Superfood Spotlight: Turmeric
In my last post, I gave a round-up of some great anti-inflammatory foods. One that I personally use every day is turmeric. This golden spice has a warm, peppery flavour and is the main spice in curry. Not only does it look and taste great, it has been said to be the most powerful herb on the planet at fighting and reversing disease.
Why is it a super spice?
Some of the many benefits of turmeric include:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Blood sugar balance
- Digestive aid
- Anti-oxidant
- Cancer killer
- Reduce joint pain and muscle soreness
- Anti-depressant
- Liver detox
- Neutralises free radicals which can lead to wrinkles, cellulite and fatigue
In fact, it has so many healing properties that currently there have been over 6,000 peer-reviewed articles published proving the benefits of turmeric and one of its renowned healing compounds curcumin. Read more about this and how the spice stacks up against medicines – http://draxe.com/turmeric-benefits/
Easy ways to use turmeric every day:
My favourite way to use it on a day-to-day basis is to mix it with olive oil and add some black pepper. Black pepper enhances the bioavailability of turmeric and the oil protects it somewhat from stomach acid.
Usually I mix about a teaspoon of turmeric powder (easily found in the supermarket) with some black pepper and sea salt (optional) with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and then I drizzle over veggies and/or meat. Delicious!!
I also like to add turmeric and cinnamon to coconut milk and heat it up in the winter for a lovely warming comforting drink (I like to call it a hug in a mug!). I also like adding it to smoothies – it goes well with banana and coconut. And don’t worry it doesn’t taste like a curry smoothie!!!
So here are some suggestions:
Drinks
Food
- Add turmeric when you are sautéing vegetables like kale or onions.
- Sprinkle it on roasted root vegetable like potatoes (white or sweet) or try this roasted turmeric cauliflower recipe
- Add it into a carrot and parsnip soup for an earthy winter warmer.
- Add it to a rice dish or try this delicious curried chicken rice stew
- Add it to scrambled eggs with spinach for a great breakfast option.
- These baked turmeric plantain chips look amazing – I’m obsessed with plantains at the moment.
- Lemon is a good companion for turmeric. You could try marinating chicken in turmeric, lemon, oil and black pepper marinade.
- Or you could try marinating chicken with turmeric, coconut cream, fresh ginger and coriander (cilantro)
Do you use turmeric? If so, what’s your favourite way to incorporate it into your meals?
A Healthy Happy Glow 