If you’re looking to liven up your meals on the South Beach Diet, a little seasoning may be all that’s needed to do the trick. Simply reinvent your everyday favorites and give them a flavorful kick by experimenting with different — even exotic — herbs and spices. Varying the flavors in your favorite dishes is a great strategy for fighting food boredom, and it helps you to successfully follow your healthy eating plan. Here are a few ways to breathe new life into your meals with zesty herbs and spices from three popular cuisines.

Go Italian: Herbs like oregano, parsley, basil, rosemary, and thyme are all key ingredients in Italian food, as are spices like garlic and allspice. These herbs and garlic can be bought fresh or dried (in which case less is needed to add flavor to meals). Try these seasonings in soups, sauces, whole-wheat pizzas, and even tossed with salads.

Go Mexican: For a south-of-the-border flavor fiesta, make use of hot peppers, cilantro, and garlic. These seasonings will easily enliven meat, chicken, seafood, and pork, and they work equally well in soups and salads.

Go Asian or Indian: Spices like coriander, cardamom, cumin, lemongrass, ginger, and red-pepper flakes will give your foods that Far East flair. Some of them (like cardamom) can be quite pungent, so go easy at first. Several of these spices can be combined to make a delicious seasoning rub for fish and chicken. Cumin and red-pepper flakes, for example, make a wonderful spicy flavor duet for mild seafood, like scallops. (Try about a half teaspoon of cumin and a pinch of red-pepper flakes per half pound of scallops.)

See all South Beach Diet Tips