Health Benefits and Recipes for Turmeric

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So lets start off with what Turmeric is?

Turmeric: Is a bright yellow aromatic powder obtained from the rhizome of a plant of the ginger family, it is know as a spice it can be used for flavoring and coloring in food, cooking and formerly as a fabric dye. (via dictionary.com)

You have probably had it in your cupboard for years and not know how wonderful it is. Below I have explained it in depth and given you some food for thoughts as what you can use it for what health benefits it is great for what foods you can add it to and yummy smoothies to make.

Health Benefits of Turmeric

Not only can it flavor your food, but it has a lot of health benefits when you include more of it into your life.

It Can Help Relieve Arthritis

The first way turmeric can benefit your health is by providing relief for your arthritis. Turmeric is actually an excellent anti-inflammatory spice. Arthritis is caused by inflammation and swelling of the joints, which then causes a lot of pain and discomfort.

Naturally, so what this means is you can actually experience less pain in your joints simply by having more turmeric in your diet. It is especially beneficial if you have rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. Try to have turmeric every day to relieve symptoms of arthritis, whether you have it on your breakfast, in tea on roasted vegetables or in your smoothie. It can be added easily and quickly and tastes pretty good as well.

Does Turmeric Help with Diabetes?

Please consult your doctor first 

You can’t cure diabetes with any type of herb or spice, but turmeric can definitely help to control some of your symptoms. Turmeric is often recommended for people who have type 2 diabetes, because it helps to keep insulin levels moderate.

It is also good at helping diabetes medications to work a little more efficiently and is good for proper glucose control. Don’t forget that turmeric can be good for insulin resistance, so if you start using it before developing type 2 diabetes, you might actually prevent it.

You Can Help Protect Your Brain

Turmeric has many benefits: One of the more surprising ways that turmeric can help you is by protecting your brain from certain diseases. There have been studies done recently on both turmeric. They have found that in some people, turmeric has actually helped to repair some of the stem cells in the brain.

What this means is that it can help protect you from brain-related conditions and events like Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and stroke.

It Helps Natural Antioxidants

While turmeric on its own isn’t an antioxidant, it helps the antioxidants that are already in your body. so Turmeric is good as it can increase the amount of natural antioxidants in the body and improving their function.

You are helping to avoid illnesses and diseases, By having more turmeric in your diet, from the cold and flu, to more serious infections and diseases. Many people notice they feel better overall when they start adding turmeric.

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Turmeric Smoothie Recipes

Turmeric may be a spice that is often used with dishes like curry, vegetables, and soups, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also make use of it in your beverages, including smoothies.

It is actually perfect for smoothies because it doesn’t overwhelm the flavor thanks to all the other ingredients, is easy to add to the blender, and will increase the overall amount of health benefits of the smoothie.

Mango and Turmeric Smoothie

This turmeric smoothie has a tropical quality which is heavily flavored with mango, but also includes a variety of extra add-ons you can use. The basic smoothie recipe calls for frozen mango, almond milk, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, honey, and coconut oil.

For it to be a little thicker, you can also add ½ of a frozen banana. This thickens up the smoothie without having to add yogurt. You can make it taste a bit more tropical by using coconut milk instead of almond milk. Some additives you can use are maca, pineapple, avocado, and chia seeds.

Carrot, Ginger, and Turmeric Smoothie

The next type of turmeric smoothie is one that is going to use vegetables and fruits, along with turmeric and ginger for the extra kick and health benefits.

You can grind up small pieces of carrots, add some shredded carrots, or even just make your own carrot juice first, then add it to your smoothie. To this you will add some fresh ginger, ground turmeric, lemon juice, almond milk, and frozen banana.

Adding some frozen pineapple can add more flavor and further allow your smoothie to be cold enough to enjoy right away.

Pineapple, Mango, and Turmeric Smoothie

This first smoothie combines the tropical flavors of pineapple and mango along with coconut oil and some turmeric. It is a simple smoothie with ingredients that are easy to find. This smoothie contains a lot of anti-inflammatory properties, so it is perfect if you are looking for a way to find relief for your joint pain or arthritis.

You should use frozen pineapple and frozen mango if you have it, since this keeps your smoothie cold and prevents you from having to add ice. You will need some water, coconut oil, ginger, and turmeric added as well. Blend it up and serve.

Turmeric Green Smoothie

Green smoothies are a good option when you want to consume more veggies, but don’t really like the taste of them. You can add greens to the smoothie with plenty of fruit, so that the smoothie tastes sweet like the fruit.

Kale and spinach are both good options when adding greens to this turmeric smoothie. Along with your greens, add some mango, turmeric, berries, coconut milk, and juice from a lemon. If your fruit was fresh, you will need to add in some ice as well.

Foods That Use Turmeric

If you want to try getting some of the many health benefits of turmeric and increase the flavor of your food at the same time, there are a lot of ways to do that.

There are actually many different ways you can add more turmeric to your dishes, from using it in your vegetables to adding it to soups and chili recipes. Here are some different foods that make use of turmeric.

Use it in Soup or Chili

Another easy way to get more turmeric into your foods is by adding it to your soup or chili. This works whether you have ground turmeric that is in fine powder form or you freshly grate it at home when preparing your dish. It absorbs easily into the soup or chili as you are cooking it, and all of the other flavors easily overpower it.

The flavor of turmeric won’t be any stronger than the salt and pepper you are adding thanks to the complex flavors used. It works better in a broth-based soup instead of a cream-based one, so add it to your vegetable soup or chicken noodle soup. It also works great in any type of chili.

Add Turmeric to Your Vegetables

An excellent way to add more turmeric into your diet through food is to add it to your vegetable dishes. This is an easy way to add the powdered for of turmeric without having to overthink it.

Just think about turmeric like any other spice, sprinkling it on your vegetables along with your salt, pepper, and garlic salt. After the vegetables are cooked, they will have a little kick to them, but it isn’t going to be so strong they are hard to get down.

Roasted vegetables are the perfect way to add more turmeric, especially with root vegetables and cauliflower. Try adding both ginger and turmeric to your roasted cauliflower and you won’t be sorry. Another way to add turmeric to vegetables is with sautéed greens, such as spinach or kale.

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Beverages

While it may not seem like it, turmeric can also be used in a variety of beverages. One way is to make yourself a pot of turmeric tea. You will boil water with freshly grated turmeric and a little bit of ginger as well.

Once the tea is done brewing, it is strained, and then flavored with lemon juice or honey. You can also juice fruits and veggies and add some turmeric to that, or add turmeric to any type of fruit smoothie that you prefer.

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Tips For Making Turmeric Tea

One of the ways you can use turmeric and benefit from consuming more of the healthy spice is by making turmeric tea. This is easier than you might think and will give you tea with just a little kick. It will not only be a delicious tea, but one with loads of health benefits.

Start With a Pot of Boiling Water

In order to make your own turmeric tea, you will need to begin the process with a pot of boiling water. Turmeric tea is better when the turmeric is freshly-grated, but you can use it in powdered form if that is all you have.

Once the pot of water is boiling, and you will need about 4 cups of water, you will add your grated turmeric to the water. You can also add some ginger to the water as well. Leave the temperature as it was so the water continues to boil with the turmeric inside.

Simmer Your Tea

When the pot of boiling water has the turmeric added, you will then want to let it simmer for about 10 minutes. This allows the water to get full flavor from your turmeric and anything else you added at the time.

Once the tea has simmered long enough, you will then need to remove it from the heat and strain it with a sieve. Before serving it, adding something to the tea to let the turmeric absorb a little better is highly recommended. Coconut oil is perfect for this, but black pepper can also be used if you don’t mind a little kick to your tea.

Add Your Choice of Flavoring

There are a few different ways to add more flavoring to your turmeric tea, both while it is boiling, as well as after the tea is done. Two common ingredients that are used to add flavor to turmeric tea after it is done are honey and lemon. These allow you to have a classic tea taste with the added health benefits of the turmeric. You can also have your tea taste similar to coffee by adding milk or sugar, or even flavored creamer.

You can flavor the tea while it is still boiling by adding flavored tea bags along with your turmeric, such as adding a lemongrass tea bag or a fruit-flavored tea bag. Here are some other ways to add flavoring to your turmeric tea:

• Use cinnamon in the tea, either before or after it is done
• Try adding some peppercorns while it is cooking, removing them during straining
• Add a little bit of sea salt once it is done
• Try different types of milk, such as coconut milk, soy milk, or almond milk

Try your own combination of herbs and seasonings for your turmeric tea.

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Ways to Get More Turmeric

If you are interested in using a spice that will help with inflammation, diabetes, and even cancer, you are probably looking to get more turmeric into your diet and into your life.

There are ways to add it with food and drinks, but also with everything from toothpaste and skin care products to cleaning products.
Use it as Toothpaste

Believe it or not, you can brush your teeth with turmeric! It shouldn’t replace your regular toothpaste, but you can try using before brushing your teeth with your toothpaste to whiten your teeth, clean your mouth, and get some other benefits from it as well.

This is a known natural remedy for teeth that are starting to yellow a little bit. Have powdered turmeric in a dish, wet your toothbrush, and dip it into. Brush your teeth with it, then let it sit for a couple minutes. Rinse out your mouth and brush your teeth with your toothpaste.

Spice Up Your Dishes

Turmeric is a type of spice, so any time you have a boring dish that needs a little bit of flavor, it is a great way to get more of it into your life. Every time you are eating some roasted veggies and are hoping to spice them up a little bit, add some turmeric to them along with your other seasonings.

Turmeric is also a great way to add a little bit of color to pale dishes, such as white rice, potatoes, scrambled eggs, and quinoa. You will enjoy the added color and flavor combined with these types of dishes.

Get Help For Your Cold

Turmeric also happens to be good for helping with a cold. This is because the strong spice is helpful at boosting your body’s natural antibiotics, which can help fight off virus and infection.

Turmeric is also efficient at boosting your immunity so it helps to prevent it as well. To make a little cold remedy with turmeric, combine the powdered form of the spice with raw honey and mix it well. Have a spoonful of the mixture by just leaving it in your mouth to dissolve on its own whenever you feel ill.

Use Turmeric On Your Skin

Since turmeric is great for inflammation, you can help with irritation and rashes on your skin by applying it directly. It can help with any skin conditions causing itching or a rash, such as eczema or a bug bite irritation.

Combine with the turmeric powder with water or coconut oil, then apply it to the area. Let it sit there for a few minutes, then rinse it off.

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