Back Clinic Turmeric Functional Medicine Team. Turmeric is a spice that comes from the turmeric plant. It is commonly used in Asian food. For example, it is the main spice in curry. However, the root of turmeric is widely used in medicine. It contains a yellow-colored chemical called curcumin.
Turmeric is used for arthritis, heartburn (dyspepsia), joint pain, stomach pain, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, bypass surgery, hemorrhage, diarrhea, intestinal gas, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, and liver problems. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, stomach ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gallbladder disorders, high cholesterol, a skin condition called lichen planus, skin inflammation from radiation treatment, and fatigue.
It is also used for headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fibromyalgia, fever, menstrual problems, itchy skin, recovery after surgery, and cancers. Other uses include depression, Alzheimer’s disease, swelling in the middle layer of the eye (anterior uveitis), diabetes, water retention, worms, an autoimmune disease called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), tuberculosis, urinary bladder inflammation, and kidney problems.
Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez takes a closer look at turmeric and its benefits.
Is the herb turmeric actually the new wonder drug? Or can it be just that recent scientific studies have demonstrated North Americans that there really may be something to the claims. This relative of ginger has been touted as a cure for everything from osteoarthritis to ringworm to depression. A study has linked it to delayed onset of type 2 diabetes and, other information suggests it may help patients with cancer.
How Turmeric Relieved My Back Pain
My first introduction for this wonder spice was in the whispering of a fellow customer at physical therapy�a lovely dancer recovering from knee surgery. While she was hobbling around on crutches, she never stopped grinning. Make that laughing and smiling. I wondered what her secret was. I mean come on�I have chronic back pain resulting from degenerative disc disease, and the favorable mind-set tactic had attempted, but that wasn�t always easy.
One morning during our daily exercises we began to speak. She told me turmeric was her go to drugs for inflammation. At the time, I discounted it and distinctly remember thinking��Yeah, right How could something as easy as a spice that may be easily added to any diet be powerful enough to remove pain and stiffness?
Months passed. Physical therapy became a distant memory. The stiffness in my own back diminished but still lingered. I was too young to feel this damn old! The exact instant of action is uncertain to me now but somewhere along the way I woke up stiff yet again, along with thinking of turmeric came dashing over me. A light bulb have been turned on that wasn�t burning out. �Why not?� I presumed. What do I have to reduce?
Turning To Turmeric
I started with nutritional supplements and added one 450 mg capsule (about a teaspoon full) from Nature’s Bounty to my day-to-day yogurt. I dumped it in and just broke it open. I liked it so much I began adding the spice to my food�sprinkling it liberally on my salads, yogurt, mashed potatoes, soup…you name it. And sure enough, my back was even less stiff than before.
Please note, it may possibly not be helpful or safe to others while turmeric has worked wonders for me. Much like the ramifications of over the counter and prescription anti inflammatory medications, turmeric may thin the blood. In the event you take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, adding turmeric to your own diet may not be advisable.
I began looking more deeply into my remedy as I used myself as a guinea pig for testing. I had been utterly fascinated by the wide-ranging research behind this wonder drug. Turmeric has been used in India and over years for over 2,500 4,000 years in Ayurvedic medicine!
One of my favorite recipes is Butter Chicken and Rice (Recipe below). Not only does the recipe call for turmeric in the butter as well as on the chicken, however you can sprinkle it on your own rice, also. I’ve even discovered that substituting turmeric for salt provided new chances to add the spice to my food with a lot less sodium!
Turmeric�s Active Ingredient
Curcumin is the active substance that provides turmeric its distinctive golden color. Combined with the vibrant, shining color it provides, in my experience, the medicinal properties are equally as lovely. Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory potentially Alzheimer’s Disease, Crohn’s disease, and effects imply it can benefit patients with arthritis.
Head, my health and my body rejoice and have already been glad to the superpower spice ever since. Approach and my energy level are among the most noticeable changes. When you’re able to move and exercise more, a confident approach is much more easy to adopt. When you get the key to alleviating it, your life changes, as anyone who has endured quietly with chronic pain can tell you. Without pain, you become alive. I discuss this story hoping turmeric will help to release other long-time sufferers from their prisons. Stay tuned for turmeric upgrades in my personal blog.
Fragrant�Indian Butter Chicken Recipe
As a miracle spice, turmeric is touted since early time. The crucial compound, curcumin, gives turmeric it�s vibrant, golden colour and well-being boosting super powers and is being used to take care of many anti-inflammatory ailments. Try this recipe that uses turmeric for a delicious, wholesome dinner!
2 Tbsp butter
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon grated gingerroot
1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon turmeric, ground cinnamon, ground coriander cumin and
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1-1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper
1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat cut up
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 Tbsp minced cilantro
Hot cooked basmati (optional)
Melt butter in a deep 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onions. Cook slowly, stirring often, until onions are soft. About 5 minutes. Add turmeric, coriander, ginger root, chili powder, cinnamon, and cumin. Cook 1 more minute.
Add brown sugar, chicken broth, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add cut up chicken and sour cream. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve over hot basmati rice, if desired. Sprinkle a little turmeric directly on the rice also for much more health benefits.
Lots of people report feeling improvement in their condition and/or general well being taking dietary, vitamin, mineral, as well as /or herbal nutritional supplements. In most cases, an appropriate diet and also a “multiple vitamin” will provide the necessary health supplements for many people. Just before taking additional dietary, vitamin, mineral, and/or herbal supplements it is strongly recommended that patients consult with their private doctor to discuss their specific supplement requirements.
Turmeric is the bright orange spice we often associate with curry or other exotic dishes, but turmeric is also becoming more well known for its health benefits as well. What I didn�t know was that turmeric can not only spice up my food, but it can help relieve everything from depression to an upset stomach. More research is being done every day, but that doesn�t mean we should overlook what we do know now about the health benefits of turmeric.
First, What is Turmeric?
Turmeric is part of the ginger family and is a perennial plant that is usually harvested in tropical climates such as India and China. Like ginger, it is a thick root that is yellow on the outside and an orange on the inside, hence the spice�s well known color. Turmeric is extensively used to flavor food or add color, mainly in curries and mustards.
What are the Health Benefits of Turmeric?
Calm an Upset Stomach and Curb Heartburn
The most well known health benefit of turmeric is to naturally calm an upset stomach. You will see a lot of turmeric teas on the market that claim to do just that. As with an upset stomach, turmeric is known to also help fight inflammation in the body, which can also help to reduce heartburn and indigestion problems.
Curcumin, the main compound in turmeric, is what is responsible for many of the health benefits of turmeric. Curcumin is best taken as a supplement to get the maximum health benefit because most turmeric alone only contains 2-5% curcumin. You�d have to eat one heck of a lot of turmeric to get that kind of benefit! The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin help heart attack patients and those suffering from pre-diabetes. While there is no substitute for conventional therapies, curcumin could be a great supplement to talk to you doctor about.
Fights Cancer
Again, you should always follow the advice of your doctor and follow the traditional route as much as possible. But, for those worried about the disease, adding curcumin into your supplement rotation may be of some help. Curcumin has been shown to interfere with important pathways involved with cancer development and growth. In lab settings, cancer cells were even shown to shrink.
Helps Protects the Brain
Another compound of turmeric, turmerone or ar-turmerone is not as well known or studied as curcumin, but as part of several studies, it has been shown to help the recovery of stem cells in the brain. This can help to improve memory in those suffering from strokes or Alzheimer�s disease.
Please Use Caution
The FDA doesn�t regulate dietary supplements like they do food, so please use caution and talk to your doctor about any supplements you are thinking about taking. You never know how it will interact with any other medications you are taking or how it will interact in your body. That being said, turmeric is a wonderful spice to add to your dishes and can even add a new element of health to your dish!
A couple of my favorites: Nativ Organics and Vitacost Turmeric Extract Curcumin
Spices and Recipes to Try
To get your dose of turmeric, give some of these great recipes a try with the original spice.
Organic turmeric spices I like: Jiva Organics and Simply Organic
Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I recommend these products because they are products that I personally use or companies that I have found trustworthy.
Scientists believe that turmeric my hold the key to better bone density
The study involved fit, healthy and slim men and women who all suffered declining bone density.
In just six months, those taking a daily tablet of the turmeric and soy lecithin formulation boosted bone density by seven per cent compared with a group given a placebo.
The quality of bone in the heels, jaws and fingers of the group – who had an average age of 70 – was measured at the start of the project using specialized ultrasound scanning.
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By the end of the trial bone density had increased in all three sites by up to 7 per cent above the placebo, suggesting a significant benefit.
Curcumin researchers from the University of Sydney, Australia, along with INSERM the French government’s medical research laboratories, and a team of doctors from four prestigious American universities, have published similar conclusions.
Doctors are increasingly concerned that almost three quarters of elderly people lose strength-providing bone mineral.
GETTY
The spice may hold the secret to battling osteoporosis in the elderly
The condition called osteopenia, mostly caused by a lack of exercise, can worsen into osteoporosis and lead to fatal fractures if untreated.
We’re are delighted by these results
Alf Lindberg
Every year about 65,000 people suffer hip fractures caused by bone fragility, leading to the deaths of up to 35 per cent of victims in the older age groups.
Turmeric+, which comes from the powerful root of the curcumin plant, is sold in Britain by the Cambridge bioscience company Cambridge Nutraceuticals under the brand FutureYou.
Alf Lindberg, a former Nobel prize committee member who is a scientific spokesman for Cambridge Nutraceuticals, said: �We’re are delighted by these results, and we are stepping up our osteoporosis research programme with turmeric as a result.
�Our formulation is better absorbed by the human body than turmeric in its natural form, and we believe it could offer an earlier side-effect free alternative for people at risk from osteoporosis.�
Bone mineral density is regulated by maintaining a balance between bone-building osteoblast cells and osteoclasts, which are designed to mop up ageing bone cells for replacement.
In older people osteoclast activity may outweigh the rate of bone replacement.
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Almost three quarters of elderly people lose strength-providing bone mineral
Stefano Togni, is scientific spokesman for the world’s largest researcher into plant based treatments, Indena, which developed the raw material for Turmeric+.
He said the Italian company had produced similar promising bone-building results with the uniquely bioavailable compound in animal studies.
He said: �Our work suggests this form of curcumin dampens down the rate of bone resorption which could be very good news, because it would mean that people who are in the early stages of bone loss will now have a treatment.”
Elise Verron, a specialist in the evaluation of medicines for INSERM from the University of Nantes in France, was a co-author of a review of the bone-building properties of curcumin and turmeric in the Nature journal Bonekey.
Tue, April 25, 2017
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She agrees that the key to harnessing its power will depend on developing strategies to improve absorption.
She said: �In the past decade there has been growing interest in curcumin because of its low toxicity and multiple therapeutic actions including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activities, but few studies have looked at its effect on bone tissue.
�At the moment it is too early to get a clear idea of the benefit.�
GETTY
Turmeric comes from the powerful root of the curcumin plant
Luca Giacomelli, of the department of integrated diagnostics at Genoa University, who was one of the leaders of the new Italian study, said the results were promising.
But he cautioned that the effect cannot be replicated simply by adding regular curry to the diet because turmeric in food is less easily absorbed.
He said: �People need to take this kind of high quality supplement under medical supervision.�
The findings may also come as good news for thousands of people advised by doctors to take bisphosphonate drugs designed to maintain bone density by reducing the rate of bone breakdown.
Latest research has suggested that long term users of these drugs may suffer ‘microcracks’.
Turmeric is widely popular, but it really deserves its popularity because it offers countless medicinal benefits thanks to the content of its active ingredient, curcumin.
Namely, turmeric and its primary polyphenol curcumin containover 600 potential health benefits confirmed by the study abstracts from the National Library of Medicine�s bibliographic database MEDLINE. So, if you include it to your regular diet, you will gain an outstanding health benefits.
Prior its use, you need to know several things about this spice:
As mentioned before, curcumin is the active compound which offers the amazing health properties of turmeric, yet you need to know that it is not easily absorbed.
According to many performed animal and clinical studies it was revealed that curcumin concentrations in blood plasma, urine, and peripheral tissues are very low no matter of the dosage size.
Nevertheless, there are natural ways to enhance the bioavailability of turmeric.
Mix it with Black Pepper
Black pepper is also a powerful natural medicine, and when mixed with turmeric, it acts as an adjuvant. This is what Nutrition Facts states regarding the combination with black pepper:
�If people are given a bunch of turmeric curcumin, within an hour there�s a little bump in the level in their blood stream. We don�t see a large increase because our liver is actively trying to get rid of it. But what if the process is suppressed by taking just a quarter teaspoon�s worth of black pepper?
Then you see curcumin levels skyrocket. The same amount of curcumin consumed, but the bioavailability shoots up 2000%. Even just a little pinch of pepper�1/20th of a teaspoon�can significantly boost levels. And guess what a common ingredient in curry powder is besides turmeric? Black pepper.�
According to a study having the title �Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers �reveals that once piperine is administered alone with turmeric, it enhances the curcumin bioavailability by 2000%.
Heat Enhance Turmeric�s Bioavailability
Dr. Sukumar says that when it is used in cooking particularly when you heat oil and add turmeric to it, it becomes completely bioavailable.
Furthermore, he maintains:
�The potent ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which, despite its power, is not easily absorbed by the body without assistance. This is where the saut� pan and a little warm oil come into play. I use it [turmeric] in every saut�, just a quarter teaspoon, a half teaspoon is enough. But you don�t have to use it sparingly � use it lavishly.�
Combine Turmeric with Healthy Fat
This amazing spice is fat-soluble, and because of that it needs to be mixed with a healthy fat so that you can boost its absorption rate. Once is mixed with healthy fats such as coconut, ghee, or olive oil, curcumin goes directly to the bloodstream through the lymphatic system while partially bypassing the liver.
Regarding this matter, Dr. Nibber states:
� This is very important because less curcumin is exposed to metabolic enzymes and remains in a free form allowing it to stay in the body longer. �
Therefore, in order to enhance the effectiveness of turmeric and gain every health benefit of it, you need to memorize the following things:
Mix it with fresh ground black pepper and hence boost turmeric�s absorption by 2,000%.
Heat it up so that you can activate turmeric.
Combine it with some healthy fat to bypass the liver.
NOTE: Prior use you need to be familiar with the dosage guidelines prepared by the University of Maryland Medical Center:
There is more evidence that the active ingredient in turmeric may have the power to help combat malignant mesothelioma.
A new French study on curcumin finds that the compound not only slowed the growth of one of the rarest types of mesothelioma tumor cells in the laboratory but also reduced total tumor mass in lab rats in just two weeks.
Evaluating Curcumin�s Effect on Mesothelioma Cells
Curcumin, the plant polyphenol that gives turmeric its yellow hue and pungent flavor, has been the subject of numerous malignant mesothelioma studies in recent years, in part because of its powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
In the newest study, the French researchers focused on one of the rarest and deadliest subtypes of the asbestos cancer � sarcomatoid mesothelioma.
First, they used sarcomatoid mesothelioma cells from rats that had been induced to develop mesothelioma by exposing them to asbestos. By testing curcumin on the mesothelioma cells first, the research team was able to determine the optimal curcumin concentration and dose to use on the live rats.
Testing Curcumin in Live Rats with Mesothelioma
With dosing established, the researchers administered curcumin directly into the peritoneal cavities of sick mice. For comparison, a second group of rats was treated with an epigenetic drug called SAHA.
�The treatment of tumor-bearing rats with 1.5 mg/kg curcumin on days 7, 9, 11 and 14 after tumor challenge dramatically reduced the mean total tumor mass at day 16,� writes researcher Daniel L. Pouliquen in the journal Oncotarget.
The study found that both curcumin and SAHA produced necrosis or dead tissue within the mesothelioma tumors by day 28, but the necrosis induced by curcumin was �much more extensive�.
In addition, curcumin appeared to attract cancer-fighting CD8+ T lymphocytes to the area which clustered around small residual mesothelioma tumors in the peritoneal cavity after treatment.
�These data open up interesting new prospects for the therapy of sarcomatoid mesothelioma with curcumin and its derivatives,� concludes Dr. Pouliquen.
More Curcumin Research
Earlier this year, scientists in the Department of Experimental Medicine at the University of Rome conducted a similar experiment and that found that intraperitoneal curcumin extended survival in mice with mesothelioma.
In 2015, mesothelioma researchers with Flinders University in Australia determined that curcumin had the ability to keep mesothelioma tumors from giving rise to their own new blood vessels. That study suggested that curcumin could become a supplemental treatment for certain mesothelioma patients.
Source: Pouliquen, DL, et al, �Evaluation of intracavitary administration of curcumin for the treatment of sarcomatoid mesothelioma�, February 25, 2017, Oncotarget, Epub ahead of print
Author
Alex Strauss
As always… Check with your doctors before you rely on this information. �I bring it to you because it does give great insight into Curcumin so many people are raving about.
It should be noted that Mesothelioma is a very serious disorder requiring the expertise of top level Oncologist. � Great Regards. Dr. Alex Jimenez
The ability of turmeric to fight cancer has been extensively researched. In fact, over 1,500 published studies show that curcumin, turmeric�s active ingredient, is an effective treatment for over 100 different types of cancer.
The fact that mainstream medicine hasn�t embraced turmeric as a non-toxic cancer therapy is nothing short of outrageous. But a new study, in which curcumin outperformed conventional chemotherapy drugs, may finally bring turmeric the recognition it deserves.
Turmeric Gains Popularity From Growing Awareness Of Chemotherapy & Side Effects
Chemotherapy targets cancer cells as foreign invaders to be eliminated � an approach that ignores the root causes of the disease, and doesn�t help to create an �anticancer� environment in the body. Toxic chemotherapy drugs � which kill healthy cells and cause debilitating side effects � are not very effective against cancer stem cells, the �mother cells� that regulate the growth of tumors.
In fact, the result of these toxic drugs is to make the body even more susceptible to the cancer stem cells � spurring them to create even more treatment-resistant cells.
However, chemotherapy does succeed in killing significant amounts of cancer cells, and this is not to say it should never be used. But, the opinion of many integrative healthcare professionals is that it should be used as a last resort, not a first line of defense � especially when safer, non-toxic options are available.
Curcumin Makes Chemotherapy Safer & More Effective
In a 2015 study published in Cancer Letters, curcumin was tested in conjunction with the chemotherapy drugs 5-fluoroucil and oxaliplatin against colorectal cancer. Adding curcumin to the regimen improved the efficacy of the drugs � the curcumin inhibited cancer cell growth and even increased apoptosis, or cancer cell suicide.
Even more impressive, the curcumin appeared to help the chemo drugs specifically target cancer stem cells, reinforcing the drugs� cancer-fighting abilities while lessening the side effects � including the neuropathies that can be caused by oxaliplatin. Side effects from curcumin � on the other hand � were minimal, involving mild gastrointestinal upset and dry mouth. Researchers concluded that curcumin is a �safe and tolerable adjunct� treatment.
But this wasn�t even the most significant result of the study.
In a small subset of patients, curcumin alone was found to be more effective in reducing overall cancer cells and cancer stem cells than the pair of chemo drugs alone. In other words, curcumin went head-to-head with chemo drugs and outperformed them � a truly astonishing result.
Researchers credited curcumin�s multiple methods of action with its success. Curcumin not only directly killed cancer cells, but also induced apoptosis, inhibited the growth of new cancer cells on a genetic level, and prevented blood supply from reaching new tumors.
All this, while promoting health with beneficial anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hormone-balancing properties.
Extensive Studies Attest To Curcumin�s Ability To Fight Many Types Of Cancer
As the researchers noted, clinical trials of curcumin in an oncology setting have targeted many types of cancer, including colorectal, pancreatic, breast and blood cancers.
In one study, colorectal cancer patients who were given 1,080 mgs of curcumin daily showed an increase in the amount of dying cancer cells, a reduction of inflammation, improved body weight, and higher gene expression indicating suppression of cancer.
In another study published in Nutrition Research, curcumin-supplemented lab animals showed a 40 percent decrease in the development of colon tumors. These results are supported by an animal model of colon cancer in which curcumin improved survival rate and colon health by completely eliminating cancerous tumors.
In yet another study, patients with pancreatic cancer who were given 8,000 mgs of curcumin a day showed increased survival time along with significant reductions in tumor size � in one case, up to 73 percent.
And, finally, in a study involving prostate cancer, curcumin was shown to cut in half the growth rate of prostate-specific androgen, a marker of tumor progression.
Turmeric Is Still Unapproved & Unacknowledged By Conventional Medicine
In spite of its proven results, turmeric is not approved by the FDA for cancer treatment � and does not enjoy mainstream acceptance in the conventional medical community. The reason, many say, is financial � with hundreds of millions of dollars invested in clinical trials, and massive profits to be made, big pharma doesn�t have much incentive to develop a treatment from a common kitchen spice.
In fact, the industry lobbies to make treatment of cancer by alternative means a criminal offense.
Having said that, we naturally suggest you talk to a trusted medical professional before using turmeric � for any reason � and, don�t stop taking prescribed medication unless advised by your physician.
It should be noted that in the past, turmeric�s therapeutic potential has been limited by its poor bioavailability � the fact that the body doesn�t absorb or use it effectively. But, the development of liposomalized turmeric extract has changed all that, increasing the bioavailability 10 to 20-fold and allowing the curcumin to begin its health-promoting and cancer-fighting work.
Hopefully, the research � presented in this article � will shine a light on the amazing healing potential of turmeric. We encourage every caring physician to do their own research � for the sake of their patients.
Editor�s note: I, personally, use a wonderful liposomal form of turmeric � which you can purchase here and, yes, your purchase does support our operations � at no extra cost to you.
Turmeric is quickly becoming an “it” superfood. You’ve probably seen the ingredient�all over�Pinterest and Instagram in the form of�golden-hued lattes, soups, and vegan ice cream. It�was even called a “rising star” by Google Food Trends,�since�searches for turmeric jumped�a whopping�56% between November and January.�And as a nutritionist, I’m thrilled, since this healthy food trend is both delicious and backed by research.
Turmeric, a root in the same family as ginger, has�long been used as an anti-inflammatory compound in Chinese and Indian medicine. Its�active ingredient, a yellow compound called curcumin, has been found to have�antioxidant,�antiviral,�and anticancer�properties in lab and animal studies. And although more clinical trials about the benefits�of curcumin for�humans are needed, it’s�been linked to lower total cholesterol levels�and improved liver function�after�liver disease or damage.
I eat turmeric almost every day, and advise my clients do the same�with a few caveats. First, I do not advocate taking turmeric supplements, unless they�ve been prescribed (and will be monitored) by a physician, especially for pregnant women. I also caution my clients against going overboard with turmeric root or powder. Too much has been linked to unwanted side effects, including reflux, low blood sugar, increased bleeding risk, reduced iron absorption, and worsened gallbladder problems.
To reap turmeric’s benefits, here are some simple meal and snack ideas to help you get a healthy amount of the root in your diet.
Turmeric paste is a mixture of ground turmeric, extra virgin coconut oil, cinnamon, and black pepper. It’s used in golden milk lattes�those orange-yellow drinks you’ve probably seen on Instagram�which are�made by�dissolving the paste�into warm almond or coconut milk along with a little organic honey and fresh grated ginger. And while black pepper may seem like an odd ingredient, it actually helps boost turmeric’s absorption from the digestive system into the bloodstream.
Sip On Turmeric Tea
Add a pinch of ground turmeric to warm water along with lemon to start you day. (Note: I�m serious about a pinch�it�s pungent, so too much can be tough to swallow.) Alternatively, you can purchase turmeric tea bags, which can be steeped alone or with other types of tea, such as green, white, black, or oolong.
For a tasty and unique kick of flavor, add a bit of ground turmeric to your morning smoothie. Or opt for fresh, peeled turmeric root, which you�ll find in the produce section, likely near the ginger. A little nub no bigger than the size of your pinky nail�is all you need.
Make It A Seasoning Staple
I love to keep ground turmeric handy to season nearly anything savory, including scrambled eggs, saut�ed veggies, soups, stir frys, and pulses (especially oven roasted chickpeas). You can also fold a little turmeric into nut butter or hummus, whisk it into homemade vinaigrette, or stir it into oatmeal along with coconut milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nuts or sesame seeds. The options are endless! In most dishes, I�ll start with an eighth of a teaspoon and add more to taste, making�sure the turmeric won�t overpower other flavors.
To make homemade vegan turmeric �ice cream,� whip turmeric paste with one cup coconut milk or coconut cream, half of a ripe banana, a few pitted dates, maple syrup, and a little extra fresh ginger. Pour into BPA free pop molds, freeze, and enjoy.
Cynthia Sass�is a nutritionist and registered dietitian with master�s degrees in both nutrition science and public health. Frequently seen on�national TV, she�s Health�s contributing nutrition editor, and privately counsels�clients�in New York, Los Angeles, and long distance. Cynthia is currently the sports nutrition consultant to the New York Yankees, previously consulted for three other professional sports teams, and is board certified as a specialist in sports dietetics. Sass is a three-time New York Times best-selling author, and her newest book is Slim Down Now: Shed Pounds and Inches with Real Food, Real Fast. Connect with her on�Facebook,�Twitter�and�Pinterest.
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