A natural approach is always a safer option. It is where turmeric comes into play! The golden spice, also known as turmeric or haldi, is an essential component of Indian cuisine. Besides giving curries, rice, and desserts a lovely and flavorful yellow hue, turmeric also has medical benefits that treat various illnesses. Moreover, this golden spice is also a key to losing weight.
Turmeric: An Overview
The spice turmeric comes from the root of the turmeric plant, a close relative of ginger. South-East Asia and the Indian subcontinent are the original home of turmeric. Additionally, its vivid yellow colour gets occasionally referred to as ‘Indian saffron’.
Historically, turmeric has been a part of Indian cuisine and medicine (Ayurveda), particularly for treating skin, respiratory, joint, and digestive ailments.
Turmeric for Weight Loss
The active ingredient of turmeric is curcumin. People use this component in the treatment of numerous illnesses and ailments.
According to studies, inflammation brought on by obesity raises your chances of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
The inflammation easily gets out of control when a person’s immune system gets compromised by stress or due to an autoimmune disease. It indicates that instead of promoting the body’s ability to repair itself, it leads to cell damage. And since a person’s body gets more vulnerable to diseases, the more inflammation they have and thus the body will be prone to serious health complications. Curcumin, an antioxidant, makes it easier for the body to concentrate on weight loss when it does not have to fight inflammation.
Turmeric’s capacity for natural cleaning is another advantage it provides for weight loss. It helps remove toxins that may have accumulated in the liver. Furthermore, it helps boost the likelihood of weight reduction because it is crucial in the metabolism of fats. Additionally, turmeric increases bile production, a digestive liquid that aids metabolism and fat emulsification.
Safe turmeric intake increases the amount of bile produced in the stomach, helping weight reduction. However, due to its ability to increase bile secretion, turmeric should not be taken by individuals with obstruction of the bile duct, liver disease, gallstones, cholangitis, and any other biliary disease.
The HealthifyMe Note
The compound curcumin mainly plays a role in weight loss. However, a more detailed groundwork of researchers is necessary to understand its mechanism for weight loss. Therefore, consult a health professional if you have any concerns before incorporating them into your diet.
Dietary Ways to Consume Turmeric
Turmeric is a multipurpose spice that may be used in cooking or as a supplement. Include turmeric in your milk, smoothies, salads, and vegetables. By consuming more meals that contain this spice, you can increase your intake of turmeric. Traditionally, people use turmeric in preparing various Indian cuisines. The popularity of turmeric has made specific interesting inclusions in fun foods like crips and popcorn. It’s also a part of drinks like turmeric latte, golden milk and turmeric ginger tea. These concoctions are tasty and perfect for including when you have a cough and cold.
Recommendation and Precaution
There aren’t any official dosage recommendations for these supplements, but 500 to 2,000 mg of turmeric extract per day is enough to experience the potential advantages. However, the main active element, curcumin, only makes up 2-8% of the spice. Thus other compounds are needed to aid curcumin’s properties to come into play.
The health benefits of combining turmeric with black pepper significantly increase the body’s ability to absorb curcumin. Moreover, turmeric has no adverse effects unless a person is allergic to it, which is quite unusual. Furthermore, “Oncogene” published that curcumin is the most effective anti-inflammatory compound globally because it reduces inflammation naturally and has no adverse effects.
It may interact negatively with some medications when used as a supplement, so consult your doctor first. Combined with diabetic medicine, it can produce low blood sugar; thus, people with diabetes should take particular precautions.
The HealthifyMe Note
Every household has access to spice turmeric. Numerous digestive problems, metabolic abnormalities, obesity, and other conditions can all get treated with turmeric. Turmeric helps reduce the inflammation linked to obesity. Therefore, it can give your weight loss plan a boost. However, high turmeric intake causes gastrointestinal issues. These include constipation, diarrhoea, distension, nausea, vomiting, yellow stool, gastroesophageal reflux, and stomach ache.
Recipes to Try
Turmeric Shots
Serving – 2-3
Preparation time: 5 minutes (24 hours for best results)
Ingredients
- Orange juice: ¼ cup (70 ml)
- Coconut water: ½ cup (150 ml)
- Homemade powdered turmeric: 1 tbsp (30 g)
- Black pepper: To taste
Method
- Add ¼ cup orange juice, ½ cup coconut water, 1 tbsp of the powdered turmeric spice, and a pinch of black pepper to a jar.
- Mix and shake all the ingredients in the jar vigorously.
- Serve and enjoy!
Note: Try adding a shot in the morning before starting your day. You can also take it before or after exercise.
Turmeric Ginger Tea
Serving – 2
Preparation time – 10 minutes
Ingredients
- Water: 3 cups (700 ml)
- Fresh ginger, grated: 1 tbsp (30 g)
- Whole cinnamon stick: 1
- Grounded turmeric: 1 tsp (10 g)
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice: ¼ cup (2 lemons)
Method
- Boil the water in a medium-sized pan.
- Add grated ginger, cinnamon stick, and ground turmeric and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and add lemon juice and stir well. Add honey if you wish to.
- Strain and serve hot.
Turmeric Golden Milk Latte
Serving: 2
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- Unsweetened milk of your choice: 350 ml
- Ground, grated, or powdered turmeric: 1 tsp
- Ginger powder: ½ tsp
- Ground cinnamon: ½ tsp
- Black pepper: A pinch
- Honey or maple syrup to taste: Optional
Method
- Over low heat, combine all the ingredients in a pot and whisk continuously, ideally using a milk frother if you have one.
- Pour into mugs once hot, then garnish with a pinch of extra cinnamon before serving.
Summary
The magical spice turmeric is known to have various health advantages. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, curcumin, turmeric’s chief active ingredient, shows promise for weight loss. Even though it is generally accepted to be safe, you should still speak with a doctor before including it in your diet. If you only use turmeric to lose weight, you must realise that no one food or diet can support you in your weight loss efforts. During your weight loss journey, you must exercise, consume wholesome foods, keep your body hydrated, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.