If you appreciate Superfoods, you'll be in love with Turmeric!
Turmeric is not a commonly used ingredient in the West but its popularity is very quickly growing, and for good reason. In the East, the medical properties of turmeric have been known for many years and it is used in Indian and Chineese traditional medicine.
So why are people so excited with Turmeric?
Is it worthy of its place in our SuperFood hall of fame? Let's explore 7 benefits of adding Turmeric to your diet…
1. Turmeric can reduce cholesterol levels
The active ingredient in turmeric that's responsible for all of its powerful health benefits is curcumin. Curcumin reduces your cholesterol levels in three very powerful ways. First, it reduces the time that cholesterol spends in the blood stream. Second, it stops the oxidation of LDL cholesterol due to its antioxidant properties and third, it helps to increase the efficiency of LDL cholesterol by increasing the receptors. All of which add up to significantly improved cardiovascular health.
2. Lessens the pain from (and spread of) arthritis
In tests, the curcumin that is found in turmeric was found to be as effective as traditional anti-inflammatory treatment for joint stiffness and swelling. Introducing turmeric to your food plan has a notable impact on the quality of your life, especially if you suffer from arthritis. Additionally, the antioxidant qualities found in curcumin help to eliminate free radicals from the body. Free radicals can be really problematic 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 problems are extremely common in todays society and can contribute to all manor 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 which is essential for optimal thyroid function. Turmeric is packed with Manganese and will help you to make a significant step towards a healthier thyroid. Given the amount of symptoms (and we only touched on a few, there are many many more) that are due to an incorrectly functioning thyroid, its a very good idea for you health, general well-being and future medical bills to start adding turmeric to your diet.
4. Reduce pain and inflammation
When compared to medical anti-inflammatories, curcumin (prevalent in turmeric) wins hands down. The compounds that lead to pain during inflammation are called mediators, and they hunt in packs! Most medical anti-inflammatories or NSAIDs target two or three mediators but curcumin targets dozens! The result… more effective, natural and more complete pain release, and non of the unpleasant side affects associated with traditional drugs!
5. (Very possibly) Strengthens your memory and makes you smarter!
A food that may be able to make you clever ? I don't think much else can make something more worthy of the esteemed title of 'SuperFood' than its ability to improve your intelligence.
The curcumin in turmeric helps to build brain functioning and decreases the risk of brain disease by enhancing the neurotrophic factor. As we grow, neurons build new connections and our ability to understand and store 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 widespread brain conditions, such as Alzheimers and depression.
Curcumin increases BDNF levels, which can help our brains do what they are intended to do… grow, learn more things and make us smarter, although a lot more research is needed to prove that we actually do become more intelligent. An increase of BDNF could also postpone, and maybe even reverse, the affects of many age-related brain functioning conditions.
6. Will help to prevent, and potential even treat, cancer
During laboratory tests on animals, curcumin was shown to decrease metastasis (the spread of cancer) lessen angiogenesis (the growth of blood vessels in tumors) and even kill cancerous cells. During a different study (this time on humans) curcumin decreased colon lesions in 44 men 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 considerable indicator that curcumin may possibly help prevent cancer.
7. A natural beauty treatment
Up to now we've discussed some of the amazing health benefits of turmeric, but did you know it can make you more beautiful as well!
For thousands of years women in Asia have used turmeric as a natural beauty treatment. Its powerful beautifying properties have been praised for their power to reduce acne, treat eczema, eradicate dark circles from beneath the eyes, reduce the physical appearance of facial lines, reduce scarring and even remove sun spots.