{"id":2424,"date":"2018-10-24T12:06:14","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T12:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=2424"},"modified":"2021-05-20T14:04:48","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T14:04:48","slug":"15-unbelievable-ways-of-using-fresh-turmeric-root","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/15-unbelievable-ways-of-using-fresh-turmeric-root\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Unbelievable Ways of Using Fresh Turmeric Root"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Turmeric is one of the most versatile and potent spices in your arsenal. This root is very often found in curries, where it is used in the place of saffron thanks to the fact that it tastes very similar but costs considerably less. It is also often used as a food coloring thanks to its bright orangey\/yellow hue.<\/p>\n

But more and more, turmeric is becoming popular as a health supplement. The root has long been used as part of Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine for its many purported health benefits, but now it is finding its way into many health supplements. That\u2019s because the incredible benefits of turmeric root are now being backed up by science. And in fact, scientists have uncovered even more potential benefits of this potent herb.<\/p>\n

Read on and we\u2019ll look at 15 incredible uses for turmeric \u2013 its health benefits and how you can get it in your diet!<\/p>\n

1. Turmeric Tea<\/h3>\n

One of the best ways to use turmeric<\/a> is to add it to a tea. All you need to do is to bring a pot of water to the boil, then pour it into a mug with a quarter teaspoon of ground turmeric. It\u2019s very important that this turmeric be freshly ground however.<\/p>\n

It is a common mistake to add shop-bought turmeric spice. While that looks very similar and it tastes just fine in curry, it unfortunately isn\u2019t as potent because it\u2019s not highly bioavailable. In other words, while the turmeric can do a lot of useful things in the body, the body is having a hard time absorbing it in order to do those useful things!<\/p>\n

Turmeric tea has many benefits but may act like a powerful wake-up call. Just like black tea, turmeric tea has numerous properties that make it beneficial for improving concentration and memory. This is an agent that can raise neuroplasticity after all (the ability of the brain to grow, change shape and form new connections) and that can help increase cortical bloodflow (sending more blood to the brain).<\/p>\n

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2. Make a Curry<\/h3>\n

As we\u2019ve already seen, it is very possible to make a delicious curry using turmeric and a few other ingredients. Specifically, when cooking curry<\/a>, you should consider adding a little black pepper and or oil. When you do this, you increase the bioavailability of the curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) and thereby make it more likely to offer benefits.<\/p>\n

Of course making a nice curry power is also simply delicious. One of the easiest curry powder recipes is:
\n8 parts ground coriander
\n1 part turmeric
\n1 part cayenne pepper<\/p>\n

Ad this with some oil to some chicken or mince and you\u2019ll have something that tastes great and that now offers a number of new health benefits. We tend to assume that curry is going to be complex to make but actually, it can often be very easy and just comes down to combining a few different herbs together.<\/p>\n

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3. Make a Pre-Workout Shake<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s one you may not have thought of \u2013 turning your curcumin<\/a> into a pre-workout shake!<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you\u2019re going to do: take a little turmeric, take a little pepper, take some l-arginine (which can be shop bought), take some creatine and take some caffeine powder. Now if you mix these together in a glass of water, you\u2019ll have a powerful combination that will help you to have the best workouts of your life!<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because turmeric is a vasodilator (as is l-arginine). These substances help to relax the vascular smooth muscle tissue, which is the muscle lining the insides of the veins. When that happens, more blood rushes to the muscles during training and thereby gives you more of a feeling of \u2018pump\u2019 and greater performance.<\/p>\n

The added caffeine of course will act as a stimulant and increase your heartrate to help more blood get around your body. Then there\u2019s the role of the creatine, which will provide your body with the ability to recycle ATP. ATP is the primary energy source in the body (adenosine triphosphate) and your body can use this in order to boost your performance.<\/p>\n

In short, this is a far cheaper and more readily available alternative to the many preworkout supplements that you can buy online or in health stores!<\/p>\n

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4. Make Your Meals Pretty<\/h3>\n

Okay, so this one isn\u2019t so much for your health, but you can use turmeric as a tool for making your boring-looking meals that much prettier. All you\u2019re going to do is to add the powder to your cooking, whether that\u2019s a bowl of plain basmati rice, some mashed potatoes<\/a>, or some eggs. The flavour is barely noticeable, but the change in color will be appreciated by your guests and it\u2019s a great way to impress!<\/p>\n

In fact, turmeric is commonly used as a food coloring and this is something it is very well-known for. It can even be used as a dye \u2013 some people use it in order to change the color of their clothes, while others use it to dye their hair even!<\/p>\n

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5. Add Seasoning<\/h3>\n

One of the best things you can do with turmeric is to use it as seasoning again for those more boring foods. Got some bland potatoes<\/a> on the side of your meal? Add a little turmeric on top and they\u2019ll look more edible as well as having just a slightly more interesting flavour.<\/p>\n

This is one of the great advantages of turmeric\u2019s relatively bland flavour \u2013 it means that it is highly versatile and can be used in a wide variety of different ways. Put it on meat, put it on potato, put it in a curry, put it in a nice cappuccino!<\/p>\n

Many Indian expats that come to the US or Europe find that the food we eat is incredibly boring. I\u2019ve even know people to carry around little sachets of spices that they secretly use to season the food they eat in restaurants! Once you start improving the taste of your food this way, you\u2019ll be tempted to do the same. PLUS it has all those health benefits.<\/p>\n

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6. Brush Your Teeth!<\/h3>\n

This might sound like pure madness, but brushing your teeth with turmeric is actually a good idea for all kinds of reasons.<\/p>\n

Firstly, brushing your teeth with turmeric does not cause your teeth to become yellow like you might expect. Surprisingly, it will actually whiten them! That said, your toothbrush is going to end up looking pretty stained.<\/p>\n

At the same time, this will help to kill off the bacteria<\/a> that you don\u2019t want while supporting the good bacteria in your mouth. That\u2019s right, just like you have good bacteria in your stomach, you also have good bacteria in your mouth which is responsible for important things like creating nitric oxide from the food in your diet!<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t something you\u2019re going to do every day. Rather, you\u2019ll do it every now and then in order to whiten up your teeth and get a little more turmeric in the diet.<\/p>\n

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7. Try Golden Milk<\/h3>\n

Golden milk is turmeric paste that is mixed with warm milk<\/a> and ghee. This is a delicious, warm, sweet, smooth and highly soothing drink that is ideal before bed. It also provides all of the different benefits that we\u2019ve already discussed from turmeric and that you may have seen elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Turmeric is anti-inflammatory for instance, which makes it fantastic for helping to treat arthritis and other conditions. This can even help to fight depression by reducing inflammation in the brain.<\/p>\n

Likewise, turmeric can help to treat a range of other conditions like diabetes and like headaches. Why not enjoy it in a soothing, warm milk and that way it will feel like a welcome remedy rather than an unpleasant medicine that you have to take?<\/p>\n

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8. Fortified Soup<\/h3>\n

Soup<\/a> is one of the healthiest things out there when it comes to the home-made kind. Shop bought soup? Not so much. This tends to have all kinds of added preservatives, salts and fats and the goodness tends to be so highly processed that there are no vitamins and minerals left in there!<\/p>\n

But if you make your own soup, then you\u2019re basically taking a ton of healthy vegetables, blending them with some hot water and then eating them!<\/p>\n

That can include something like potato or parsnip as a delicious base that packs in the vitamin C and calcium, it could include things like carrots, sweetcorn or tomato to sweeten it up, or you might include some broccoli, greens, mushroom and cheese for something really rich and creamy. Oh and cream.<\/p>\n

Throw in the right spices and you just made your soup even healthier and even tastier. And those \u2018right spices\u2019 should definitely include the superfood that is turmeric!<\/p>\n

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9. Put it In a Smoothie<\/h3>\n

Another super healthy option is to put your turmeric into a smoothie<\/a>. Again, we\u2019re seeing the vast versatility of turmeric here: the fact that it can go into a savory soup with lots of veg or a delicious, sweet smoothie filled with sugar and fruits.<\/p>\n

Smoothies are often thought to be unhealthy thanks to that high sugar content. They can damage the teeth, spike the blood sugar and more.<\/p>\n

But you shouldn\u2019t worry too much about this. While it\u2019s true that smoothies are high in sugar, that is at least natural sugar which is considerably less damaging than the non-natural kind.<\/p>\n

If you just have one smoothie a day, then all the benefits of those nutrients will far outweigh the potential negatives of the sugar. And if you add some turmeric, then you\u2019ll actually counteract one of the primary concerns: seeing as turmeric reduces blood sugar levels!<\/p>\n

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10. Put it on Your Cappuccino<\/h3>\n

For many of us, a strong cup of coffee<\/a> in the morning is a great way to start the day. A cappuccino isn\u2019t the healthiest owing to the large amounts of milk, sugar and cream (and those chocolate sprinkles!), but the caffeine actually is good for us. It\u2019s addictive sure, which isn\u2019t great.<\/p>\n

But it has also been shown to be neuroprotective (meaning it protects the brain from age-related decline and a number of unwanted health complaints), it boosts the memory, it boosts focus\u2026 And there\u2019s nothing wrong with having something creamy and delicious to start your day occasionally!<\/p>\n

Add in some turmeric though and you\u2019re starting to see better flavour and even more benefits. And because of turmeric\u2019s vasodilatory properties, you\u2019ll find that it can help you to perform even better. Turmeric is also somewhat adaptogenic, combating stress, which is also very beneficial.<\/p>\n

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11. Put it in Bulletproof Coffee<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a trendy beverage to kickstart your day, then look no further than Bulletproof Coffee. Introduced by Dave Asprey, this is the trend of putting a stick of butter in your coffee along with some MCT oil.<\/p>\n

The idea is that this is a useful breakfast replacement for those using a ketogenic<\/a> or high-fat-low-carb diet. The coffee contains no carbs, but the butter will ensure that you stay nicely full. Butter also slows the absorption of the caffeine into the blood, thereby preventing the sudden high and subsequent crash that can come from caffeine otherwise.<\/p>\n

The coffee also tastes deliciously thick and creamy and the MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride \u2013 which comes from coconut oil) will help to stimulate the liver to produce ketones \u2013 an alternative source of energy for the brain.<\/p>\n

Turmeric is the perfect addition. It looks great on Instagram (don\u2019t pretend you don\u2019t take photos of your morning coffee!), it adds to the flavour and it provides even more healthy benefits.<\/p>\n

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12. Add to Avocado<\/h3>\n

Speaking of trendy foods that look good on Instagram and that are also popular among the low-carb crowd, you can also add turmeric to avocado<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Avocados are a fantastic source of healthy saturated fats, which once again will help you to feel fuller for longer, will aid with your absorption of other minerals etc. In fact, the avocado will even help you to boost your ability to absorb the turmeric, just like olive oil can! Add on some pepper for even greater benefits!<\/p>\n

Avocado also happens to be delicious and versatile. It\u2019s great in a salad and it\u2019s beautiful on toast!<\/p>\n

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13. Sprinkle on a Salad<\/h3>\n

Another very healthy way to use turmeric is to sprinkle it on a salad<\/a>. Salads are up there with fruits and smoothies as being the very best sources of nutrients that you can get in one spot. A typical plate of salad will pack you full of antioxidants (which turmeric also provides, by the way!), with iron for energy, with calcium, with vitamin C and much more.<\/p>\n

This is one of the habits that makes the Mediterranean diet so healthy, and especially when you add in the oil to help with absorption!<\/p>\n

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14. Rub it On Your Skin<\/h3>\n

Eating turmeric is just one way you can use it. Another way is to rub it on your skin. This will turn you orange or yellow, but that is only temporary! In the long term, it will help you to kill off bacteria<\/a>, encourage blood flow, create a more even skin tone and generally look and feel better than ever!<\/p>\n

You can create a healthy natural skin rub by mixing your turmeric with a little bit of coconut oil and some natural salts. This will nourish and moisturise your skin, open up your pores and help to keep you looking youthful. Leave for about 15 minutes and then wash off \u2013 just make sure you do it when you don\u2019t have anywhere important you need to be straight after!<\/p>\n

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15. Add it to a Yogurt<\/h3>\n

Finally, you can also try adding turmeric to a yogurt<\/a>. Take a plain Greek yogurt and add in a little turmeric and it will just slightly alter the flavor to make it a little tastier and more interesting. Of course you can also add in other ingredients, whether those are chopped fruits or even using it as a salad dressing!<\/p>\n

Combining yogurt and turmeric makes a lot of sense because both are beneficial for increasing the density of healthy bacteria in the gut. These bacteria are responsible for encourage the breakdown of food to aid with the absorption of nutrients, they also help with the production of important neurotransmitters and hormones which can help you to lose weight and look and feel better.<\/p>\n\r\n

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