Turmeric

Turmeric

Turmeric

What is it:

Turmeric is a bright yellow spice derived from the roots of the Curcuma longa plant, which is native to South Asia. It has a warm, bitter taste and is a key ingredient in many Asian dishes, particularly curry. It is often used to enhance color and increase bioactive compounds in various food products as well as supplements.

Rating:

Turmeric is rich in a bioactive compound called curcumin, which has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric has been studied in the treatment of and protection against many inflammatory diseases.

Resources:

  1. The beneficial effect of curcumin on health (review)
  2. Therapeutic effect of turmeric in diseases (review)
  3. Efficacy of curcumin in the treatment of arthritis (systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials)

How we rate ingredients

Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:

Clean

It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.

Caution

It goes into one or more of the below categories

  • It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
  • It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)

We Avoid

It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)

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