Everyone wants to eat healthy.

But everyone wants food that tastes good too. We don't always equate healthy eating with good tasting food. People are often lured by fast foods, deep fried foods and foods that are high in salt, sugar or saturated fat.

But it is possible to prepare meals that are healthy and taste great.

It's especially possible when herbs and spices are used in the recipe. Herbs and spices give a dish a more rounded fuller flavour.

When these are used, it also means that less salt, sugar and saturated fats will be used.

Cooking with healthy fats such as olive oil along with herbs gives a dish the best flavour and is also the healthiest.

It's not complicated to do either. Many times we think cooking healthy foods is more complicated and takes more time than preparing a meal from processed foods.

Not true. You can prepare healthy foods fairly quickly, without sacrificing nutrition or flavour.

What's important to understand is the effect that herbs and spices can have on food. By taking some simple basic ingredients and adding the right mix of flavouring, the dish is now elevated to something special.

Having an herbal blend on hand such as bouquet garni or herbs de province can also make meals special.

You take the blend and add it to a soup, sauce or other dish.

Another trick is to use herbs for a sauce such as Aioli Sauce or Sunflower Dipping Sauce. These can be used as dips or added to dishes or meals for extra flavour.

Eating healthy food with herbs is something that can be incorporated into anyone's lifestyle.

Start by thinking about the flavours you like best from herbs and spices. Is it the piney flavour of rosemary? Or perhaps oregano's strong flavour that we associate with pizza and spaghetti.

Or maybe it's garlic that you love. What about the warm flavour of cumin?

When it comes to spices, most of us are familiar with cinnamon. But what about nutmeg, cloves and allspice or the liquorice-like flavour of anise? These spices and others can greatly enhance foods.

Next think about the foods or meal you love the most. Perhaps you enjoy certain ethnic foods like Mexican, Asian foods like Thai or Chinese, Mediterranean inspired foods from Italy or Greece. When you think about the range of herbs or spices used in these meals, you will be more inspired to cook them yourself.

Make a list of all the herbs and spices you enjoy and then stock your pantry. Purchase herbs in bulk from reputable health food stores to get the best prices and quality. Ask to be sure where the herbs originate from.

Remember that herbs and spices do a shelf life - they don't last forever. Most should be used within a year of purchase. They should have a fresh scent. If they are looking brownish and there is no scent left, especially after crushing them, then they should be disposed.

Marilyn Zink is an herbal enthusiast and publisher of the Herbal Collective magazine, http://www.herbalcollective.ca. Get the newsletter or visit http://www.herbguide.ca to get started preparing foods with herbs and spices.