Bites: March 2025 - Better Health In Bloom  

Welcome to the Spring edition of Bites newsletter by ModifyHealth—we're getting a little fresh this month! March is National Nutrition Month, making it the perfect time to explore simple ways to enhance your meals and nourish your body. Fresh herbs and spices are an easy, flavorful way to elevate your cooking while supporting a healthy lifestyle. With longer days and warmer weather ahead, now is the perfect time to refresh your routine and spring forward on your health journey.

Patio Herb Gardening

Nothing says Spring like cooking with fresh home-grown herbs again after a long winter. Herbs like parsley, basil, chives, and rosemary can be used to elevate the flavor profile of many dishes. They can be used freely in any type of diet from low FODMAP to Mediterranean. Best of all, they are compact plants that grow very successfully in containers, even on the smallest patio or deck. We have a few tips to help you try patio herb gardening this spring. 

• Begin with parsley, chives, and basil. They are easy to grow, and they produce edible leaves and stems all summer and into the fall. 
  
  
• Prepare some containers, which should have at least one drainage hole on the bottom. Containers that will be placed on sensitive surfaces should have a glazed ceramic or plastic tray underneath. You will need containers that can hold 1-2 gallons of soil for one basil seedling, 3-4 parsley seedlings, or one 3 to 5-inch nursery pot of chives or parsley. 
  
  
• Fill your containers with prepared potting mix. Stir some fertilizer into the soil before transplanting the seedlings, according to the directions on the product. Our favorite fertilizer for herbs is Espoma Organic Garden-Tone; add about ½ cup of the product for each gallon of soil. 
  
  
• Buy seedlings from a nursery or home improvement store if you are a new gardener. Some grocery stores sell herbs with the roots intact in the produce section—they may not call them seedlings, but they can certainly be planted in containers rather than eaten immediately. Starting plants from seeds is fun but adds more steps you can put off learning about until another time.
  
  
• Plant the seedlings in the prepared containers. Press down the soil around the newly planted seedling with the palms of your hands to ensure good contact between the soil in the new pot and the roots of the seedlings. Water them thoroughly.
  
  
• Keep the seedlings safe and inside until the danger of frost has passed. Then put the containers outside in a sunny spot. Don’t rush this. The plants won’t grow much until it warms up, so there is little to be gained by putting them outside too soon, where they might get damaged by cold. Basil is especially tender, and should be moved back inside if overnight temps are expected to get below 50º F.
  
  
• Water your herbs once or twice a week when it hasn’t rained. Fertilize again once or twice during the growing season, according to fertilizer package instructions.

Cut parsley and chives only as needed; stems and leaves don’t re-grow during the current season. Parsley is a biennial and usually comes back again for one more year. Chives are perennial and will re-grow year after year. 

Basil is an annual and only lives for one season. Pruning is great for basil plants. Pinch stems off just above a pair of leaves to help the plant grow bushy and strong.  Enjoy these small amounts of basil in your food all summer. When flowers emerge, pinch them off to help the plant save all its energy for growing big, beautiful leaves. When it looks like you’ve got enough leaves to make a batch of pesto, harvest your basil plant.  

Budget-Friendly Herbs and Spices 

Adding depth and flavor to your meals doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag. While building a spice collection can seem costly, there are plenty of ways to season smart and save. Here are some budget-friendly tips to help you make the most of your herbs and spices without breaking the bank.

• When recipes call for small amounts of herbs or spices, you can usually substitute 1 teaspoon dried for 1 tablespoon fresh.  Don’t try this when cup-sized amounts of herbs are major ingredients in the recipes, as in pesto, tabouleh, or pho. And don’t bother with dried cilantro; it’s almost tasteless.
  
  
• Inexpensive ready-made spice blends like Italian seasoning can often be used instead of buying the individual spices called for in recipes even when the ingredients aren’t a perfect match.
  
  
• More exotic spice blends might be cheaper to put together yourself, especially if you have a supply of individual spices already on hand. There are many variations of spice blends like seasoned salt or curry powder or Baharat. If you are missing one or two of the ingredients in a spice blend recipe, just use a little more of something else and call it your own. Be sure to omit garlic and onion powder from spice blends if you are following a low FODMAP diet.
  
  
• Mixes for sauces, like taco seasoning, usually have flour in them as a thickener, along with onion and garlic powder. Make your own gluten-free, low FODMAP version, using cornstarch instead. To season a pound of ground beef or turkey, use 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, and ½ teaspoon salt. Combine the ingredients and sprinkle them on cooked and drained meat. Add ¼ cup water and stir briefly over low heat until thickened. 
  
  
• Food co-ops sell “bulk” or unpackaged herbs and spices by the pound. You can purchase only the amount you need. If a particular spice costs $15/pound you can buy 2 tablespoons of it for just 49 cents. And nothing will go to waste if you never make that recipe again. 
  
  
• Ask a friend to share some with you. Herbs and spice lose flavor over time. Many cooks are happy to have their supply of dried herbs or spices used regularly so that can get fresh ones.
  
  
• If you have the space, growing herbs in a garden or patio containers can save a significant amount of money during the growing season. Make your favorite pesto or tabouleh recipe when your crop comes in!