Turmeric is the latest hot addition to everything from smoothies, juices, soups, and even sweet treats like ice cream! We have all heard that turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory but what is it and what does that really mean?

Turmeric is a delicious powerful root, similar to ginger but smaller and bright orange. The photo above is a picture of turmeric root. You can find the roots in the store and grate fresh turmeric into your recipes. You can also buy the dehydrated spice at your local market. 

Our body has a natural response to intruders = cue inflammation. This is great for fighting infections like the cold and flu but can be a real problem when it is long term (chronic) inflammation. Chronic inflammation is linked to everything from IBS, tumor progression, heart attacks, strokes, obesity, and mental health. There has been a lot of advancement in understanding chronic inflammation (causes and impacts) over the past 10 years. Reducing chronic inflammation is the most important health goal for me. I add turmeric to everything! Eliminating dairy and gluten is another quick way I have been able to lower my inflammation levels.  Once inflammation levels subside (it can take months after eliminating irritants) everything else falls into place (weight, anxiety, depression).  

Turmeric has been used for medicinal purposes over thousands of years in India, happy to see Western medicine starting to get on the bandwagon. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12490959

Benefits: 

• anti-inflammatory
• antioxidant (fight free radicals)
• antimicrobial
• liver detoxification

How to get it:

• Add the spice to all of your food (eggs, rice, veggies, smoothies, juice, oatmeal, soups, etc.)
• Turmeric is best absorbed with black pepper so make sure to add some pepper to your dish
• Drink turmeric tea (Trader Joes has a delicious Ginger Turmeric Tea)
• Take a concentrated supplement such as New Chapter Turmeric Force 

Side note: Turmeric stains everything so be sure to wash dishes quickly and your teeth so they do not stain. 

The link below provides some great additional reading and medical research:

https://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric/