Health Update: Health Update: Can you eat bay leaves, and are they dangerous? – What Experts Say– What Experts Say.
How to use star anise in cooking
Star anise can level up your cooking. Here’s how to use the spice.
Problem Solved
Do bay leaves actually do anything in cooking? The debate is ongoing. While some chefs swear they add a vital flavor profile, others — including celebrity chef Ina Garten — have publicly wondered whether they’re necessary.
“I really don’t know the answer to this,” Garten said in a 2022 interview with The New Yorker. “I will say that I always also wonder whether bay leaf makes a difference. There are a couple of things that I use bay leaves in and I’ve always wanted to make them without the bay leaves to see if it made a difference, and I never have, so I’m not sure.”
In the pro-bay leaf camp? There’s a right and wrong way to cook with and consume them. Here’s what health experts have to say.
Can you eat bay leaves?
The answer varies, but the most important thing to know is that you shouldn’t eat a bay leaf whole, whether or not it’s been cooked.
“Bay leaves are safe to use in cooking but should be removed before consuming the dish because they can be hard and sharp,” registered dietitian Jamie Nadeau previously told USA TODAY.
They can’t be digested, per WebMD, which means they’ll stay whole while passing through the digestive system, running the risk of getting stuck along the way or tearing intestinal lining.
What does bay leaf do to your body?
Although ground bay leaves are believed in traditional medicine to be a cure for certain diseases and health issues, researchers say there isn’t enough evidence to prove they offer real benefits. Some studies, for example, show promising results in animals — one 2016 study found that rabbits that consumed dried bay leaves had lower levels of triglycerides in their blood — but those same findings haven’t been replicated in humans.
Researchers also don’t have a good understanding of how much bay leaf would need to be ingested in order to reap potential benefits.
In all, there’s definite proof that you shouldn’t eat bay leaves whole, and not much evidence to encourage eating them ground-up. But if you’re team Cooking With Bay Leaves, by all means carry on — just remember to remove them before serving.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff