The beneficial properties of spices lie not only in their bright taste - many are used as traditional medicine. One of them is turmeric - the queen of spices. It increases the shelf life of cooked dishes and adds a unique aroma to them. We tell you why pharmacists and doctors love it.
The spice's homeland is considered to be southeastern India - from here this plant from the ginger family began to spread throughout Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, Iran and other warm countries, and then gained popularity in cooler regions of the world.
Turmeric is not only an excellent natural coloring agent (with its help butter and cheese acquire a pleasant yellowish tint), but also has unique medicinal properties. In Russia, turmeric is also called Indian saffron; the most popular dishes with it are rice, pilaf and chicken curry, to which this spice gives a golden color and a subtle bitterness. But few people are familiar with the beneficial properties of turmeric and its use for medicinal purposes.
The stems and rhizomes of the plant contain a large amount of vitamins B, K, C, as well as microelements - iodine, potassium, iron, phosphorus. The main active ingredient of the plant is curcumin, which has special healing properties. This is a substance from the class of polyphenols that has positive effects on various organs and systems of the body. Therefore, dosage forms and biological additives are created on its basis.
Beneficial properties of curcumin
Antioxidant that fights free radicals
Unstable atoms with open valence are constantly looking for a “pair”. By aggressively penetrating the cell structure, they contribute to the degeneration of cells into malignant ones. By destroying free radicals, antioxidants prevent the occurrence of cancerous tumors: it is no coincidence that according to research results, turmeric is listed as one of the means that helps fight cancer.
In particular, it is used for melanoma and its treatment with chemotherapy, since turmeric helps relieve symptoms after chemotherapy.
Natural antibiotic
Works as an anti-inflammatory agent, the effectiveness of which is comparable to pharmaceutical drugs. In eastern countries, even in the middle of the last century, many refused antibiotics and, in the old fashioned way, treated serious diseases with turmeric, including tuberculosis and pneumonia.
Wound healing agent
This property of turmeric was known in ancient times, when eastern warriors and hunters kept a bag of turmeric powder with them, which they sprinkled on open wounds. To this day, turmeric is used to treat external non-healing ulcers that are difficult to treat with other means.
A remedy for reducing the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood and normalizing sugar levels
Regular consumption of turmeric (about 1/2 tsp per day) reduces cholesterol levels in the blood. In the prevention of diabetes, turmeric is used as a means of reducing cravings for sweets and slightly lowering blood sugar levels.
Helps normalize hormonal levels
This property of turmeric was discovered not so long ago. Studies have shown that regular consumption of turmeric maintains high levels of male and female sex hormones and helps maintain reproductive health into old age.
For men, turmeric helps improve sperm quality and increase libido: it is not without reason that before the night of love in India it is customary to eat meat dishes with curry seasoning.
- Normalizes blood pressure,
prevents the deposition of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels, preventing atherosclerosis.
- Helps regulate metabolism
and the work of the gastrointestinal tract, having carminative and choleretic effects.
- Purifies the blood
, increases the level of iron in the blood, which is useful for anemia, and has noticeable antiallergic properties.
- Insect bite repellent
, including poisonous ones: in the east, turmeric is still used to treat scorpion stings.
- Used to cleanse the body of toxins
(according to Ayurveda, turmeric is used in combination with barberry and gentian) and for effective weight loss (including in combination with ginger).
How to start eating healthy without breakdowns
To start effectively losing excess weight, putting your body in order and improving the condition of your skin, hair, and nails, you need to pay special attention to your diet. Switching to proper nutrition for weight loss can be easy and comfortable. To do this, take into account the following advice from nutritionists ahead of time:
- Shop the right way. Avoid counters with sweets and hamburgers. Manufacturers have done their best to ensure that product packaging and advertising evoke a desire to immediately get and eat the delicacy. Remember, the less temptation, the less likely it is to relapse. Don't go to supermarkets hungry, otherwise your shopping cart will end up with unnecessary products that you'd be sorry to throw away.
- Follow the daily norm of BZHU. Your body should receive enough protein (30%), fat (30%) and carbohydrates (40%). You should also add fiber-rich foods to your diet. They saturate the body for a long time, preventing unexpected feelings of hunger.
- Add fresh vegetables and fruits to your menu. You should be extremely careful with the latter. They are allowed to be eaten in the first half of the day. Vegetables can complement any meal, be it breakfast (omelet with vegetables), lunch (baked chicken breast and vegetable salad) or dinner (vegetable stew).
- Can't give up baked goods? Then replace them with healthy foods. Honey, dried fruits, nuts, homemade desserts made from cottage cheese and fresh fruit are ideal for this.
- Snacks should not only fill your stomach, but also be healthy. Carry a bag of dried fruits, nuts or one fresh fruit with you. These products do not require cooking and are ideal for consumption “on the run” if you feel hungry in the middle of a working day.
These are the basic recommendations that will help you start leading a healthy lifestyle. Set realistic goals for yourself. The result will inspire and motivate you to new achievements.
Eating habits
Every person has certain eating habits. However, all eating habits can be controlled and, if desired, completely eliminated.
First you need to understand what is meant by habits of this type. This is a way of behavior that over time acquires the character of a need. It is food addictions that nutritionists recommend to work on first. Please note that you must not just go without them for some time, as diets require, but completely abandon “bad” habits.
Every person who is determined to lose weight with proper nutrition can get rid of them. It is important to consider that abruptly abandoning habits that have been formed over the years will cause stress to the body. Such people experience apathy, tearfulness, and, as a result, prolonged depression. In the current situation, proper nutrition will take a back seat. Remember that abruptly giving up habits will only make the situation worse. You need to get rid of them gradually, but effectively. How to do this is described in the first part of the article and discussed using the example of 6 candies.
Menu planning for the week
When planning your diet, give preference to natural foods. Basic products are: white meat, low-fat fish, vegetables, dairy products. Lunch is considered the most satisfying and high-calorie meal. Breakfast should charge the body with energy. Complex carbohydrates do this job well. For dinner, it is recommended to eat food rich in protein.
The table shows examples of ready-made dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and afternoon snack. This menu for the week is compiled taking into account the daily norm of KBZHU necessary for weight loss.
| Day of the week | Breakfast | Snack | Dinner | Afternoon snack | Dinner |
| Monday | Broccoli omelette, slice of whole grain bread, slice of hard cheese | One fruit of your choice | Chicken breast baked in foil, asparagus | A glass of kefir, 2 loaves of bread | Cottage cheese casserole |
| Tuesday | Oatmeal with added fruit | Nuts (no more than 30 gr.) | Pumpkin cream soup, buckwheat porridge, boiled turkey breast | Low-fat cottage cheese | Steamed fish, salad of cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, herbs. |
| Wednesday | Syrniki | Yogurt without additives | Chicken broth, baked chicken breast in cream sauce, asparagus | Grated carrots | Vegetable smoothie |
| Thursday | A glass of freshly squeezed juice, oatmeal porridge | Apple | Buckwheat porridge, goulash | Dried fruits | Cauliflower, boiled turkey breast |
| Friday | Black bread toast with a piece of cheese, omelette | Fruit salad | Baked salmon with vegetables | Whole grain crackers (no more than 4 pieces) | Boiled fish, stewed cabbage |
| Saturday | Low-fat cottage cheese | Smoothie | Chicken noodle soup, brown rice, steamed chicken cutlets | Glass of fermented baked milk | Meatballs with sour cream sauce, vegetable salad |
| Sunday | Oat bran drenched in milk | Dried fruits | Cream of broccoli soup, vegetable stew | Beet salad | Seafood |
It is allowed to drink any drinks (tea, juice, fruit drink). The exceptions are:
- soda;
- alcohol;
- sparkling mineral water.
Proper snacks
Snacks are an important part of proper nutrition. They allow you to deceive the body when it suddenly begins to demand food. Based on this, the main requirement for a snack is quick satiety. A constant feeling of fullness allows you to avoid breakdowns, which is especially important at the initial stage.
For snacks, choose foods high in fiber:
- dried fruits;
- nuts;
- vegetables;
- fruits.
It is also allowed to snack on fermented milk products: kefir, cottage cheese, yogurt, fermented baked milk.
It is worth noting that the brain often incorrectly recognizes the signal given by the body. The feeling of thirst can be interpreted as hunger. If your lunch was balanced, but after 60 minutes you feel hungry, then do not grab a bag of dried fruits, but first drink a glass of clean water.
Motivation
Many successful people are happy to share their motivation, which helped them conquer previously unattainable heights. However, it’s still not worth using someone else’s motivation. For greater efficiency, you should find yours.
In other words, motivation is your inner impulse that motivates you to act. Psychologists distinguish two types of motivation:
- Internal is the emotional state and mood of a person who wants to do something because it brings him benefit or pleasure. It is worth noting that gradually the internal fire fades away and requires replenishment in the form of new goals.
- External – when, upon achieving your goals, you receive an important reward or encouragement.
Motivation increases perseverance and effort, allowing you not to break down when switching to proper nutrition. Determine for yourself why you need to lose weight. Select suitable pictures from glossy magazines and paste them onto a sheet of Whatman paper. Hang the resulting collage in the most visible place.
What is useful in a home medicine cabinet?
- Used to disinfect infected burns and cuts;
- prevention of the development of Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, various types of tumors;
- has an antidepressant effect, improves mood and performance;
- used in complex anti-inflammatory therapy of arthritis, including rheumatoid;
- acts on lipid metabolism, helping to stabilize weight.
Changing breakfast
Have you decided to switch to proper nutrition? Where to begin? When you have managed to give up at least one unhealthy product in your diet, it’s time to move on to the next step. It's time to change your breakfast; in the morning you need to have a light snack with fruit.
In general, it is advisable to eat only fruits in the first half of the day. And after a few days, from such nutrition you will feel a surge of vigor, intelligence and good mood. If you hold out like this for at least a few days, you are unlikely to want to eat cereal or a sandwich.
To protect the liver and gastrointestinal tract
Turmeric normalizes the functioning of the digestive system, kidneys, liver and gall bladder. But it also has antiparasitic and antifungal functions, as a result of which humanity was freed from the presence of Giardia in the body - this is how curcumin entered the history of medicine as a remedy that improves intestinal microflora
Curcumin helps maintain normal liver function and detoxification, protecting the main “filter” from the effects of free radicals and toxins, and also prevents the formation of gallstones. Equally important, curcumin helps regenerate liver tissue by restoring hepatocytes.
The dietary supplement “Curcumin for the Liver” was created based on curcumin.
, which contains only natural ingredients - dandelion and burdock roots, milk thistle seed extract, turmeric root extract, artichoke extract, and black pepper extract - piperine, which enhances absorption and increases the bioavailability of all components.
Who needs to switch to proper nutrition?
If we take it globally, then all people need to eat a varied diet, while giving preference to healthy food and not overeating. But some people need it more. These categories of people include:
- who needs to lose excess weight,
- who decided to take care of themselves and switch to a healthy lifestyle,
- athletes who need to stay in shape,
- who has certain diseases resulting from poor nutrition,
- those who want to avoid the occurrence of such diseases in the future,
- those who just want to start such a useful habit.
Basic principles of proper nutrition
The most common reason for changing dietary principles is the desire to lose weight. According to statistics, more than 50% of the adult population in Russia suffers from excess weight.
And most often, obesity appears precisely because of junk food and overeating, and not because of the appearance of any diseases, emphasizes hudeem-bez-problem.ru.
Therefore, to lose weight, it is advisable to reconsider your diet, and even better if you do it with the whole family.
Benefits of Curcumin for Liver and Curcumin for Joints
Consist only of natural ingredients.
Enhanced with extracts to optimize the liver: Dandelion and Burdock roots, Milk Thistle seed extract, Turmeric root extract - Curcumin, Artichoke extract, Black Pepper extract - Piperine.
The regenerating effect is enhanced by extracts of Milk Thistle, Artichoke, Dandelion and Burdock roots.
Curcumin for Joints is enhanced with anti-inflammatory extracts
- Sabelnik;
- white willow;
- ginger;
- licorice.
Bioavailability is greatly increased by black pepper extract
It has the ability to deliver substances quickly to their destination.
Week 3: Time to deal with the water
This week you have the task of switching to plain, still water. Well, it's the same as quitting smoking. Let me help you with serious scientific arguments. Let's start with the fact that water is the second most important nutrient after air. It is synthesized inside our body, but in insufficient quantities. That's why we also have to drink water.
For its internal needs, our body needs clean water, without gas, without sugar and other “improving” additives. Somehow it happened that a person “fell” on those drinks that are diuretic in nature. Here's the list: coffee, hot tea, iced tea, all caffeinated sodas, beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages. All these liquids are directly diuretics, in other words, diuretics. If you drink a lot of them, you can get really dehydrated!
Remember, none of the listed drinks can replace ordinary water for the body. Moreover, the more you drink these surrogates, the more water your body loses. The secret here is simple. With water, the body eliminates what it does not need. The more you consume this unnecessary thing, the more water your body will have to spend in order to get rid of it, unnecessary.
