I am beyond excited for this 2nd episode in the Food As Medicine series of the podcast! Today we are talking about turmeric and it’s active components, curcuminoids.
Curcumin has long been used to fight inflammation but it does so much more than that! We’ll explore the role of turmeric in cell health, inflammation, skin health, depression, cognitive function and more!
We’ll differentiate between turmeric root and turmeric powder, talk about how to identify a quality supplement and I’ll even share a few recipes.
Resources:
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Tomato & Turmeric Shot
Blend 1 tsp of tomato paste with 1 cup hot water and 1/4 inch peeled turmeric root
Tomato & Turmeric Root Soup
Puree the following ingredients:
2 cups water
1 clove roasted garlic
1 inch peeled turmeric root
Other turmeric products from Thrive Market:
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
If you make the turmeric shot or soup – should you take this with ghee or coconut oil?
I added cauli rice to mine and cooked the cauli rice in ghee. If you’re having it as a meal, add fat. But, if you’re having the soup WITH a meal, I don’t think added fat is neccessary. There will be fat with the meal. Also: the turmeric root naturally contains some oils that aid in the digestion, so adding fat isn’t as imperative when using the root.
You’re awesome – thanks so much!
I use turmeric in my bulletproof coffee.
Root or powder, I still add a pinch of pepper.
Not for everyone, but works for me.
Awesome! Certainly can’t hurt!! Enjoy 🙂
Did I miss how often it IS okay to have? I know you spoke of overuse being detrimental, but how often is a healthy amount?
This depends entirely on if we are talking root or powder. And it also depends on your current state of health/inflammation and if you are on blood thinners. I don’t believe that for almost anything there is one ideal or upper limit for everyone. Personally, I try to have about a 1/4 inch piece of turmeric root on most days. I would do it every day but just don’t always make the time for it.
Yep, I was referring to the root. Thanks! I was reading up on how to store it and how long it stays fresh. It seems you can keep it, in root form, in the fridge for a week! 🙂
No need for the black pepper when you use the root form? Just wondering..
I dig your podcast series, “Food as Medicine”. I added tumeric for the first time yesterday in a protein shake, and it wasn’t smart as it tasted very peppery. However, I’m going to use your recipe’s above today. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Yeah, turmeric definitely doesn’t go well with everything! Let me know what you think of the recipe!
Thanks for pointing out this interesting plant. It was interesting to listen about all the benefits and how it works. However very categorical and overemphasized “powdered is bad” is rather overkill.
I will just leave this here:
http://epicureandigest.com/2017/01/06/is-raw-turmeric-better-than-powder/
Interestingly, I never said “powdered is bad” so I’ll respectfully disagree that I overemphasized something I never said. Also, quoting something that was never said in the episode is a slippery slope. What I said was it’s not as bioavailable and therefore you’d have to take much more.
Re-listened to this episode after listening to the sulfur episode that was just released. Got some turmeric root at the local health food store on the way home from work yesterday to play with today on my snow day (yay, another Nor’easter!). Going to add a bit of the root to some turkey and tomato chili! And then to get my sulfur in, I’m going to serve myself the chili over some broccoli!
Yum! That sounds so awesome!!
Love to hear more ways to use turmeric in cooking.
Here’s a tip I use for using fresh ginger and turmeric.
I ground it in my vitamix with a small amount of moisture to aid in the grounding process.
Scoop it out in tablespoon amounts, place on wax paper or parchment, and freeze it.
once it’s frozen you can easily grab a tablespoon from your freezer and use it in cooking.
It works great.
Loved this episode! I have been using turmeric and ginger to manage my inflammation (and anxiety/depression) for awhile now and have found the easiest way to get it consistently is via a ‘tonic’ or ‘tea’ that I make and keep in my fridge to have throughout the week.
This makes a concentrate that you can then mix 50/50 with water or tea when you need to have a cup. It is great hot or cold.
Combine all of the following in a 10-12 cup carafe /container (I use a carafe for a coffee maker that I got on amazon cheap).
– 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
– 2 to 3 TB of fresh finely grated turmeric root (peel then grate using a fine grater or micro plane grater)
– 1 to 1.5 TB freshly finely grated ginger root
– .75 to 1 tsp fine/powdered black pepper
– .5 to .75 tsp cayenne pepper
– Sweeten to taste with honey, stevia or monk fruit drops (I sweeten each glass I make and store the base concentrate unsweetened)
Put it all in the carafe, fill to top with boiling water, let it sit for at least 2 hrs, then strain into storage pitcher and keep in fridge.
It is STRONG you don’t need a full glass of this – instead do 50/50 (or even 30/70) with water or ice tea and then sweeten with stevia or monk fruit drops. It is great hot or cold. A pitcher will keep in the fridge at least 7 – 10 days, stir before pouring to get the ‘good stuff’.
It sounds like a lot of work, but it is really fast especially if you have an electric lemon juicer. One 10 cup carafe will yield 2 to 2.5 that in actual drinks since you mix with water.
Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you. I love, love, love the Food as Medicine episodes. I share them with my parents who have a hard time with podcasts.
Hi there Melissa, I’m Ira from Elizabeth’s team! We’re very happy that you enjoyed this episode. We hope your parents enjoy listening to them, too! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about anything.