If you love Superfoods, you're gonna adore Turmeric!
Turmeric is not used that much in the West but its popularity is growing fast, and with very good reason. In the East, its medicinal properties have been known for a very long time and it's used in Chinese and Indian medicine too.
So what is all of the fuss with Turmeric?
Is it really worthy of its place in our SuperFood hall of fame ? Let's find out and take a look at 7 reasons for adding Turmeric to your diet…
1. Turmeric can reduce your cholesterol levels
The ingredient in turmeric that's responsible for its amazing benefits to health is curcumin. Curcumin will help to reduce your cholesterol levels in 3 very powerful ways. First, it reduces the time that cholesterol spends in the blood stream. Second, it reduces the oxidation of LDL cholesterol due to its antioxidant properties and third, it helps to boost the efficiency of LDL cholesterol by increasing the receptors. All of which results in dramatically improved cardiovascular health.
2. Lower the pain from (and the spread of) arthritis
In laboratory tests, the curcumin found in turmeric was just as effective as traditional anti-inflammatory drug for joint stiffness. Adding turmeric to your food plan will have a major impact on the quality of your life. Likewise, the antioxidant properties found in curcumin can help to remove free radicals from the body. Free radicals are particularly problematic for sufferers of arthritis because they damage cell membranes which is one of the main causes of joint pain.
3. Maintains healthy thyroid function
Thyroid problems are extremely prevalent in todays society and can trigger all kinds of issues, including weight gain, dry skin, thinning hair, numbness or tingling in the hands brittle nails, and even constipation. Manganese is a vital mineral that's essential for optimal thyroid function. Turmeric is rich in Manganese and helps you to make a significant step towards a better functioning thyroid. Given the amount of symptoms that are caused by a poorly functioning thyroid, its a good idea for you health, general well-being and future medical fees to incorporate turmeric to your diet plan.
4. Reduces inflammation and pain
When compared to medical anti-inflammatories, curcumin (prevalent in turmeric) wins hands down. The compounds that are responsible for pain during inflammation are called mediators, and they don't hunt alone! Most medical anti-inflammatories or NSAIDs only target a couple of these mediators but curcumin targets dozens! The result… more reliable, organic and total pain relief, and non of the nasty side affects associated with conventional medicines!
5. (Very likely) Enhances your memory and helps make you more intelligent!
A food that may be able to make you clever ? I don't think anything can make something more worthy of the prestigious rank of 'SuperFood' than its capacity to increase your intelligence.
The curcumin in turmeric increases brain functioning and lowers the risk of brain disease by promoting the neurotrophic factor. As we grow, neurons make new connections and our ability to learn and remember more information increases. The growth hormone that supports this process is called the brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF). Decreased levels of this hormone have been linked to many common brain conditions, such as Alzheimers and depression.
Curcumin increases BDNF levels, which can help our brains do what they are meant to do… grow, learn more things and make us wiser, although additional research is needed to demonstrate that we really do become more intelligent. An increase of BDNF could also stop, and probably even reverse, the affects of many age-related brain functioning conditions.
6. Helps to prevent, and potential even treat, cancer
During lab tests on animals, curcumin was shown to lessen metastasis (the spread of cancer) decrease angiogenesis (the growth of blood vessels in tumors) and even kill cancerous cells. During another study (this time on people) curcumin decreased colon lesions in 44 adult males by 40% over 30 days. Although the study was not on men actually suffering from cancer, colon lesions can become cancerous, so it's a considerable indication that curcumin could possibly help protect against cancer.
7. A natural beauty treatment
Up to now we've highlighted some of the extraordinary health benefits of turmeric, but did you know it can make you more attractive too!
For generations women in Asia have been using turmeric as a natural beauty treatment. Its powerful beautifying characteristics have been praised for their power to reduce acne, treat eczema, get rid of dark circles from under the eyes, reduce the appearance of facial lines, reduce scarring and even remove sun spots.