Christmas Recipe with Spice! Using Tumeric? Nice.

Some may think that spices should have some relation to curing certain ailments or that they may help with a disease, but don't know which ones support what or how exactly spices can help them.
I wanted to cover turmeric in my blog for today.  Even if you are not familiar with turmeric, you would have eaten a form if you’ve ever slathered ballpark mustard on a hot dog.  However, if you are a vegetarian, rest assured that sampling it as a simple condiment hardly honors the properties of this powerful plant derivative.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizome of a herbaceous perennial plant and also a relative of ginger spice. To get Turmeric spice from its plant state, the rhizomes are harvested, then boiled and finally dried in hot ovens and then ground into a deep orange-yellow powder. Turmeric spice is used in Indian foods and curries, and it is even used for fabric dyeing. Of course, there’s the mustard coloring component as well.

Facts:
The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin.   Curcumin is showing promise in preliminary research for treatment of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.  In addition, turmeric has been associated with helping those with allergies, arthritis and other chronic illnesses. Extended uses for turmeric showing immediate effect such as treating heartburn, stomach pain, diarrhea, headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, skin conditions, bruising and infected wounds.

Turmeric has deep roots in Chinese and Indian medicine as an anti-inflammatory aid. It also is an essential ingredient in the cuisines of those countries.  Its resin is used in food manufacturing as a coloring agent. Many chefs and home cooks use turmeric in raw, rather than in its powdered form.  It can be cut, peeled, sliced and grated much like ginger.  Adding Turmeric to braises and soups yields a peppery kick; a peppery-warm-bitter flavor.

* Staining Notes: The bright yellow-orange flesh stains easily, so protect your fingers, cutting boards and your clothes.

Yields 6 Servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup flax or olive oil
11/2 lbs potatoes (red bliss, cut into 1-inch cubes)
1 tbsp fresh ginger (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
5 cups arugula (baby)

Stats:

Fat: 9g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 10mg

Potassium: 530mg

Carbohydrates: 19g (Sugar 1g)

Fiber: 3g

Protein: 3g

Happy Holidays !!

Zeke Samples, IFA, CSN, CPR, IDEA

Surreal Body Solutions, LLC

803.322.7649

www.SurrealBodySolutions.com 

& contributing health and exercise author

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