I’m sure you’ve heard of turmeric and curcumin, but you may not really know much about turmeric other that the fact that it’s a spice.
Turmeric and curcumin are used in a lot of curries, for example.
If you’re thinking of curry right now, and picturing a yellow sauce, turmeric is what makes it yellow!
And if you’ve never tried the spice before, you should know turmeric is a little bit “bitter” tasting, but in a good way — if you like the taste of ginger or mustard you’ll LOVE turmeric!! 🙂
In fact, turmeric is used in some mustards to (you guessed it) make them yellow!
Or maybe you already use turmeric, and that’s great. Some people even sprinkle it in drinks/smoothies. You can add it to Shakeology!
But I just wanted to write this week’s blog to try and convert some new turmeric believers…maybe get you to use it even MORE often than you already do, by telling you how effective it is for fighting cancer!! 🙂 🙂
How?
Well, turmeric is actually a POWDER from the turmeric plant, which comes from India.
The turmeric plant is part of the ginger family. And it’s been used in Indian and Chinese medicines for THOUSANDS OF YEARS! The main ingredient in turmeric is something called curcumin, which is what gives it all its health BENEFITS. Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
So it’s been used for digestive health and to treat arthritis. But it’s actually awesome for fighting cancer as well!
What really convinced me was watching LilyKoi Hawaii’s YouTube video, “I Ate Turmeric Every Day for a Year.”
She makes the great point that, not only is turmeric good for you because of the curcumin…but, spicing up your foods with turmeric ENHANCES their health benefits!!
Yep, you heard that right! 😉
That’s because, what makes turmeric yellow/orange is something called “beta-carotene.”
Beta-Carotene?
You’ve probably heard of this stuff being in pumpkins, carrots, sweet potatoes…all the orange foods! And beta-carotene is AWESOME for you because it helps your body make TONS of vitamin A.
That gives you GREAT SKIN, and is good for your immune system and vision.
(I’m sure you were always told growing up, eat carrots because they’re good for your eyes!! Beta-carotene at work. 😉 )
So anyway, what turmeric does is, it has its own beta-carotene but it also helps PRESERVE the beta-carotene in carrots, sweet potatoes, etc. when you’re cooking them.
I’m OBSESSED with this spice…not only is it tasty AND healthy, but it also makes carrots and sweet potatoes healthier?
SIGN ME UP!!
But, OK, there is one catch:
Turmeric doesn’t have a LOT of curcumin, and also your body has trouble absorbing curcumin. Dang it, right?
HOW do you get the awesomeness of curcumin in your system?
Well, you can take a curcumin supplement.
But the more effective option is to add BLACK PEPPER to turmeric, to make sure that lovely lovely curcumin finds its way into your bloodstream, please!
So take my advice and get on the SUPERFOOD train, with turmeric and curcumin. 😉
At least see if you like it!!
Anti-inflammation is a HUGE DEAL and can prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.And adding a superfood spice like turmeric to your food just takes half a second, you know?
Do you like turmeric? How do you use it? Let me know in the comments!!
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