Would you like to spice up your life—quite literally— while reaping the benefits of a delicious natural superfood? I have just one word for you: Turmeric. If you haven’t already experienced for yourself the incredible powers of this amazing spice, it’s high time you started.
GIFT OF THE EAST
Turmeric is a bright yellow aromatic powder taken from the rhizome of a plant that belongs to the ginger family—Zingiberaceae. It grows naturally in tropical South Asia and thrives in temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees and it needs a lot of rain too. This spice has been used for over 5000 years in the East. It forms an integral part of the pharmacopeia in traditional Chinese medicine—a tradition of herbal treatment which I believe to be the finest in the world. The Western world is, at last, beginning to wake up to the wonderful support this stuff—often referred to as curcumin— has to offer for health. It is the curcumin which it contains that’s responsible for Turmeric’s vibrant yellow color.
BEHOLD THE POWER
Here are just a few of the benefits it brings when used often in your meals:
- Supports fat metabolism
- It’s a natural antiseptic/antibacterial qualities
- It’s a good pain reliever
- Prevents cholesterol oxidation—lowering risk of heart attack and stroke
Helps detoxify the liver, improving elimination of wastes
- Has powerful anti-inflammatory, helpful in arthritis and inflammatory skin conditions
- According to new studies, shows promise in preventing and slowing Alzheimer’s disease
- Has proven anti-cancer properties—it can slow or stop tumor growth. The much lower rate of male prostate cancer in India—compared to the US—is attributed partly to widespread use of turmeric
- It contains one of the very best anti-aging compounds you will find anywhere.
One of the best ways to introduce turmeric into your life is to mix it with ginger and drink it daily. You can also add it to your stews, meat and vegetable dishes and basmati rice. And, of course, there is a myriad of other possibilities for its use. Here’s my favorite turmeric drink... easy to make and enormously rewarding to your life and health.
GINGER AND TURMERIC HOT DRINK
SERVES ONE
Turmeric is a warm, peppery flavor, making it perfect to use in hot drinks as well as more traditionally in curries. Here’s a great recipe for a warming, immune-boosting (and delicious!) beverage.
WHAT YOU NEED
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered or finely grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered turmeric
- Natural stevia to taste (I like English Toffee flavored liquid Stevia—see below)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
HERE’S HOW
Bring clean, fresh water to boil then add powdered turmeric and grated ginger and let simmer for 10 minutes. Strain tea, add stevia to taste. Drink while still warm.
GET SPICY
Pure turmeric powder, rather than curry powder, is the way to go for cooking use. Always make sure what you buy is organic. Have fun experimenting with different recipes, finding combinations that you love. If you’re not a curry fan, turmeric is also available in convenient capsule form—again, just make sure it’s from an organic, quality-verified source. Watch this space for more health-enhancing, life-transforming Meals That Heal to help you expand your diet and nurture your soul.
Where to order the best of everything:
Starwest Botanicals, Turmeric Root Powder, Organic (Costs $11.33 a pound at last count)
Buy Organic Tumeric
Wisdom Natural, SweetLeaf, Liquid Stevia, English Toffee Sweet Leaf liquid stevia with all natural flavors is convenient and easy to use. As a supplement, add this nutritious stevia to water, tea, coffee, milk, sparkling water, protein shakes, plain yogurt or anything else you can imagine. It comes in many different flavors including lemon but English Toffee flavor is the best by far.
Buy Stevita
ORDERING FROM IHERB.COM: They ship all over the world very cheaply, and their products are the cheapest and best in the world. Get your order sent to you via DHL. I use them for almost everything no matter where I am.
