Health Benefits Of Indian Food With Turmeric

Indian food is immensely popular all over the world, but the health benefits from this tasty cuisine outweigh the flavor and aroma. One key ingredient to most Indian fare is turmeric. This powerful seasoning has been known to fight cancer and promote anti-aging with it's anti-inflammatory properties.

An anti-inflammatory is used to kill the cancer-causing free radical cells we accumulate from diet, bad habits and the environment. Free radicals build to toxic levels in the body and release a plethora of diseases, including cancer. One way to stave off disease is to reduce the number of free radicals floating around in your system. This turmeric cleansing practice is particularly important for people who smoke or eat a lot of processed foods and sugar. The free radical build-up is silent until it strikes with some form of disease. By balancing your diet with an anti-inflammatory, you can kill the free radicals before they kill you.

Antioxydants such as vitamin C, E, fish oils, etc are essential to kill the deadly invaders, but one of the cheapest ways to keep your system clean is a daily dose of turmeric. This product can be bought at most supermarkets for under $3 and makes a great companion to your daily cooking.

If you don't have time to prepare a full recipe meal, try shaking a bit of turmeric on fish, sauces, meats, eggs and vegetables. It has a strong, pungent taste, but used in moderation, will not overpower your meal. Another way to get your daily dose is to add a few hearty shakes of turmeric to a cup of fruit juice. I prefer Paul Newman's Grape Juice for it's strong flavor that completely masks the taste of the turmeric. Fruit juice seems an unlikely companion to such a strong spice, but the combo gives the juice the upper hand. You will not taste anything but the fruit though there might be a slightly chalky texture. There are also turmeric capsules, but they are much more expensive than the fresh shaker bottle from the grocery store.

People who suffer from extreme headaches and migraines will fare well with a few shakes of turmeric a day. The head pain is caused by inflammation in the neck and back area, but when an anti-inflammatory is taken, the tissue will not be so tender. Asprin is also an anti-inflammatory, but can do damage to your stomach with prolonged use. Natural is better, and preventive is best.

According to findings published from Arthritis and Rheumatism in 2006, turmeric was used in laboratory rats and showed a significant prevention of the NF-KB protein known to cause rheumatoid arthritis, whereas the anti-inflammatory went to work on the rat's joints, keeping them soft and supple. Other diseases and conditions that turmeric has helped include cancer growth restrictions, Alzheimer's, Cystic Fibrosis, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Turmeric is also known to prevent heart disease and lower bad cholesterol. For an athlete or dancer, the value to turmeric can mean an extension to one's career and longevity. Jogging is another activity that demands well-oiled joints and runners can benefit swiftly from just a few weeks on the turmeric program.

To learn about cooking Indian and Asian food with turmeric, Amazon.com has some outstanding and affordable cook books for beginners. I recommend "Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy indian Cooking", "Indian Cooking Made Easy: Authentic Indian meals in Minutes":, by Jan Purser and "5 Spices, 50 Dishes" by Ruta Kahate. These well-layed out recipe books will get you cooking like an expert in no time.

www.amazon.com
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric
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http://veganwoman.blogspot.com/2009/04/turmeric-powerful-natural-health.html
www.womens-health-questions.com/benefitsofturmeric.html
www.articlesbase.com/anti-aging-articles/turmeric-health-benefits-can-a-spice-stop-the-aging-process-779294.html