Nutritious Herbs

Herbs have been cultivated as remedies for thousands of years and lend a distinctive taste to many raw and cooked dishes. Fresh herbs contain important nutrients, even in small doses and even when they are considered weeds. In summer salads and winter soups, herbs can be as good for you as they are good to eat.

Sweets and Substitutes

Herbs are traditional medicines and flavorings. They can spice up, sweeten or add a savory note to a bland dish, and the stronger herbs like garlic can disguise a less-than-favorite flavor. That means you can use herbs to boost nutrition by serving them as non-sugar sweeteners and salt substitutes, or making a healthy food extra-palatable. Anise hyssop adds sweetness to stewed fruits. Fresh mint is all you need in iced tea. Dried dill replaces salt sprinkled on a hard boiled egg.

Micronutrients and Antioxidants

Herbs don't supply your daily macronutrients--carbohydrates, proteins and fats--but they do contribute extra vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to a healthy diet. Don't just admire parsley as a garnish. Eat your garnish to get vitamins A, C and K. Add dandelion greens to a salad or soup for potent vitamins and essential minerals. Dandelion greens contain vitamins A, B-complex, C and D, plus iron, zinc and potassium. Green tea, a brew made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, is loaded with polyphenols which make it a powerful antioxidant. The University of Maryland Medical Center says tea also contains L-theanine, an amino acid that calms the nervous system, and the stimulants caffeine, theobromine and theophylline. Garlic, a strong antioxidant, contains calcium, phosphorus, vitamins C and B6, as well as allicin which has antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Natural Remedies

Herbs provide flavor and nutrients but negligible calories and no fat. They may be added to a diet in a number of convenient forms to improve or restore health: fresh-snipped from the garden, brewed as teas, dried and added to cooked dishes or taken as a tincture for medicinal purposes. Yarrow flowers are full of flavonoids that induce sweating to break a fever when the herb is consumed as a tea. According to biologists at Kaplan University, yarrow's flavonoids dilate arteries, bring more blood flow to the skin, oxygenate tissues and boost the immune system. Nettle, consumed in sauces, soups and teas, has iron, potassium, manganese, vitamins A and C, and other nutrients, and is used to invigorate the lymph system.

Fresh Herb Storage

Preserve the nutrients in fresh herbs with careful handling and storage. Keep them for a few days in an open or perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator bin. Don't wash herbs until you are ready to use them. If you want to keep them as potent and fresh as possible for a week or so, cut the stems on the diagonal, place the herbs stem-first in a glass of clean water, cover the glass with a plastic bag and store the herbs in the fridge. Change the water daily. Pick off and discard any leaves or stems that go limp or soggy and use the herbs as soon as possible after picking for maximum nutrition.