(IMAGE: Compliments of Vintage Girl – See her amazing Orange Tumeric Margarita recipe below)

Shortly after I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis I had a number of people send me articles about taking/eating Turmeric.  Also known as “Indian Saffron” Turmeric is a member of the Ginger (Zingiberaceae) family and is a prominent spice in many Indian dishes.  It has long been touted for it’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

 Having spent a fair amount of time over the weekend looking into the question “Does taking/eating Turmeric help with Multiple Sclerosis or symptoms from MS” I discovered that this question has been raised numerous times by plenty of people and many research studies are aimed at trying to answer just this.

In 2002 Dr. Chandramohan Natarjan and Dr. John Bright of Vanderbilt University tested mice afflicted with an autoimmune disease that has similarities to Multiple Sclerosis. The study aimed to determine whether the mice that got doses of Curcumin (the active compound in Turmeric) would fair better in regards to symptoms/complications brought on by the disease than the mice that didn’t get any Curcumin.  It turns out, the mice that received doses of Curcumin were notably better at the end of the 30 day trial!

More recently there was a study in Italy, which started in 2012 and was sponsored byMerck KGaA.

Dietary Supplement of Curcumin in Subjects With Active Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Treated With Subcutaneous Interferon Beta 1a (CONTAIN) (Rebif)

From what I can gather from reading about this particular study they were trying to see if patients that were given Curcumin  experienced more benefits from Interferon Beta 1a (Rebif) and for a longer period of time.  The thought is that the Curcumin would increase the patient’s “bio-absorbability”- absorption of the drug into the bloodstream. According to ClinicalTrials.com this study has been completed (March 2016) but no results have been reported yet.  It will be interesting to see what (if anything) they learned.

Moving to more mainstream sources, I discovered that MANY people are talking about Turmeric and it’s medicinal properties.

Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. editorial director at DrWeil.com wrote an article in the Huffington Post that outlines some of the numerous research studies that are going on around the world and gives his advise on what to take and ways to add it to your daily routine.

After a shit ton of reading and exploring opinions on varying levels of belief and disbelief, I have come to my

OWN PERSONAL OPINION…..

Which is that I figure that adding Turmeric to my diet can’t hurt.  Actually I already use it as a spice in many of the dishes I prepare for Shawn and myself and the clan of teenagers that flow in and out of our house.

IF I happen to reap some benefits from doing so….then

HIP HIP HOORAY!!!

 

So I decided to share some recipes that have Turmeric as an ingredient.  Some are my own, some I have tried and some I am looking forward to trying.  One thing that I did learn from all my research is that including black pepper in a recipe increases your body’s ability to absorb the Turmeric – which is HOW you can reap the benefits of this spice.

Do you have a great recipe that includes this “HEALTH HELPFUL” spice?

I would LOVE for you to share in the comments section!!!!

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RECIPES

(CLICK on the recipe title to view)

Hearty Bean Soup

I don’t have any idea WHERE I got this recipe, it has been in my recipe book since college years (ANCIENT I know)  But THIS is truly delicious – originally I used to serve it with warm corn bread but the clan has determined that they like it better when I serve it with French baguettes or Ciabatta bread.

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

7-10 garlic cloves minced

1.5 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp Paprika

5 carrots peeled and sliced

1-2 bunches of scallions sliced

1 lrg (28 oz) can crushed tomatos

2 cups chicken broth (OR veggie broth works too)

2 cans (16 oz) pinto beans rinsed

10-14 oz cooked sausage (I use turkey but any kind will work) and I like to brown mine a bit before adding

1 Tbsp dry sherry

OR
1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar & 1/2 Tbsp water

2 Bay leaves

2 cups dark greens (chard, escarole, Kale, collard greens)

1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

salt & pepper

sour cream

Heat oil over low/med heat, cook garlic & spices for 1 minute, then add the carrots & scallions and saute for 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, broth, beans, sausage, sherry (or apple cider vinegar/water mix) bay leaf , salt & pepper (to taste)  Bring to high simmer then lower heat and gently simmer 45 minutes – 1 hour.  Add greens & parsley.  Simmer 15-20 minutes more until the greens are cooked and soft.  Serve with a dollop (or 3!) of sour cream.

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Turmeric Popcorn

 

There are actually 4 popcorn recipes from Nutrition Stripped found in this link.  I have only tried the Cinnamon & Sea Salt and the Turmeric Spiced but I look forward to trying the other two soon!

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Turmeric Milk 

(also known as Golden Milk)

 

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Kate at Real Food RN has other GREAT recipes and a beautiful blog!  You should check it out!

Coffee Turmeric Smoothie

 

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THIS one from Erin at The Almond Eater looks SO good, I’m thinking of sending Shawn off to the store this evening to pick up some instant coffee (since it is the ONLY ingredient we don’t have) so I can try it in the morning!

 

Turmeric Coconut Smoothie

 

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As Denise over at Sweet Peas and Saffron says – it is a anti-inflammatory POWERHOUSE!

Check out the PINTEREST page

Tumeric Smoothies

Lot’s to try!  Let me know if you find ones you like!

Tumeric Tea

 

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32 Turmeric Recipes, the Wonder Spice Your Body Needs

 

 

PINTEREST is quickly becoming my best friend when it comes to finding new ideas of “WHAT TO COOK for DINNER!?!?”

My PINTEREST page for

Tumeric

has dozens that I have earmarked to try.

 

 

AND for those of you that want to go ALL IN with the Turmeric thing….

Daily Health Post tells you…

How to Grow Your Own Unlimited Supply of Turmeric At Home

They claim that it is…”Ridiculously Easy!”

Let me know how that goes!:)

I am NOT a doctor or qualified to offer medical advise.

SO as with ANYTHING you might take in addition to your prescribed medicines please check with your doctor before adding to your diet or routine