackonochie M, Rodriguez-Mateos A,
Mills S, Rolfe V. A scoping review of the
clinical evidence for the health benefits
of culinary doses of herbs and spices
for the prevention and treatment of
metabolic syndrome. Nutrients. 2023;
15(23):4867.