If you like Superfoods, you're gonna be in love with Turmeric!
Turmeric isn't often used in the West but its popularity is very quickly growing, and for very good reason. In the East, the medicinal properties of turmeric have been known for centuries and it is used in Chinese and Indian traditional medicine.
So what is all of the fuss with Turmeric?
Can it earn its place in our SuperFood wall of fame? Let's take a look at 7 reasons for adding Turmeric to your diet…
1. Turmeric can decrease cholesterol level
The ingredient in turmeric that's responsible for all of its amazing benefits to health is curcumin. Curcumin reduces your cholesterol level in three 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 improve the efficiency of LDL cholesterol by increasing the receptors. All of which adds up to greatly improved cardiovascular health.
2. Decrease the pain from (and spread of) arthritis
In tests, the curcumin in turmeric was just as effective as a traditional anti-inflammatory drug for joint stiffness and swelling. Incorporating turmeric to your food plan will surely have a significant impact on the quality of your life. Likewise, the antioxidant qualities in curcumin can help to eradicate free radicals from the body. Free radicals are really 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 complications are incredibly prevalent in todays society and can lead to 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 which is essential for optimal thyroid function. Turmeric is rich in Manganese and can help you to make a significant step towards a better functioning thyroid. Given the number of symptoms that are caused by a poorly functioning thyroid, its a good idea for you health, general well-being and future medical expenses to incorporate turmeric to your diet.
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 and 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 reliable, all-natural and complete pain alleviation, and non of the nasty side affects associated with regular medicines!
5. (Very possibly) Strengthens your memory and makes you wiser!
A food that will make you smart ? I don't think much else can make something more worthy of the prestigious rank of 'SuperFood' than its capacity to increase your intelligence.
The curcumin in turmeric enhances brain performance and reduces the risk of brain disease by boosting the neurotrophic factor. As we grow, neurons form new connections and our potential to learn and remember more information increases. The hormone that facilitates 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 will help our brains do what they are meant to do… grow, learn more things and make us wiser, although additional research is needed to show that we really do get smarter. An increase of BDNF could also halt, and possibly even reverse, the affects of many age-related brain functioning conditions.
6. Can help to prevent, and possible even treat, cancer
During lab tests on animals, curcumin was shown to lower metastasis (the spread of cancer) lower angiogenesis (the growth of blood vessels in tumors) and even kill cancerous cells. During another study (this time on people) curcumin reduced colon lesions in 44 adult males by 40% over a period of 30 days. Although this study wasn't on men that were actually suffering from cancer, colon lesions can become cancerous, so it's a significant indicator that curcumin may well help protect against cancer.
7. A natural beauty treatment
To this point we've talked about some of the extraordinary health benefits of turmeric, but did you know it can make you more beautiful 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 help reduce acne, cure eczema, remove dark circles from below the eyes, reduce the appearance of signs of aging, reduce scarring and even remove sun spots.