6 reasons to add turmeric in your diet!

1. Turmeric aids digestion: This is probably the main reason why turmeric is mainly used as a culinary spice. Turmeric helps in increasing the secretion of digestive juices and bile secretions by the gall bladder. Mixing ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder with one teaspoon of honey and consuming this mixture is one of the conventional ways to help relieve gas and bloating.

2. Turmeric has great anti-inflammatory properties: This is one of the most well-documented uses of turmeric. Even arthritis patients are recommended turmeric, as it is known to reduce pain and swelling.

3. Turmeric is high in antioxidants: So we’re sure you’ve heard of anything with antioxidants being great for your health. But do you know why? Our normal metabolic activities tend to cause the formation of highly reactive free radicals, which can do significant damage to our tissues and organs. So much so that these free radicals can even cause DNA damage and trigger abnormal growth. Antioxidants hep in neutralising these free radicals, which is why they are always in such high demand. And turmeric, is filled with antioxidants. You see how this works now?

4. Turmeric boosts immunity: This is exactly why your mother made you drink haldi ka doodh as a child. The spice is excellent at keeping the common cold and other seasonal infections away. It also has a lot of antimicrobial properties, which help against viruses too.

5. Turmeric reduces the risk of depression: Remember those antioxidants we mentioned before, and how turmeric has the in abundant numbers? Guess, what, these antioxidants even make turmeric phenomenal for reducing the risk of depression. Usually, antioxidants have very limited access to the brain because of the blood-brain barrier. But curcumin, which is found in turmeric can cross these barrier and reduce the oxidative stress in the brain. Curcumin helps in regulating neurotransmitters in the brain which help improving your moods.

6. Turmeric helps in controlling cholesterol: Cholesterol is actually essential for our body, but we have grown up hearing about all the problems it can cause as well. Excess cholesterol can clog our arteries and cause atherosclerosis. The blood cells that are meant to clean up the blood are called macrophages, but they end up gorging on cholesterol, which renders them useless. The curcumin in turmeric prevents this by suppressing the cholesterol receptors in these macrophages.