bowl-of-chicken-soup-with-turmeric.jpg

Cooking is a joyous process. I always see it as magic. Before you, there may lie 20 different ingredients including spices. Magically, by mixing these ingredients all by the right measure at the right time and voila! You have an amazing meal to be enjoyed by all.

There are so many recipes out there and so many ways to cook things. Just look at the versatility of chicken. Chicken can be baked whole or can be barbequed and served on kebabs, entwined with vegetables. It can be served in shawarmas and grilled chicken breasts are the perfect meal when looking to control weight. But alas, not all meals are equal in calories or health benefits. Why not learn to incorporate healthy spices into your favorite meals so that they not only come out delicious but have health benefits for you and your whole family as well. One of these delicious spices is turmeric.

History

photo-of-fresh-turmeric.jpg

Turmeric originally comes from Asia where it has been used for thousands of years . It happens to be part of Unani, Siddha, Ayurveda and Chinese medicine - all natural medicine aimed at healing the body. At the start it was used as a dye with its rich mustard yellow color. Only later, was it used for its amazing medicinal properties and benefits. It contains compounds which have medicinal properties. One of the most important of these compounds is called curcumin.

Are There Health Benefits When You Cook With Turmeric?

There are many health benefits of this spice namely:

  • Turmeric helps fight inflammation.
  • Turmeric greatly increases antioxidants in the body.
  • Turmeric lowers the risk of brain disease and improves brain function.
  • Turmeric leads to better heart health.
  • Turmeric may help prevent and treat Alzheimer’s Disease.
  • Turmeric helps with arthritis.
  • Turmeric fights depression.
  • Turmeric helps delay the aging process.
photo-of-turmeric-and-supplement.jpg

What’s really important to remember is that for turmeric to really work in your system, it needs to be taken with bioperine (piperine), found in black pepper. Without this, most of it just passes through your digestive track. The absolute best way to make sure you are getting the correct amount of turmeric in your system is by taking turmeric supplements with bioperine. Before taking any nutritional supplements, do your research to find the healthiest and safest ones in order for your body to function at optimum levels.

Turmeric Recipes

Cooking with turmeric is a whole lot of fun but just watch out and make sure you always wear an apron and plastic gloves - this spice has a tendency to stain!!

I have found some of the best Turmeric recipes including:

  • Salmon with Cucumber - Yogurt Sauce and Carrot Salad
  • Iced Turmeric Latte
  • Spiced Marinated Lamb Chops with Garlicky Yogurt
  • Curried Meatballs
  • Ginger-Lime Cauliflower
  • Turmeric-Ginger Chicken Soup
  • Grilled Eggplant and Greens with Spiced Yogurt

Try them and let your whole family enjoy them!

At the end of the day, spending time in the kitchen is truly magical and with Turmeric you will only add color, flavor and health benefits to every dish you prepare! Bon appetit!

Researched and written by experts, brought to you by our team at Mommy Authority.

Pamela studied nutrition and and sports medicine and has made a fantastic career out of it. She is a proud multi-tasking single mom that makes good food for her family and takes pride in what she does. She teaches TRX three times a week and loves weekends and strawberries.