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Use limited data to select content. List of Partners vendors. By Katlyn Moncada. Katlyn Moncada. Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG. com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, photography, and video production.

Learn about BHG's Editorial Process. Download Our Free Ingredient Substitutions Chart. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! The difference is in the taste oregano is mostly spicy while marjoram is lemony sweet.

Characteristics: Rosemary has a strong, even pungent, pinelike fragrance and flavor. Native to the Mediterranean region, rosemary gained popularity with Italian cooking in Tuscan favorites like schiacciata , a flatbread that is sometimes made savory with rosemary-infused oil, and chicken cacciatore.

The herb pairs well with pork chops, poultry, and even fish, especially when grilled. Vegetarians can enjoy the herb in potatoes. For an unusual sweet-savory treat, consider rosemary shortbread cookies.

What does rosemary look like? Rosemary is a very unique-looking herb. It grows on woody stems as needles. Both the stems and the needles can be used for cooking the stems can flavor soups and roasts. Characteristics: Chives' deep-green hollow stems lend a refreshingly light oniony taste, which helps cut down on the heaviness of rich foods such as blue cheese and chive dressing and risotto cakes.

When finely chopped, chives work well as a garnish. What do chives look like? Related to onions and other bulb vegetables, this herb looks a lot like lawn grass. Characteristics: Its taste ranges from mild to slightly peppery with some touches of mint. Because of its pronounced flavoring, sage is a good herb to pair with foods traditionally considered heavy, rich, and creamy, like meats sausage , and certain dairy products such as cheese and cream ravioli with sage cream sauce , as well as sweet and savory breads cornbread.

Unlike more delicate herbs, sage can be added in the beginning of the cooking process. What does sage look like? Sage has light gray-green leaves that are soft and fuzzy to the touch. Characteristics: There are two varieties of savory: winter savory and summer savory.

In general, savory has a peppery flavor, although winter savory is more pungent and stronger flavored than the summer variety. This herb has long been incorporated into European cuisines such as beans, meat, and poultry. What does savory look like?

Its long and thin stalks grow delicate, narrow green leaves. Characteristics: The tiny leaves on this low-growing woody plant work best in tandem with other herbs and spices such as basil, sage, and lavender.

Thyme is a major ingredient in the classic French flavoring herbes de Provence. And it plays a major role, next to parsley and bay leaf, in another blend of French herbs, bouquet garni, a crucial flavor component in broths, soups, and stews.

Thyme's importance in Middle Eastern cooking cannot be understated; along with oregano and marjoram, it is a crucial element in za'atar.

This herbal blend is often used in flatbreads such as pita, as well as to flavor roasted meat and poultry. Like rosemary, recipes calling for thyme require you to strip the leaves off the woody stems. Using the entire herb infuses a headier scent and flavor.

What does thyme look like? It depends. There are three kinds of thyme: English thyme, German thyme and French thyme. The French and English variety featured green, pointy leaves with red tinted stems, but the German variety has rounded leaves and green stems.

Characteristics: Tarragon imparts a delicate anise flavor like licorice and fennel that is more sweet than strong. The herb is often paired with foods that easily absorb other flavors such as chicken, scallops, and eggs. Once considered the king of herbs in French cuisine, tarragon is an essential ingredient in the classic béarnaise sauce.

It's not an easy herb to keep for long periods of time so it is often placed in a bottle of vinegar. What does tarragon look like?

Tarragon has glossy, long, tapered leaves. Elegant in form, the herb makes for an elegant garnish. Characteristics: Marjoram has a grassy, lemony taste that is almost sweet.

Like thyme, marjoram works well in ensembles herbes de Provence and za'atar and pairs nicely with meats and poultry, especially in stews. In Mexico, marjoram, thyme, and oregano are combined to create a lively pungent hierbas de olor , the Mexican equivalent to the French bouquet garni.

Try also using marjoram in tomato sauce, white bean salads, fish dishes and vinaigrettes. What does marjoram look like? Marjoram looks just like oregano, with green, oval, flat leaves. Need a little spring in your step? Try Vitality with its juicy raspberry and hibiscus with extra vitamin c.

Looking for that healthy glow? Try Radiant with its refreshing lemon and lime, and stevia leaves. Or want to take a deep breath? Try And Breathe with its sweet blend of pomegranate, elderflower, lemon balm and added magnesium.

Decaffeinated coffee is a great way to watch your caffeine intake be aware, however, as even decaffeinated options will still contain some caffeine. Go easy with caffeine as it can have a mild diuretic effect which can start to dehydrate the body.

If you find it hard to wean yourself off sweetened coffee drinks then try adding a teaspoon of Monin Syrup , which has just 20 calories per teaspoon, with around 3g of sugar. Make your own iced tea shop bought iced teas often contain jaw-dropping amounts of sugar and always have a refreshing jug of delicious tea to hand.

To make your own iced tea, add tea bags to a jug and fill with one third boiling water. Leave to steep for a few minutes, top up with cold water and serve over ice.

You can experiment with different flavour tea bags and fresh fruit, or why not try our iced tea recipes , specially created to work with your favourite Twinings blend? For us, the best alternative to water is tea. Yes, we may be biased, but a delicious cup of tea will always hit the hydration spot.

A cup of tea counts towards your daily fluid intake even the caffeinated versions and is packed full of antioxidants. So a brew is always a good idea! Your Wellbeing Healthy Alternatives to Water for Staying Hydrated A delicious cup of tea is our favourite and healthy alternative to water, but there are plenty more.

Our grandmothers made tea properly in a pot; we, the children of convenience and mass-produced teabags, make tea terribly, and it's nothing to do with how strong it looks. There are two types of tea for herbs, an infusion or a decoction.

Decoction refers to gently simmering your herbs in boiling water, and tends to be used with material that is tougher, such as roots, barks and seeds. An infusion is simply a cup of tea made by steeping the leaves, flowers and non-woody parts of the plant in either hot or cold water.

You can use fresh or dried herbs. Tear or cut up whole leaves to open the cell structures and release the chemical constituents. You will, however, have to use a greater volume of fresh herbs than dried to compensate for the higher water content. If you find instructions calling for one part dried herbs, say 1 teaspoon, then you will need to use three parts fresh herbs, as in 3 teaspoons.

Or, put another way, 1 teaspoon of dried herbs equals 1 tablespoon of fresh. Warm your teapot or cup by swilling some boiling water around in it, then disperse this.

To save water I put this in my watering can for my houseplants, knowing by the time I get round to watering it will be cool. If you are making a pot, use 1 teaspoon of dried herb for each cup. Add 1 cup of water, ml, for each teaspoon of herbs in the pot and put the lid on immediately.

If you are making a single cup, use a saucer. The more aromatic the herb is, the more volatile oils there are to lose. The tea should be steeped for 10—15 minutes.

You can drink the tea hot or cold, sweetened with honey or not. For medicinal purposes hot tea is usually recommended. Another alternative is to make a cold infusion or a sun tea, where the herbs used are in the same concentration as hot tea but are left for 6—12 hours in a sealed pot or jar.

I use large Kilner jars for this. I often leave the tea on a warm windowsill so that the sun can naturally brew the infusion. This tea never tastes as strong as tea made with boiling water, but it is refreshing and just as healthful. Cleavers with some added lemon or cucumber is particularly refreshing.

I also like a nettle infusion made the same way and often find making litre batches an easier way to consume the herb than hot tea. Likewise, marshmallow is much better made in a cold infusion than hot as more of the active constituents are present this way.

Plus, fruit juice lacks the filling fiber that fruit offers, notes the Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health. Can't give up your favorite citrus-flavored soda? Indulge in an occasional treat with a healthier version made with lemon or lime and a small amount of sweetener.

Start with a glass of sparkling or seltzer water and add a few slices of lemon or lime or both and a dash of stevia-based sweetener, which is calorie-free and low in carbohydrates.

If your drink of choice is a spirit mixed with cola, you may be better off ordering a glass of wine, specifically the red variety. There is also research investigating resveratrol, an antioxidant compound in red wine, and the protective effect it may have against cancer.

Research published in the August issue of The Lancet reveals that alcohol use is a leading risk factor for death and disability globally it was the seventh leading risk factor for death in Study authors also warn that alcohol is a leading risk factor for global disease and causes significant health loss.

If you do enjoy the occasional glass of red wine, watch your consumption. MedlinePlus recommends that women limit alcohol consumption to one drink 4 ounces of wine per day and men to two drinks per day.

Vegetable juice offers a quick, low-calorie way to get many of the benefits of veggies, without fiber. It also contains much less natural sugar than fruit juices, according to chapter eight of Culinary Nutrition.

For example, per the USDA, 1 cup of orange juice contains roughly 24 grams g of sugar , while 1 cup of tomato juice contains 6 g of sugar. But vegetable juice can be high in sodium — 1 cup of tomato juice has milligrams mg of sodium, which is roughly 27 percent of your daily value — so opt for a low-sodium version whenever possible.

Better yet, make your own fresh juice easily at home with a juicer. Simply add your favorite veggies, and even a few slices of fruit if you want to sweeten your drink, to the juicer — no chopping required!

If you prefer a little kick, add some black pepper and a drop of hot sauce. One cup of nonfat milk provides mg of calcium, or nearly 25 percent of your daily value, and 2.

But for those who are lactose intolerant or who don't consume dairy, soy milk can be a good protein-packed, plant-based alternative, available in a variety of flavors, including almond and vanilla. Look for low-fat, unsweetened soy beverages to reduce calories.

Also, pick soy milk that has been fortified with nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D , especially if you're drinking it as a substitute for milk.

Other plant-based milks — such as almond, coconut, rice, or oat — are also potential dairy alternatives. But keep in mind that soy is the most nutritionally comparable substitute for dairy milk in terms of protein, Kennedy says. A wealth of research suggests that drinking coffee in moderation can be a healthy part of your diet.

Coffee drinkers may have a lower risk of heart disease, prostate cancer , endometrial cancer, and death from any cause, according to a review published in in BMJ.

And — as if you didn't already know — coffee's caffeine can help with mental alertness and physical performance. A study published in in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that seven men who consumed caffeine increased their time to exhaustion during a cycling test by 12 percent and reduced their perception of fatigue.

The key to reaping these benefits from caffeine is not to overdo it. Too much caffeine can leave you jittery and anxious, so dietitians generally recommend that you drink no more than a couple of cups a day depending on the way it's prepared.

Pregnant women and those trying to become pregnant may want to avoid it, though research on this is mixed. Yet authors say more research is needed. Kombucha, which is fermented tea, is another great way to satisfy your craving for carbonation while slashing your added-sugar intake.

Plus, kombucha offers many potential health benefits, thanks in part to the fermentation process, which produces gut-friendly bacteria known as probiotics , according to a paper in the February issue of Annals of Epidemiology.

The fermentation process gives kombucha a mildly acidic flavor, not unlike apple cider, according to a past review. People who are fighting off a serious illness, going through chemotherapy, or taking immune-suppressing drugs may also want to avoid kombucha, as the probiotics can cause harmful side effects, warns the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

Unsweetened coconut water is a natural source of vitamins and minerals, and has the added benefit of being low in sugar only 12 g per cup , according to estimates from the USDA. Plus, coconut water contains electrolytes minerals that help maintain fluid balance , such as potassium , magnesium, and sodium, which are often depleted during long or strenuous exercise, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The hospital adds that coconut water also contains less sodium than sports drinks. A very small study on 10 men found that coconut water was just as effective as a sports drink for rehydrating after a minute run while causing less nausea and stomach upset.

Typically, coconut water is used to hydrate, while coconut milk is used in cooking. Coconut water comes directly from the coconut fruit itself and is roughly 94 percent water.

Meanwhile, coconut milk is made by grating the meaty coconut flesh and is only 50 percent water — the rest is mainly fat and protein, according to a study. Health Conditions A-Z. Best Oils for Skin Complementary Approaches Emotional Wellness Fitness and Exercise Healthy Skin Online Therapy Reiki Healing Resilience Sleep Sexual Health Self Care Yoga Poses See All.

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