Spices of Diwali: Their Health Benefits and Culinary Uses

Diwali, wearing glee and glow, is just around the gate. And aren’t we all waiting for it to embrace our lives? Lights, colourful rangolis, sweet toothsome delights, and dance. 

Festivals in our country are synonymous with sweets. Which actually brings us a lot of health issues, if we forget to be mindful of them when eating. 

But in all our celebrations, we forget our beloved spices, the very roots of our tradition that give us a lot of health benefits too. 

This Diwali, bring in the goodness of some healthy and auspicious spices to your home and embrace the blessings and the many health benefits they shower us with. 

Sweet affairs are good, but why not give it some hint of spices? 

Spices for Diwali and their health benefits

1. Cardamom

Cardamom is one of the beloved spices that Indians embrace wholeheartedly. It powers everything from sweet to spicy dishes. Kheer, biryani, gujiya, lassi, gulabjamun, and whatnot it adds its grace to. 

Here are a few beliefs associated with cardamom – It is believed to bring good luck and thus is used in prasad. You can add it to your dishes and bring in good luck this Diwali. 

But apart from luck, cardamom also offers numerous benefits –

• It can prevent bad breath and kick off cavities through cineole (a compound found in cinnamon oil)
• Cardamom’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties can help you fight infections as well
• Suffering from indigestion? A cardamom pod can help you with some relief.
• Its antioxidants offer numerous benefits from skin repair to protection against cell-damaging free radicals ^[1][2][3][4]

Now, here are the culinary uses of cardamom, our queen of spices –

• Sweet touches – Add cardamom to your kheer, kulfi, gulab jamun, gujiya, halwa, etc.
• Spicy touches – Make Biryani, curries, stews, etc.

Or you may also cherish it by making masala chai.

2. Saffron 

Moving from the green cardamom, we come to the red saffron. Saffron is a unique spice that is comes from the stigma and styles of crocus flowers. All this hard labour makes saffron the costliest affair as well.

Saffron is often considered a symbol of purity and prosperity.

When it comes to the saffron health benefits, this spice is a true beauty –

• Feeling low? Saffron is rich in antioxidants like crocin, crocetin, safranal, and kaempferol that offer potential mood enhancement and brain cell protection
• It may lower heart issues and blood sugar levels 
• With saffron, you may improve your eyesight and memory
• It may even enhance libido ^[5][6][7][8]

Don’t know how to use saffron? Here is how

• Sweet dishes – Add it to barfi, kheer, almond milk, halwa, etc.
• Spicy delights – Biryanis, pulao, kebab, all these things can be enhanced using saffron

Saffron is also a popular ingredient in a traditional Indian dish called saffron rice.

3. Cloves

We all know cloves from those painful days of toothache. Our parents would go into the kitchen, bring in a few cloves, and ask us to put them over the painful tooth. It was magical. Still is. And this is why you must embrace it this Diwali.

Clove, also known as laung, is a symbol of luck, purity, and protection. It is usually burnt with camphor to decimate negative energies in the house. 

When it comes to the health benefits, cloves offer many:

• Clove is known to kill bacteria. This is why it is often used to treat tooth decay
• Eugenol, a compound found in cloves, helps improve bone mass and density
• Clove oil can help you deal with fatty liver and improve overall liver health
• And if you worry about the lack of antioxidants in your life, don’t. Cloves are rich in numerous antioxidants such as eugenol ^[9][10][11]

Cloves surely have numerous medicinal uses, but this spice is a great culinary addition as well. 

Finding your curries or stews lacking that certain something? Just add a dash of cloves. You will have some aromatic masterpieces in your bowls. 

Even if you’re craving a hint of sweetness in your homemade pickles or desserts, cloves can be your good friends. Pies, curries, stews, pickles, cakes, puddings, and whatnot can be enhanced using cloves. 

4. Turmeric

Never can an Indian festival be completely realized without the blessings of our golden spice, turmeric. A wedding, which is one of the holiest bondings, is never complete without its blessings. 

When beautifying your home with colourful rangolis, don’t forget to give them the holy touch of turmeric. 

Turmeric is a true wonder when it comes to its health benefits. In Ayurveda, it has been given around 53 names including bhadra (good luck), mehagni (fat killer), pavitra (holy), etc. ^[13]

Here are the proven health benefits that come with consuming turmeric –

• Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties, which means that it can help you deal with pain
• It has antibacterial and antiseptic properties 
• Its antioxidants help neutralize free radicals and other cell-damaging factors 
• Worrying if your brain is ageing faster? Turmeric can help you protect it as well ^{[14][15][16][17]}

Now, the many culinary uses of turmeric –

• Firstly, you might want to add the grace of turmeric milk (haldi doodh) to your life
• Then you can use this golden spice in curries, stews, stir-fries, marination, etc.

Just remember one thing – try consuming turmeric with black pepper as it has shown a 2000% increase in turmeric’s absorption rate. [18]

5. Cinnamon

Cinnamon, also known as dal chini, is a sweeter spice that is loved much across India. In India, cinnamon is believed to bring in financial delights and good luck. With a bit of hot nature, this spice is used for its many health benefits. 

In Ayurveda, cinnamon is used to treat digestive issues. Here are the proven cinnamon health benefits that make it an alluring addition to your Diwali spices –

• It can enhance insulin sensitivity and help with blood sugar issues
• Cinnamon can help you preserve your memories and function better as you age 
• It has antibacterial and antifungal properties 
• It can even be protective against certain viruses [19][20][21][22]

The cinnamon health benefits do not stop here. It is rich in antioxidants, heals the heart, boasts several nutrients, and tastes great as well. This is why cinnamon is used in numerous dishes.

Try to include cinnamon in your dishes this Diwali in these many ways –

• Make sweet dishes such as kheer, cinnamon rolls, sweet buns, pies, breads, etc.
• If you are more into spicy delicacies, use it in biryanis, spiced rice, chickpeas, curries, etc.

And if you ever feel low on energy, just brew yourself a cup of cinnamon tea or coffee. 

6. Nutmace and Nutmeg

Call them sibling spices or call them anything, but their beauty and flavours do not change. Both these spices come from the same fruit. In Hindi, nutmeg is known as ‘jaifal’ and nutmace as ‘javitri’. 

The nutmace is the inner seed while the nutmeg is its outer covering. Both these add a subtle warm flavour to the dishes.

Health-wise, both these spices uplift our lives through the many health benefits they offer –

• It is rich in antioxidants such as terpenes, phenolic compounds, etc. 
• Nutmeg contains anti-inflammatory properties due to terpineol, pinene, etc. These may help you get rid of joint pain, swelling, etc. 
• Another exotic spice that can enhance your libido as well
• May help your heart, boost your mood, and even protect you against bacteria. [23][24][25][26][27][28]

And how do you incorporate these into your diet? Through their many culinary uses

Sweet Symphony: Elevate desserts like kheer, pies, and puddings with a sprinkle of ground nutmeg or finely grated nutmace. 

Savoury Elegance: You may even add a pinch of these sibling spices to your biryanis, stews, or spiced rice. And there you’ll have, a nuanced and comforting aroma.

7. Star Anise

This star is a lesser-known one, but it must be known well. In Hindi, star anise is known as ‘chakri fool’. It has a unique star-like shape, for which it has got its name. 

Star anise is a well-known digestive aid that is used to treat colic in babies. But its benefits are many more, which makes this spice an elegant addition to your Diwali –

• This spice is rich in numerous bioactive compounds such as linalool, anethole, limonene, gallic acid, etc. These compounds offer numerous antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant properties.
•  Star anise can help you deal with fungal infections as well. All hail its flavonoid anethole. ^[29][30][31]

Apart from these, the taste of star anise is amazing as well. Just know how to use it in cooking. 

• If you cannot live without curries, star anise is something that you must use
• Use it in broths and soups
• Because it has a subtle liquorice-like flavour, you may use it for baked goods and desserts

Pro tip – Your butter chicken can take the next-level taste if you add this spice to it. 

A Spicy Conclusion

As we prepare to illuminate our homes with the vibrant glow of Diwali, let’s not forget the unsung heroes — spices. They often get outshined by the sweet dishes during festivals. 

This time, let’s embrace the many Diwali spices such as cardamom, saffron, cloves, turmeric, cinnamon, nut mace, nutmeg, and star anise. 

Not only do these spices add wonderful flavours, but they also nourish us with numerous health benefits. 

From their antioxidant richness to their anti-inflammatory properties, heart-healing goodness, brain-enhancing tendency, and even digestive aid, their benefits are many. Just make sure you consume these spices at healthy limits and observe if any odd changes happen alongside.  

So, this Diwali, let the aroma of these auspicious spices blend with the joyous melodies. Embrace them. And may your Diwali be seasoned with love, health, and the tantalizing essence of these enchanting spices.

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