Turmeric: The Spice That Helps You Take Control of Your Life

Add some spice to your life, the healthy, life-improving kind: turmeric. A little turmeric goes a long way to making sure you live a long time.

There are many spices you can add to the meals you cook that aren’t only flavorful, but also crucial for keeping your health in check. Turmeric is a spice that you should become best friends with and start incorporating into your diet! Research has shown that turmeric, known for its impressive list of healing properties and health benefits, is not only one of the most powerful herbs for combating disease, but also the most powerful for reversing and preventing it.

Curcumin, the compound that turmeric is made up of, has been heavily researched by scientists (including the National Institute of Health) who concluded that it can affect the development, growth, and spread of cancer cells. They also discovered that curcumin can cause changes at the molecular level to prevent cancer from occurring in the first place. Many of the nation's leading NIH scientists believe curcumin may someday be used with conventional methods of treating cancer because they are so confident that it can be used to help fight this deadly disease. To have control over keeping your body as safe as possible from a disease like cancer is empowering. You can physically do something right now to help protect yourself by including this powerful herb in your food.

Turmeric is also a natural anti-inflammatory. Chronic inflammation is known to cause cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, depression, and so much more. It occurs when there is a perceived internal threat that does not require an inflammatory response, but the body sends an inflammatory response anyway, causing the white blood cells to swarm but have no place to go. Instead, they can start attacking healthy tissues and organs. This herb will also help keep joint inflammation down, and its high antioxidants will help prevent your body from hitting those dangerous levels of chronic inflammation, according to the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Curcumin in turmeric has been found to help lower blood sugar and activate AMPK, which improves insulin sensitivity in diabetics. People are developing pre-diabetes in the U.S at an alarming rate -- Americans have dangerously high levels of sugar in their blood, which in turn lead to high levels of cholesterol. Turmeric helps to regulate cholesterol and suppresses plaque buildup in the arteries, critical in fighting against heart disease.

How can you start incorporating turmeric into your diet? I have been experimenting with this spice for quite some time now and found some great ways to add this herb to what I am cooking. Sprinkle it on your meals, ditching the salt for turmeric. Throw it in your brown rice or quinoa stir-fries, and vegetable medleys. You can make coconut milk currys with turmeric and even incorporate this herb into your fresh pressed juices and smoothies. Experiment with the spice, and see what works best for you. The more you use it, the more it will become second nature to add this healthy touch to your favorite meals! I also make sure to add some ground pepper, which helps the body absorb the turmeric.

It's a quick and easy way to give your body the tools for living the healthiest possible life!

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