We’ve all heard about the amazing benefits of including turmeric in your diet. Turmeric is the latest health craze sweeping the world, and for a good reason. The science on this bright-yellow spice shows that it contributes to reducing levels of inflammation in your body.
Sure, some inflammation is good for you – it helps heal wounds and fight off infection from viruses and bacteria. However, when inflammation gets out of hand, it starts to cause complications with your health.
Inflammatory diseases, such as auto-immune disorders, can cause havoc in your life. Dealing with the effects of Crohn’s or IBD makes going out for dinner with friends less enjoyable. Handling the impact of rheumatoid arthritis make it challenging to enjoy physical activity. Inflammatory disease is a serious issue affecting millions of Americans – and it starts in the gut.
The best way to take turmeric depends largely on the individual with potential options including capsules, powder, or vitamins.
Inflammation and Your Digestive System
When we consume inflammatory foods, like refined carbs, the digestive system launches a massive inflammatory response. As a result, cytokines and chemokines escape the digestive system through the intestinal wall, creating “systemic inflammation.”
This inflammatory response spreads throughout the body, causing the onset of auto-immune symptoms. Unfortunately, medical science has no means to stop this process. The best your doctor can offer you is medication to deal with the problem.
Limiting your intake of foods that cause inflammation and increasing your consumption of foods that fight the inflammatory response is the best way to fight auto-immune disorders.
Turmeric – The Natural Inflammation Fighter
Turmeric is a popular spice throughout India and Southeast Asia. According to anecdotal experiences and research, consuming turmeric fights the inflammatory response in the gut, preventing the spread of systemic inflammation.
Making turmeric part of your day is the best way to naturally fight off the effects on inflammation on your digestive system. As a result, you reduce the frequency and severity of auto-immune reactions in the body.
So, how can you add turmeric into your diet? We put together this list of five ways to benefit from this healing root spice.
4 Easy Ways to Take Turmeric
Golden Milk
Boil two cups of unsweetened almond milk with 1-tsp of fresh-grated ginger, and 1-tsp of freshly grated turmeric root.
When the milk starts to boil, turn off the heat and let it simmer for 5-minutes, and add a tablespoon of raw manuka honey. Drink it before bed, and benefit from the powerful anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric.
Hot Turmeric Toddy
Mix a tablespoon of turmeric with a tablespoon of raw manuka honey to form a paste. Dilute with ¼-glass of hot water, and drink immediately while still warm. This mixture is great for stopping colds before it has the chance to overcome your immune response.
Supercharge Soups
If you’re cooking a broth or soup, and a tablespoon of turmeric to the ingredients. The potent anti-inflammatory action from the turmeric helps enhance digestion, allowing you to absorb more nutrients from your food.
Smart Smoothies
Add a teaspoon of turmeric powder to your morning smoothie. The spice adds a sharp flavor to your breakfast while helping you get more nutrition out of your shake.
Curcumin Supplements
If you want the best results from consuming turmeric, we recommend going with a curcumin supplement. Curcumin is the compound in turmeric, providing the miracle anti-inflammatory effect. However, the GI tract struggles to absorb the curcumin in raw form.
To overcome this issue, nutritional scientists discovered that the addition of Bioperine, a standardized format of black pepper extract, helps improve the bioavailability of the curcumin in the GI tract, by up to 2,000%.
Skip the taste and staining involved with eating raw turmeric. Get more out of this bright yellow spice by adding a curcumin supplement to your diet.