It’s ugly and lumpy and mostly people don’t know what it is when they see it at the shops. But I love turmeric. Even if it does stain every device in my kitchen a bright yellow.
Know this: more and more studies are showing it beats inflammation. And fights cancer. I eat it as often as I can and it’s made major inroads into my puffiness from that damn ole thyroid disease. SO MUCH SO, MY RECENT TEST RESULTS WHICH I GOT BACK YESTERDAY SHOW I’VE REDUCED MY ANTIBODIES TO NORMAL LEVELS. It wasn’t just turmeric. But it was from diet! Yes. It can be done. PLEASE be heartened by this. Read more about how I heal my auto-immune disease here.
Turmeric has been called one of nature’s most powerful healers. It has great anti-inflammatory properties which can help arthritis. It is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It is said to be a digestive aid that will settle the stomach. Turmeric contains a rich source of antioxidants that help fight against free radicals. It also is said to have anti-platelet properties that help protect against strokes and heart attacks. Studies have also shown that it has a beneficial effect on the liver. In Ayurvedic medicine, it’s a blood purifier. It also normalizes the sugar levels and is very beneficial for diabetes patients. Here are 20 reasons to add turmeric to your diet.
The one that stands out for me is it’s an anti-inflammatory– it inhibits the enzyme which is responsible for inflammation, puffiness and throbbing. Stacks of recent studies are showing how effective it is in bringing down swelling in the cells.
If you have auto-immune disease of any sort: turmeric is your friend.
New York Times blogger Merrill Stubbs also cites it as the new food every top restaurant is using right now. And it made Oprah’s list of the top superfoods for 2010
How to eat turmeric
1. Use the raw root where possible (it looks like ginger, but’s skinnier and is orange on the inside)
2. Make a tea – grate it with some ginger and put in a teapot with lemon wedges
3. Eat it with cauliflower..the combination of these ingredients has been proven to prevent and help in the treatment of prostate cancer. Here’s a great recipe for a turmeric cauliflower soup from Buff Chickpea.
4. Grate it into basmati rice with some cardomom pods.
5. Stir fry veggies such as broccoli, onion, carrots and sweet peppers, and add a pinch of turmeric along with some ginger, garlic and tamari
6. Grate some into hommus.
7. Add to a smoothie. Serious! Or add to a squeezed veggie juice.
8. It’s unreal in Moroccan and Indian dishes. I love it with lamb. Try this Moroccan lamb stew recipe from Wholefoods.
9. A reader just reminded me of this one, too – add to scrambled eggs for kick and colour.
