Growing Herbs for the Health of It!

Do your salivary glands kick into action when you think about a juicy hamburger or a salty snack? Do sugary treats draw you like metal to a magnet? Well then, you’re human! Our desire for fatty, salty, and sugary foods is the result of humans evolving over many millennia. Our bodies need fat, salt, and sugar to function—only we may not need as much as we are consuming. The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015) recommend cutting down on fat, added sugars, and sodium (see box 1 below). Cutting back doesn’t mean we need to take all the fun and flavor out of enjoying our favorite foods. The purpose of this publication is to describe how herbs can be used as a substitute for less healthy taste enhancers such as salt, sugar, and fat.