Turmeric: properties, uses, recipes and doses to enhance its benefits

Table of Contents

Turmeric, how to take it? Better supplements? In which recipes can I use it? And above all is it really useful? Let’s be clear

Turmeric , spice of wonders, with a thousand virtues and benefits , is excellent to be included in our daily diet to promote the well-being of the organism. But what exactly happens to our body by taking the right amount of turmeric every day? What is the right amount to take? And how to take it? We will also see the many properties , nutritional values, recipes , doses and opinions of nutritionists on turmeric.

A lot of scientific research in recent years has focused on the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, pain-relieving and general healing potential of this yellow-orange spice for our body also known as “Indian saffron” precisely for this chromatic characteristic.

Index

Calories and nutritional values
Properties of turmeric
Benefits of turmeric
What happens to the body?
How much turmeric to take?
- Turmeric supplements
How to use turmeric?
- Use in the daily diet
Golden Milk, benefits and how to prepare it
Uses in cooking and recipes
Use as a natural remedy
Turmeric oil: preparation and benefits
How to store turmeric
Contraindications of turmeric
Other articles

Calories and nutritional values

Nutritional values for 100 grams of ground turmeric :

Calories 354
Fat 10 g
Saturated fatty acids 3.1 g
Polyunsaturated fatty acids 2.2 g
Monounsaturated fatty acids 1.7 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 38 mg
Potassium 2,525 mg
Carbohydrates 65 g
Dietary fiber 21 g
Sugar 3.2 g
Protein 8 g
Vitamin A 0 IU
Vitamin C 25.9 mg
Calcium 183 mg
Iron 41.4 mg
Vitamin D 0 IU
Vitamin B6 1.8 mg
Vitamin B12 0 µg
Magnesium 193 mg

Properties of turmeric

Turmeric is a spice rich in beneficial properties . For example, the consumption of turmeric improves the functioning of the stomach and intestines and moreover helps fight cholesterol, since it facilitates the disposal of excess lipids.

Antioxidant properties
Choleretic properties
Antitumor properties
Healing properties
Digestive properties
Antidepressant properties
Antibacterial properties
Pain relieving properties
Detoxifying properties

Benefits of turmeric

To recognize the benefits of turmeric on our health is now Western medicine, whose studies it has been increasingly the focus of over the past few years.

It prevents and reduces inflammation
Relieves joint pain
Beneficial for the brain and nervous system
It is a natural pain reliever
Protects the liver
Helps digestion
Limits the action of free radicals
It strengthens the immune system
It prevents type 2 diabetes
Helps the body detoxify
Prevents bacterial infections
Promotes wound healing
Contributes to the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs
Increase your memory
Boosts the brain’s self-healing capacity
Helps prevent and fight cancer

What happens to the body?

First of all, we help the body to cope with the inflammationsthat may be present in different areas of the body, for example turmeric is widely used to treat arthritis , also because in addition to inflammation it is also able to soothe pain. This spice, whose most important active ingredient is undoubtedly curcumin , is then able to support the liver in its functions, promotes digestion and is a powerful antioxidant , therefore able to counteract the action of free radicals, responsible for cellular aging.
But it doesn’t stop there: this spice is able to strengthen our body and the immune system, and prevent type 2 diabetes.
The action on the brain and nervous system is alsovery interesting : only one gram a day of turmeric would be enough to increase memory and it has even been seen how this spice improves the ability of the brain to heal itself in case of damage, such as those following a stroke. Then there are those who compare it to the effects of Prozac on depression .
It was then provedthat curcumin has great anticancer properties : a study conducted by the University of California noted how curcumin is able to block the action of an enzyme believed to be responsible for the development of tumors in the head, neck and of the oral cavity (in the latter case especially those caused by the human papillomavirus ). Another research, however, conducted in Michigan, has shown its importance in increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy in the treatment of some types of cancer.

How much turmeric to take?

The recommended dose of turmeric to take every day ranges from 3 to 5 grams, so about a tablespoon or so if consumed in powder. However, studies have underlined that the problem of this spice is above all that of poor bio-availability, that is the difficulty for our body to be able to absorb it and therefore use it at its best. However, it has been seen that, to improve this aspect, it is excellent to combine it with a little black pepper (just a pinch of a teaspoon) or alternatively a fat (for example olive oil).

Turmeric supplements

If you intend to use it for curative purposes, however, all this is not enough and it is therefore necessary, on the advice of an expert, to take a titrated and standardized turmeric supplement that therefore contains a quantity of active ingredient much higher than what you can ingest with the only food use of the spice.

Read also:Turmeric supplements

However, all this does not mean that using turmeric every day in the kitchen is not a good way to help our body keep fit.

How to use turmeric?

Keep in mind that: to better maintain the properties of this spice it is good to use it raw, or put it only at the end of cooking , thus avoiding the dispersion of some of its nutritional principles. Moreover, to assimilate it better it is excellent to combine it with a little pepper or a fat (for example olive oil). Remember these two important things even if you create new recipes …
Another suggestion is not to take excessive doses(which can be counterproductive) and especially not to take it in the case of gallstones (unless otherwise indicated by a doctor who will have evaluated the situation specifically).

Use in the daily diet

Together with ginger , chilli and cinnamon, turmeric is a real health spice. Enriching our daily diet with turmeric is not complicated at all. In fact, turmeric, with its delicate flavor, is suitable for enriching many dishes with taste and color.

Prepare the golden milk
Add turmeric to the soup
Season the risotto with the turmeric
Prepare turmeric tea
Prepare and use curry in cooking
Prepare golden honey for coughs and colds
Enrich the stuffed vegetables
Drizzle with turmeric oil
Add turmeric to smoothies
Prepare a turmeric decoction
Add turmeric to juices and extracts
Season the pasta with the turmeric
Add the turmeric to the custard
Use turmeric in sweet and savory cake mixes
Prepare the turmeric bread
Season the tofu and seitan with the turmeric
Add turmeric to sauces and dips
Cooking with fresh turmeric

Golden Milk, benefits and how to prepare it

The golden milk or golden milk with turmeric is a drink with a bright color and a delicious taste, made with few but healthy ingredients and that is worth trying for its numerous benefits due above all to the presence of turmeric and curcumin, a substance this has been increasingly the subject of scientific studies in recent years.

In particular, the regular intake of Golden Milk is able to:

Soothe muscle and joint pain
As a natural anti-inflammatory
Calm cough and cold
Relieve respiratory disorders
Cleanse the liver
Improve digestion
Counteract menstrual cramps
Regulate metabolism
Lower cholesterol
Stimulate the immune system

READ also:Golden Milk: 10 Reasons to Take Turmeric Golden Milk

How to make Turmeric Golden Milk?

Ingredients

¼ cup of turmeric
½ cup of water
1 cup of milk (also vegetable)
1 teaspoon of almond oil
Honey

The preparation of Turmeric Golden Milk is very simple:

Boil the water along with the turmeric, stirring slowly until the mixture dries and becomes a little thicker. Once ready, the mixture can be stored in the refrigerator and used for 40 days.
For each cup of golden milk that you want to prepare, you need to mix ¼ teaspoon of the mixture made with turmeric in a cup of milk and then add a teaspoon of sweet almond oil (I recommend the one for food use!).
It is heated to taste and finally honey is added, in variable quantities according to taste. If you want to make this drink even tastier, blend it! It will become so beautiful bubbly and you can then sprinkle it with some cinnamon.

Read also:Problem with the joints? Here is the Golden Milk recipe

Uses in cooking and recipes

But how can we get turmeric into our diet every day ? It is not difficult! It can really be used in many ways: in smoothies and extracts, to sprinkle over risotto and pasta, to prepare Golden Milk or herbal teas, etc. Below you will find many ideas for using it in the kitchen:

Yeast-free turmeric crackers
Oil sandwiches with spelled and turmeric
Focaccia stuffed with chard with turmeric
Peppers stuffed with millet and turmeric
Recipe for making curry at home
Rice pie with turmeric and basil
Purifying soup of red lentils, turmeric and ginger
Pasta with green cabbage and turmeric
Turmeric spiced potatoes
Turmeric risotto
Vegan quinoa and turmeric croquettes
Indian lentils with turmeric and ginger
Cream of beans and turmeric batata
Turmeric semolina dumplings
Turmeric candies

Use as a natural remedy

In addition to being a spice in cooking, turmeric is used to prepare numerous natural remedies to be taken internally or to be applied to the skin and massaged.

Turmeric face mask
Turmeric oil hair treatments
Turmeric supplements
Turmeric herbal tea
Turmeric decoction
Turmeric Golden Milk
Golden honeyfor coughs and colds
Turmeric anti-inflammatory packs
Turmeric bath salts
Pain relieving massages
Turmeric anti-inflammatory candies
Turmeric oil

Turmeric oil: preparation and benefits