Cooking with Dill

I'm chin deep in report cards and end-of-the-year school stuff, so I'm borrowing this post I did for the Healthy Writer Blog a few years back. Dill seems like a wonderful herb to add for summer cooking, so it felt like a good one for today.

Enjoy!


Last winter I was reading of the value of selenium to help fight off the flu (or at least prevent it from morphing into a more serious version). Salmon is considered a good source of selenium so I decided to cook some tonight. I wanted to add dill and that got me to wondering if it had any value other than adding flavor.
Turns out it does have some very beneficial properties.

According to HealthDiaries.com:

• Promotes Bone Health
• Has Anti-Bacterial properties
• Provides Free Radical Protection
• Offers Digestive Benefits
• Is a Headache remedy
• Has a Calming Effect;
• and is a Sleep Aid

For more about each benefit, check out the Healthdiaries website.

Livestrong touts some additional benefits:
Dill weed may be effective in helping diabetics regulate insulin levels, although studies to date have only been performed on laboratory animals.

Dill weed leaf extract was given to rats for 14 days at Iran’s Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, reducing their triglyceride levels by up to 50 percent and total cholesterol by 20 percent.

Read more at Livestrong.

World’s Healthiest Foods suggests: A Few Quick Serving Ideas

• 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 dill weed as a garnish for sandwiches.
• 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.

Do you like to add dill to your food? Does knowing it’s healthy intrigue you enough to start cooking with dill?