5 reasons why you should add turmeric to your diet

Turmeric is one of the many spices in our kitchen that creates wonders. It belongs to the ginger family and is commonly used in Asia. Although people use it commonly as a spice that adds colour to the variety of Indian curries, that is not all about the spice. Turmeric is known to have medicinal properties that can help combat weak immunity and arthritis to even depression and cancer. The humble turmeric, thus, not only infuses flavour and colour to our foods, but also helps in maintaining our physical and mental well-being.

Other than being an effective antioxidant, it is believed to contain high quantities of iron, potassium and manganese.

Here are five health benefits that including a spoonful of turmeric in your daily diet will bring

AIDS WEIGHT LOSS
Turmeric is known to shrink the density of fat tissues by lowering levels of glucose, liver fat, cholesterol and triglycerides. With that, it slows down the development of fat cells and speeds up the process of thermogenesis, or the production of heat to burn body fat.
Higher cortisol levels in the body leads to retention of fat. The herb also lowers cortisol levels,which is a stress hormone.

COMBATS DEPRESSION
The medicinal herb is known to have the kind of properties to combat depression. It is known to increase the levels of chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Dopamine is known to increase pleasure, norepinephrine increases learning, sleeping and alertness and serotonin is known to improve retention and attention. A spoon of turmeric every day could do wonders for your mental well-being as well.

REDUCES BLOOD PRESSURE
Regular intake of the spice helps the body get rid of excess liquid and sodium. Turmeric contains blood-thinning properties that help in relieving hypertension and stress. Turmeric contains a pigment called curcumin, the levels of which improve circulation and ease the load on the heart.

REDUCES CANCER RISKS
The curcumin content in the spice is known to be effective in fighting cancer-spreading cells in the body. It is effective in combating the cancer of the breast, colon, liver, prostrate, oesophagus and lungs. It is known to destroy the blood vessels that feed tumors.

RELIEVES JOINTS PAIN
Curcumin in turmeric is effective in relieving swelling, pain and stiffness in joints. With that, it also improves mobility and flexibility of the body. Many reports have found curcumin to be potent as natural anti-inflammatory drugs devoid of steroids. Curcumin also doesn’t involve the harmful effects that the consumption of other prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs have, like nausea, dizziness, liver damage, headache, internal bleeding, ulcers and vomiting.