If you want Superfoods, you're gonna be in love with Turmeric!
Turmeric isn't often used in Western culture but its popularity is growing fast, and for very good reason. In the East, its medicinal properties have been known for a long time and it's used in Indian and Chineese medicine too.
So why are people so excited with Turmeric?
Can it earn its place in our SuperFood wall of fame ? Let's find out and take a look at 7 incredible benefits of adding Turmeric to your diet…
1. Turmeric can decrease cholesterol levels
Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric that's responsible for its amazing health benefits. Curcumin reduces your cholesterol level in 3 very powerful ways. First, it helps to boost the efficiency of LDL cholesterol. Second, it inhibits the oxidation of LDL cholesterol due to its antioxidant properties and third, it decreases the time that cholesterol spends in the blood stream. All of which adds up to greatly improved cardiovascular health.
2. Lessens the pain from (and the spread of) arthritis
During laboratory tests, the curcumin that is found in turmeric was just as effective as traditional anti-inflammatory medicine for joint swelling and stiffness. Introducing turmeric to your diet can lead to a major impact on the quality of your life, especially if you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Likewise, the antioxidant qualities in curcumin help eradicate free radicals from the body. Free radicals can be particularly problematic for sufferers of arthritis because they cause damage to cell membranes which is one of the main causes of joint pain.
3. Maintains healthy thyroid function
Thyroid complications are really prevalent in todays society and can lead to all kinds of issues, including weight gain, dry skin, thinning hair, numbness or tingling in the hands brittle nails, and even constipation. A vital mineral that is essential for proper thyroid function is Manganese. Turmeric is full of Manganese and helps you to make a substantial step towards a better functioning thyroid. Given the list of symptoms (and we only touched on a few, there are many many more) that are attributed to a poorly functioning thyroid, its a good idea for you health, general well-being and future medical fees to start adding turmeric to your diet.
4. Reduces inflammation and pain
When compared to traditional medical anti-inflammatories, curcumin wins hands down. The compounds that lead to pain during inflammation are called mediators, and they don't come alone! Most medical anti-inflammatories or NSAIDs only target a couple of these mediators but curcumin targets dozens! The result… more efficient, natural and more complete pain reduction, and non of the nasty side affects associated with ordinary medication!
5. (Very probably) Improves your memory and makes you smarter!
A food that might make you wise ? I doubt much else can make a food more worthy of the prestigious title of 'SuperFood' than its ability to improve your intelligence.
Curcumin increases brain performance and reduces the risk of brain disease by promoting the neurotrophic factor. As we grow, neurons make new connections and our potential to learn and store more information increases. The growth hormone that facilitates this process is called the brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF). Decreased levels of this hormone have been linked to many widespread brain disorders, 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 more intelligent, although a lot more research is needed to verify that we actually do get smarter. An increase of BDNF could also prevent, and maybe even reverse, the affects of many age-related brain functioning issues.
6. Can help to prevent, and potential even treat, cancer
During clinical tests on animals, curcumin was shown to decrease metastasis (the spread of cancer) lower angiogenesis (the growth of blood vessels in tumors) and even kill cancerous cells. During an additional study (this time on human beings) curcumin decreased colon lesions in 44 men by 40% over a period of 30 days. Although the study was not on men that were actually suffering with cancer, colon lesions can become cancerous, so it's a considerable indicator that curcumin may possibly help prevent cancer.
7. A natural beauty treatment
So far we've discussed some of the extraordinary health benefits of turmeric, but did you know it can make you more attractive as well!
For hundreds of years women in Asia have been using turmeric as a natural beauty treatment. Its powerful beautifying properties have been praised for their power to reduce acne, treat eczema, reduce dark circles from below the eyes, lessen the physical appearance of signs of aging, reduce scarring and even remove sun spots.