Food Crush Friday: Turmeric

Let's talk about one of the hottest spices around (see what I did there??) - TURMERIC.

This delicious little devil is:

• An anti-inflammatory

• An anti-oxidant

• A liver defender (hepatoprotective)

• Anti-cancer (inhibiting tumour promotion, angiogenesis and tumour growth)

• Anti-diabetic

• Anti-microbial

• Anti-depressant

• Protects the heart (cardioprotective)

• Reduces some cholesterol (VLDL and LDL) and increases good cholesterol (HDL)

• An anti-histamine

• Therapeutic in gastrointestinal disease such as ulcers, IBS and IBD

• Neuroprotective, and may help in prevention of Alzheimer's

So there's every reason to add it into your regime - so what are you going to add it to? You can use either fresh or ground, and add it to dishes such as:

• Stirfries

• Soups

• Juices

• Smoothies

• Porridge

• Casseroles

• Curries (obviously!)

• Some creative peeps have even made lattes and other milky drinks with turmeric - yummy!

Handy Tip: Research shows that combining turmeric with a fat source and some black pepper increases the absorption.

If you have medical conditions that may warrant extra therapeutic strategies, remember to consult your qualified nutritionist for a prescription of a high quality supplement.

Watch this space for some turmeric recipes coming up shortly!

References

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dr_Louay_Labban/publication/262005934_Medicinal_and_pharmacological_properties_of_Turmeric_Curcuma_longa_A_review/links/0f3175363f6d54e64a000000.pdf