The Nutritional Benefits of Adding Dill to Your Diet

Availability

During the summer and early fall, dill can be purchased fresh in markets and grocery stores and is a pleasant addition to more than pickles. It complements fish, lamb, tiny boiled potatoes, salads, dressings, sauces and even brewed as a tea. Dried dill can be purchased year around. In fact dill has two seasons; one for it’s fern like leaves and the other later in the year for its seeds.

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Dill is Prolific

While dill is native to southern Russia, western Africa and the Mediterranean region, it has become popular in many other countries as well and can be found in herb gardens in many areas. According to Floyd, of floydthefoodguy.com once you plant dill in your garden, you will never need to plant it again. It is that prolific. He also states that once you have experienced the taste of your own fresh grown dill you will appreciate the difference of fresh grown dill. He recommends placing some in scrambled eggs, sandwiches, fish dishes, stews, yogurt, and grilled lamb kebobs.

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The green wispy leaves with their fern like appearance have a soft, sweet taste, and the seeds are eaten as well.

Health Benefits

The unique health benefits found in dill come from two types of components both known for their healing properties:

Monoterpenes

o Carvone

o Limonene

o Anethofuran

Flavonoids

o Kaempferol

o Vincenin

Protection against Free Radicals and Carcinogens

These properties work much like those in parsley in that they activate an enzyme called gluthathione-S-tranferase. When these components come in contact with oxidized molecules which would harm our body they become attached to them and neutralize the damages working particularly hard against certain carcinogens such as benzopyrenes found in cigarette, incinerator and grill smoke.

An Anti-Bacterial Spice

The total volatile oil portion of dill has also been studied for its ability to prevent bacterial overgrowth. In this respect, dill shares the stage with garlic, which has also been shown to have "bacteriostatic" or bacteria-regulating effects.

A Flavorful Way to Help Prevent Bone Loss

In addition to its chemoprotective and bacteriostatic properties, our food ranking system qualified dill as a very good source of calcium. Calcium is important for reducing the bone loss that occurs after menopause and in some conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. The food ranking system also qualifies dill as a good source of dietary fiber and a good source of the minerals manganese, iron and magnesium.

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Description

Dill is a unique plant in that both its leaves and seeds are used as a seasoning. Dill's green leaves are wispy and fernlike and have a soft, sweet taste. Dried dill seeds are light brown in color and oval in shape, featuring one flat side and the other is ridged. The seeds are similar in taste to caraway, featuring a flavor that is aromatic, sweet and citrusy, but also slightly bitter.

Dill's name comes from the Old Norse word "dilla " which means "to lull". This name reflects dill's traditional uses as both a carminative stomach soother and an insomnia reliever. A tea brewed from dill is used to calm and soothe one into sleep.

Dill is scientifically known as Anethum graveolens and is part of the Umbelliferae family, whose other members include parsley, cumin and bay.

History

It has been used for its culinary and medicinal properties for well over a thousand years. Dill was mentioned both in the Bible and in ancient Egyptian writings. It was popular in the ancient Greek and Roman cultures, where it was considered a sign of wealth and was revered for its many healing properties. Dill was used by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, in a recipe for oral hygiene. Ancient soldiers would burn dill seeds then apply to their wounds to promote healing.

The curative properties of dill have been honored throughout history. The Conqueror Charlemagne even made it available on his banquet tables, so his guests who over indulged could benefit from its carminative properties. Today, dill is a noted herb in the cuisines of Scandinavia, Central Europe, North Africa and Russia.

How to Select and Store

Whenever possible, choose fresh dill weed over the dried form of the herb since it is superior in its delicate fragrant flavor. The leaves of fresh dill should look feathery and green in color. Dill leaves that are a little wilted are still acceptable since they usually droop very quickly after being picked.

Even through dried herbs and spices are widely available in supermarkets, explore the local spice and ethnic stores in your area. Oftentimes, these stores feature a wide array of dried herbs and spices that are of superior quality and freshness compared to those offered in regular markets. Just like with other dried herbs, try to select organically grown dill seeds since this will give you more assurance that the spice has not been irradiated.

Fresh dill should always be stored in the refrigerator either wrapped in a damp paper towel or with its stems placed in a container of water. Since it is very fragile, even if stored properly, dill will only keep fresh for about two days. Dill can be frozen, either whole or chopped, in airtight containers. Alternatively, you can freeze the dill leaves in ice cube trays covered with water or stock that can be added when preparing soups or stews.

Dried dill seeds should be stored in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dry and dark place where they will keep fresh for about six months.

How to Enjoy

For some of Mataljan's favorite recipes, click Recipes and enjoy a wide array of healthy recipes at Worlds Healthiest Foods. Org.

George Mataljan offers these tips for Cooking with Dill :

Combine dill weed with plain yogurt and chopped cucumber for a delicious cooling dip.

Use dill when cooking fish, especially salmon and trout, as the flavors complement one another very well.

Use to Calm the Stomach

Since dill seeds were traditionally used to soothe the stomach after meals, place some seeds in a small dish and place it on the dinner table for all to enjoy.

Add dill to your favorite egg salad recipe.

Mix together chopped potatoes, green beans, and plain yogurt, then season with both dill seeds and chopped dill weed.

Safety

Dill is not a commonly allergenic food and is not known to contain measurable amounts of goitrogens, oxalates, or purines.

I want to share a quick and easy recipe with you for dill salt. I came across it in “Microwaving on a Diet” by Barbara Methven. It is good for using on fish, seafood, cucumbers, string beans and a large variety of vegetables:

Dill Salt

• ½ cup table salt (I prefer sea salt)
• ¾ cup dill weed

Combine salt and dill. Store in tightly sealed jar. A normal serving size would be ¼ tsp.

Dilled Cucumbers

• 1 cucumber sliced thin
• 1/2 to 3/4 lite sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon minced scallion
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients well. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Note: for crispier cucumbers use hot house ones or pickling cukes. Enjoy.

Experiment with herbs. There is much to be gained by adding them to your diet in the way of better nutrition and health.