By now, you’ve probably heard about all of the health benefits of turmeric – like how it reduces inflammation, improves brain function, and is a potent antioxidant. The problem is this: how are you supposed to actually USE turmeric in your everyday life?
We’ve got you covered with these great uses for turmeric to boost your health!
Turmeric Smoothie
Whenever you can’t figure out how to use a superfood, putting it in a smoothie is usually a good bet. The taste of the smoothie masks over the bitter earthiness of turmeric at large amounts. The spice works great with citrus and tropical fruits like mangoes, bananas, and oranges.
Here’s a good citrus green smoothie with turmeric recipe to get you started:
Green India Smoothie
Ingredients (for 2 servings)
- 2 cups kale or spinach
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup mango juice
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- 1 banana
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- Optional: 1 tsp fresh ginger or a pinch of ginger powder
Turmeric Sauce
As Life Hacker talks about in their post about the science of taste, bitter foods pair well with fatty foods. Thus, science tells us that turmeric tastes good with fatty foods. No wonder this turmeric coconut sauce recipe from HollywoodHomestead.com is so delicious!
Popcorn with Turmeric
Popcorn doesn’t have to be just a snack when you drench it is superfoods like turmeric. To really amp it up,
Mix:
- nutritional yeast,
- turmeric, and
- dried cilantro
and
- put it over your popcorn.
Mashed Potatoes or Rice with Turmeric
We love our mashed potatoes, but potatoes aren’t as nutritious as you may have thought. An easy way to increase the nutritional value of your taters is to add a sprinkle of turmeric powder to them. Plus, it will turn the mashed potatoes a cool yellow color. The same applies to rice and other starches you want to jazz up a bit.
Homemade Mustard with Turmeric
You know that brightly-colored Yellow Mustard that you find in diners and supermarket shelves? It traditionally gets its color from turmeric. By making your own mustard, you’ll be able to use fresh turmeric and really amp up the antioxidants!
How do you make mustard? It’s easy!
Start by choosing one of the varieties of mustard.
- Like it spicy? Choose a brown or black mustard seed.
- Like it milder? Choose a yellow mustard seed.
Grind up the seeds. This helps release the oils and enzymes in the seeds that them their potent flavor. Mix the ground mustard seeds with an acidic liquid like vinegar or lemon juice. This helps retain the potency.
Turmeric Tea
Wake up in the mood for a serious detox? Or you’ve had a tough day and need something strong to help you unwind.
A hot of earthy sweet tea should do the trick!
You can find a great four-ingredient recipe for turmeric tea at The Stone Soup by Jules. Mix the ingredients together in a jar and have ready whenever you need a strong tea.
Turmeric Hair and Face Mask
Not only does turmeric have an anti-inflammatory effect on your inside, it also does on the outside. Mix turmeric with ingredients like sandalwood, lemon juice, and olive oil to make a cream that you can apply to your face, skin, or even your hair. Style Craze has turmeric skin and hair recipes for your beauty problems.
Image credits:
“Turmeric Tea-2” (CC BY 2.0) by jules:stonesoup
“黃薑飯/Turmeric rice” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by rx1230
“Turmeric” (CC BY 2.0) by Steven Jackson Photography