Put a Little Spice in your Thanksgiving

Cinnamon is well known as a stellar antioxidant and a potent germ-killer, and there's a growing body of evidence that shows that a substance in the spice turns on insulin receptors to help the body use glucose. Which is a good thing, because too much glucose in the bloodstream is tough on your organs and a marker of diabetes. Cloves appear to have a similar effect.

So don't save these spices for holiday cooking. You can use cinnamon liberally, but cloves -- ground or whole -- really pack a flavor punch and take a lighter hand. For ways to get more of these good-for-you spices into your everyday life, try these tips:

• Sprinkle both on fresh apple slices and poached pears.
• Add cinnamon and cloves to crockpot dishes for an Indian-inspired flavor twist.
• Add ground cloves to stuffing recipes.
• Use a cinnamon stick to stir your tea, hot chocolate, or warm soymilk.
• Sprinkle both spices into muffin batters and on whole-wheat toast.
• Keep a cinnamon shaker next to the salt and pepper on the table and experiment.
• Push whole cloves into an onion and place it in turkey or chicken cavities for flavorful roasting.