3 surprising ways to eat turmeric
Image: Hilary Hahn via Unsplash
In honour of Men's Health Month (aka June), I posted a list of my 7 top supplements for the unique health challenges men face.
One of my recommendations was to focus on getting more curcumin in your diet - this bright yellow polyphonic compound is responsible for the colour of turmeric, and is one of the most anti-inflammatory substances out there. Inflammation has been linked to a growing number of health concerns for men, such as Alzheimer's Disease, depression, anxiety, and even cancer.
Turmeric is the best natural source of curcumin, so I always recommend that all my patients work to get more turmeric in their diet. The only issue? This bright yellow spice has pretty unique flavour, and if you're not at home in the kitchen can be a little intimidating.
Below you'll find three ways to start consuming a little more turmeric, and reaping those anti-inflammatory benefits.
The Obvious Way: Curry!
Turmeric blends beautifully into a good coconut-based curry, and the fat of the coconut makes the curcumin more bioavailable!
Adapted from Honestly Healthy's Turmeric Masala Curry recipe
Ingredients
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 white onion diced
1 clove garlic diced
2-inch fresh turmeric grated (or 1 tbsp ground)
½ tsp cumin
1 tbsp garam masala
2-inch ginger diced
400ml coconut milk
400g tomatoes quartered
300g sweet potato 2-inch cubes
100g green beans
100g broccoli
100g frozen peas
15g fresh coriander
Directions
In a deep pan add the coconut oil, white onion, garlic, fresh turmeric, cumin, garam masala and ginger and sauté on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the spices are completely coating the rest and starting to dry out.
Add the coconut milk, chopped tomatoes and leave on a medium heat with the lid on for 5 minutes.
Add the sweet potato and leave with the lid on for another 7 minutes.
Take the lid off and add the green beans, broccoli, and peas and leave for 3 minutes until they become soft.
Take off the heat when all vegetables are soft and stir in the fresh coriander.
Serve with brown rice and garnish with coriander.
The Unexpected Way: Turmeric Sea Salt Popcorn
This is a delicious savory snack from Joyous Health. Make sure you don't skip the black pepper - it also makes curcumin in turmeric more bioavailable.
Ingredients
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup organic corn kernels
sea salt, turmeric, black pepper
Directions
In a medium size pot on the stove melt the coconut oil on medium high (NOT maximum – this is an important step to making perfectly popped kernels).
Once melted, add the kernels and cover the pot with a lid.
Give the pot a shake every so often until you hear it begin to pop. Don't let the pot sit on the hot element for more than 5-10 seconds at a time once the kernels begin popping.
Remove from heat when you hear no more pops!
Put into a large bowl and sprinkle your sea salt, turmeric, black pepper and nutritional yeast to taste.
The Drinkable Way: Iced Golden Milk
I love drinking warm golden milk (sometimes called turmeric lattes) in the cooler months, but with summer heating up this iced version from the The Healthy Maven is perfect. Don't be put off by the unusual blend of ingredients in this beverage - it's just sweet enough, and totally delicious!
Ingredients
1 tsp dried, ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp honey/maple syrup/preferred sweetener
pinch black pepper
1/4 cup hot water
2 cups ice
1-2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk
Directions
In a small cup combine spices and sweetener.
Top with hot water and whisk to combine.
Add mix to a large cup or mason jar and add in ice.
Top with desired non-dairy milk until cup is full.
Drink immediately.