Spices Are Plants: An Easy Way to Add More Plant Variety to Your Day

 

When someone tells you to “eat more plants,” what comes to mind?

Broccoli? Berries? A big green salad?

Those are wonderful places to start. Fruits and vegetables are important parts of a healthy diet, and spices aren’t a substitute for them.

But there is another part of the plant world sitting right in your kitchen.

Your spice cabinet.

Cinnamon is tree bark. Ginger and turmeric are underground stems called rhizomes. Cardamom and nutmeg come from seeds. Cloves are unopened flower buds. Cayenne peppers are fruits. Vanilla comes from the fruit of an orchid. Cocoa begins with seeds inside the fruit of the cacao tree.

Spices aren’t just flavor.

Spices are plants.

And scientists are increasingly interested in the remarkable variety of naturally occurring compounds those plants contain.

What Does It Really Mean to Eat More Plants?

Eating a greater variety of plant foods doesn’t mean becoming vegetarian or filling every meal with vegetables.

Plant foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.

Different plants contain different combinations of nutrients and naturally occurring plant compounds. That’s one reason dietary variety matters.

Fruits and vegetables deserve an important place in the diet. Herbs and spices can add another layer of plant variety—often with something as simple as a sprinkle.

That can be especially interesting for people who realize they don’t eat as wide a variety of fruits and vegetables as they would like.

Spices don’t replace the plants you’re missing. They can help broaden the plants you’re already eating.

Do Herbs and Spices Count as Plants?

Absolutely.

A spice usually comes from a particular part of a plant that has been dried, ground or otherwise prepared for culinary use.

Look at the botanical diversity hiding inside common spices:

Bark — cinnamon
Rhizomes — ginger and turmeric
Seeds — nutmeg and cocoa
Seed pods/seeds — cardamom
Flower buds — cloves
Fruits — cayenne pepper
Orchid fruit — vanilla

That means adding spices to coffee, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, smoothies or cooking isn’t simply adding flavor.

You’re adding ingredients derived from plants.

What About the “30 Plants a Week” Idea?

You may have heard people recommend eating 30 different plants each week.

The idea traces in part to research from the American Gut Project, where people reporting more than 30 different plant foods per week had greater gut microbial diversity than people reporting fewer than 10.

That’s interesting research—but it shouldn’t be turned into a magic number.

Scientists haven’t established that everyone must eat exactly 30 plants per week for good health. Nor is there a universally accepted scientific scoring system declaring that every pinch of every spice equals one full “plant point.”

A better lesson is much simpler:

Plant variety matters, and herbs and spices can be part of that variety.

Instead of worrying about hitting a perfect score, consider looking for enjoyable ways to broaden the range of plant foods you eat.

Your spice cabinet is one place to start.

Why Are Scientists So Interested in Spices?

Plants manufacture an extraordinary variety of chemical compounds.

Among them are polyphenols, a large and diverse family of naturally occurring compounds found throughout the plant kingdom.

Herbs and spices can contain polyphenols along with other phytochemicals such as terpenoids and alkaloids. Researchers are studying how these compounds are absorbed, metabolized and interact with the human body.

That doesn’t mean every compound found in a spice automatically produces a measurable health benefit when we sprinkle that spice on food.

That’s an important distinction.

Laboratory studies can tell scientists that a plant contains particular compounds or demonstrates antioxidant activity under laboratory conditions. Human studies are necessary to determine what happens when people actually eat those foods.

Preparation, quantity, digestion, absorption, metabolism and the rest of someone’s diet can all matter.

Good nutrition science is rarely as simple as “this food contains this compound, therefore eating it causes this health outcome.”

We think that distinction is worth understanding.

What Are Antioxidants?

You’ve probably seen the word antioxidant on everything from berries and chocolate to tea and spices.

But what does it actually mean?

Oxidation is part of normal chemistry and biology. Scientists use the term antioxidant for substances capable of interfering with certain oxidation processes.

Many plants contain compounds that demonstrate antioxidant properties in laboratory testing. Spices have attracted considerable scientific attention because of their diverse phytochemicals, including polyphenols.

But there’s an important difference between:

measuring antioxidant activity in a laboratory

and

demonstrating a particular health effect in a human being.

Those aren’t interchangeable.

That’s why we prefer to talk about what is actually in spices and what researchers are studying rather than promising what eating a particular spice will do for you.

Meet Nine Remarkable Spice Plants

Fika Spice™ began with a simple question:

What if several wonderful spices could become part of something many people already enjoy every day—their coffee?

Our Original Fika Spice™ combines nine carefully selected culinary spices.

Each has its own flavor, botanical origin and fascinating plant chemistry.

Ceylon Cinnamon — Bark

Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of trees in the Cinnamomum genus.

Cinnamon contains numerous naturally occurring plant compounds and has been the subject of extensive nutrition research.

We specifically use Ceylon cinnamon, sometimes called “true cinnamon.”

Its warm sweetness also helps create the perception of sweetness without simply adding more sugar.

Cocoa — Seed

Chocolate begins with a plant.

Cocoa comes from seeds found inside the fruit of the cacao tree.

Cocoa naturally contains a group of polyphenols known as flavanols, which have been extensively studied by nutrition researchers.

For Fika Spice, cocoa also contributes depth and richness to coffee without turning the cup into a sugary mocha.

Madagascar Vanilla Bean — Orchid Fruit

Vanilla is one of the world’s most familiar flavors, but its botanical story is extraordinary.

Vanilla comes from an orchid.

The long “bean” we recognize as vanilla is the plant’s fruit. Real vanilla contains numerous aromatic compounds, including vanillin.

We use Madagascar vanilla bean powder as part of the complexity and natural sweetness of the blend.

Ginger — Rhizome

The part of ginger we commonly eat isn’t technically a root.

It’s a rhizome—an underground plant stem.

Ginger contains characteristic compounds including gingerols and shogaols and has a long culinary history across cultures. It is also one of the more extensively researched culinary spices.

In coffee, ginger contributes warmth and brightness.

Nutmeg — Seed

Nutmeg comes from the seed of the fruit of the nutmeg tree.

Its complex aromatic compounds create the unmistakably warm flavor associated with baking and cool-weather foods.

Nutmeg is also a good reminder of an important principle:

More isn’t always better.

Spices are potent ingredients, and culinary quantities are very different from excessive consumption.

Turmeric — Rhizome

Like ginger, turmeric is a rhizome.

Its brilliant golden color comes partly from compounds called curcuminoids, including curcumin.

Turmeric and curcumin have received enormous scientific attention. Research continues, but findings from concentrated extracts or supplements shouldn’t automatically be applied to the much smaller amounts of turmeric eaten as a culinary spice.

We use turmeric as food—as people have done for generations.

Cardamom — Seed

Cardamom is treasured in cuisines throughout the world and has a particularly strong connection with Scandinavian baking and coffee traditions.

The seeds inside its pods contain aromatic compounds responsible for cardamom’s distinctive floral, citrus-like character.

Human research into cardamom continues to develop, but its culinary history alone makes it one of the world’s most fascinating spices.

And for a spice inspired by fika, cardamom belongs naturally in the conversation.

Cayenne — Fruit

A chile pepper is botanically a fruit.

Cayenne’s characteristic heat comes largely from compounds called capsaicinoids, including capsaicin.

Researchers continue to investigate these compounds, although human findings aren’t uniform.

In Fika Spice, cayenne isn’t there to make your coffee hot.

A very small amount adds dimension and a gentle finish to the blend.

Clove — Flower Bud

This may be the biggest botanical surprise in the jar.

Cloves are dried, unopened flower buds.

They contain a characteristic aromatic compound called eugenol and have demonstrated substantial polyphenol content and antioxidant activity in laboratory analyses.

Again, laboratory antioxidant activity isn’t the same thing as proving a health outcome in people.

But chemically and botanically, the humble clove is remarkable.

Nine Spices. Nine Different Botanical Stories.

Put them together and look at what you have:

bark + seeds + fruits + rhizomes + flower buds + an orchid fruit

That’s one reason we think spices deserve more attention.

Not as miracle foods.

Not as replacements for fruits and vegetables.

And not as medicine.

As plants.

Plants with extraordinary flavors, histories and chemical diversity that humans have learned to incorporate into food over thousands of years.

Can Spices Replace Fruits and Vegetables?

No.

And we want to be very clear about that.

Fruits and vegetables provide important nutrients and dietary fiber, and spices are normally eaten in much smaller quantities.

If you don’t eat many fruits and vegetables, adding spices doesn’t erase that nutritional gap.

But healthy eating doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition.

You can eat another apple.

You can add vegetables to dinner.

You can choose whole grains.

You can eat nuts and seeds.

And you can explore herbs and spices.

One positive choice doesn’t have to replace another.

They can build on one another.

An Easier Way to Think About Plant Variety

Instead of asking:

“Did I eat perfectly today?”

try asking:

“Where could I add another plant?”

Add berries to oatmeal.

Put nuts on yogurt.

Add vegetables to soup.

Season roasted vegetables generously.

Try cardamom in baking.

Sprinkle cinnamon over an apple.

Add ginger to a smoothie.

Explore turmeric in cooking.

And yes—put spices in your coffee.

Small culinary habits can make food more varied, interesting and enjoyable.

Why Put Spices in Coffee?

Because habits matter.

For millions of people, coffee is already part of the day.

That makes it an interesting place to introduce flavor without creating an entirely new routine.

People around the world have seasoned coffee with spices for generations. Cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and other aromatics have longstanding culinary relationships with coffee.

Fika Spice™ brings nine spices together in one blend designed specifically to complement coffee.

Sprinkle more or less depending on your taste.

Use it in coffee, or explore it on oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, smoothies, baking and cooking.

One blend. Many possibilities.

Food Should Still Taste Amazing

Nutrition isn’t the only reason humans use spices.

We use them because they make food delicious.

That’s important.

A plant-rich diet isn’t particularly useful if someone doesn’t enjoy eating it.

Spices transform aroma, sweetness, warmth, complexity and even our perception of familiar foods.

They can make an apple more interesting.

Oatmeal more inviting.

Coffee more complex.

Vegetables more exciting.

And sometimes the simplest way to make a better food choice sustainable is to make it taste better.

Our Philosophy

At Fika Spice, we’re fascinated by what happens when an ancient human practice—using plants to make food more flavorful—meets modern nutrition science.

We don’t believe one spice, one food or one morning routine is the secret to health.

We believe food can be simpler.

We believe plants are fascinating.

We believe flavor matters.

And we believe small daily rituals can help us slow down and enjoy what we’re consuming.

That’s where our two ideas meet:

Fika — the Swedish tradition of pausing for coffee, something delicious and connection.

Spice — plants humans have used for flavor, aroma and culinary enjoyment across generations and cultures.

Put them together and you get something wonderfully simple:

The Spice for Coffee™.

Simple • Healthy • Delicious • Fika

Frequently Asked Questions

Are spices plants?

Yes. Culinary spices are derived from different plant parts, including bark, roots or rhizomes, seeds, fruits and flower buds.

Do spices count toward plant diversity?

Herbs and spices can contribute to the variety of plant foods in a person’s diet. There isn’t, however, a universally established scientific “plant point” system assigning every amount of spice a particular value.

Do spices count toward 30 plants a week?

The popular 30-plants concept grew from research associating greater weekly plant variety with greater gut-microbiome diversity. Thirty isn’t an established requirement for every individual, and there isn’t a universally accepted rule defining exactly how much of a spice constitutes one of those plants.

Can spices replace vegetables?

No. Spices are generally consumed in much smaller quantities and don’t replace the fiber and nutrients supplied by adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables. Think of spices as another source of plant variety—not a substitute.

Are spices high in antioxidants?

Many spices contain polyphenols and other compounds that demonstrate antioxidant activity in laboratory research. Translating laboratory measurements into specific benefits in humans is much more complicated, which is why we prefer to discuss the compounds and research rather than characterize Fika Spice itself as “high in antioxidants.”

What are polyphenols?

Polyphenols are a large family of naturally occurring compounds produced by plants. They occur in foods including fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, cocoa, herbs and spices. Researchers continue to study their metabolism and potential roles in human health.

Is putting spices in coffee healthy?

Adding culinary spices can introduce additional plant-derived ingredients and flavor to coffee. Whether someone’s overall diet is healthy depends on much more than a cup of coffee, so we don’t treat spiced coffee as a shortcut to good nutrition.

Why are there nine spices in Fika Spice?

We wanted complexity without overwhelming the coffee. Each ingredient contributes something different—warmth, aroma, depth, brightness, gentle heat or perceived sweetness. Together they create a balanced spice blend specifically designed for coffee.

How do I use Fika Spice?

Sprinkle more or less into your coffee depending on your taste. You can also explore it in oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, fruit, baking and cooking.

Keep Exploring

Curious about the tradition behind your cup?

Explore What Is Fika?, our Spices for Coffee: Complete Guide, and our guides to the individual spices and plant compounds behind Fika Spice™.

Because sometimes learning what’s inside something makes the everyday ritual even more interesting.

First we fika.