Annatto – A Nutritious Spice With Health Benefits

Annatto is an ancient natural dye and spice that’s used as a seasoning, condiment and coloring in cuisines around the world. It’s also packed with healthy benefits, ranging from improving eyesight to promoting heart health.

Bixa orellana, or annatto, is an herb and flowering plant native to Central America and the Caribbean that’s been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years to treat everything from mild to life-threatening conditions. Its many uses have spurred researchers to analyze its phytochemicals, such as fatty acids, soluble fiber, sterols, flavonoids, coumarins and carotenoids. Annatto contains a group of compounds called linoleic acid and tocotrienols, as well as the carotenoids bixin and norbixin, which give it its distinct color.

Often ground into a powder or simmered in oil to create a paste, annatto is a common ingredient in recipes across Latin America and the Caribbean. It’s an important component of the popular pork dish cochinita pibil from Mexico and a key flavor ingredient in the drink tascalate from Chiapas. In Puerto Rico it’s used to make sazon or mixed with seasonings and herbs to make achiote paste. The spice is also sprinkled over meats or added to rice dishes.

Aside from a beautiful color, annatto’s dietary fiber can aid in digestion while its calcium supports strong and sturdy bones. Its vitamin A can help promote eye health, and its antioxidant properties can protect the body from oxidative stress and inflammation. Aside from a few precautions (like avoiding it if you have irritable bowel syndrome or diabetes, as it affects blood sugar levels), annatto is a nutritious addition to anyone’s diet. Annatto