If you want Superfoods, you will love Turmeric!
Turmeric is not used that much in the West but its popularity is growing quickly, and with good reason. In the East, the medical properties of turmeric have been known for many years and it is used in Indian and Chineese medicine too.
So what is all of the fuss with Turmeric?
Is it really worthy of its place in our SuperFood wall of fame? Let's find out and take a look at 7 reasons for adding Turmeric to your diet…
1. Turmeric can decrease your cholesterol levels
The ingredient in turmeric that is responsible for all of its impressive benefits to health is curcumin. Curcumin will help to reduce your cholesterol levels in 3 very powerful ways. First, it prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Second, boosts the effectiveness of LDL cholesterol and third, it reduces the time cholesterol spends in the blood stream. All of which adds up to significantly improved cardiovascular health.
2. Lowers the pain from (and the spread of) arthritis
During tests, the curcumin found in turmeric proved to be as effective as traditional anti-inflammatory treatment for joint swelling. Adding turmeric to your diet plan can have a notable impact on the quality of your life, especially if you sufferer with rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, the antioxidant qualities found in curcumin can help to wipe out free radicals from the body. Free radicals are particularly troublesome for people with arthritis because they damage cell membranes which is one of the main causes of joint pain.
3. Maintains healthy thyroid function
Thyroid complications are incredibly common in todays society and can trigger all kinds of issues, including weight gain, dry skin, thinning hair, brittle nails, numbness or tingling in the hands and even constipation. Manganese is a vital mineral that is essential for optimal thyroid function. Turmeric is loaded with Manganese and can help you to make a significant step towards a healthier thyroid. Given the amount of symptoms that are a result of an incorrectly functioning thyroid, its a very good idea for you health, well-being and future medical fees to include turmeric to your diet regime.
4. Reduce inflammation and pain
When compared to medical anti-inflammatories, curcumin (prevalent in turmeric) wins hands down. The compounds that lead to pain and inflammation are mediators, and they don't hunt alone! Most traditional anti-inflammatories or NSAIDs only target a couple of these mediators but curcumin targets dozens! The result… more reliable, natural and total pain alleviation, and non of the nasty side affects linked with traditional drugs!
5. (Very probably) Strengthens your memory and helps make you more intelligent!
A food that can make you smart ? I doubt anything can make something more worthy of the prestigious title 'SuperFood' than its ability to boost your intelligence.
The curcumin in turmeric enhances brain function and lowers the risk of brain disease by boosting the neurotrophic factor. As we grow, neurons build new connections and our potential 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 widespread brain conditions, such as Alzheimers and depression.
Curcumin increases BDNF levels, which will help our brains do what they are supposed to do… grow, understand more things and make us more intelligent, although additional research is needed to show that we really do get smarter. An increase of BDNF could also prevent, and likely even reverse, the affects of several age-related brain functioning issues.
6. Will help to prevent, and potential even treat, cancer
During scientific 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 a different study (this time on people) curcumin lowered colon lesions in 44 adult males by 40% over a period of 30 days. Although the study was not on men actually suffering from cancer, colon lesions can become cancerous, so it's a significant indicator that curcumin may help protect against cancer.
7. A natural beauty treatment
Up till now we've talked about some of the fantastic health benefits of turmeric, but did you know it can make you more beautiful as well!
For millenia women in Asia have used turmeric as a natural beauty treatment. Its powerful beautifying characteristics have been praised for their power to reduce acne, treat eczema, reduce dark circles from under the eyes, lessen the physical appearance of lines and wrinkles, reduce scarring and even remove sun spots.