If I told you about a spice that could help you burn more fat, would you start to incorporate it in your recipes? How about if I told you that it also does the following things:

* Reduces gas and bloating
* Assists in the digestion of protein
* Improves your body’s ability to digest fats instead of store them
* Promotes proper metabolism.
* Maintains and improves intestinal flora
* Improves elimination of wastes and toxins
* Rejuvenates your liver cells and recharges their capability to break down toxins
* Helps to prevent alcohol and other toxins from being converted into compounds that may be harmful to your liver
* Supports formation of healthy tissue
* Stimulates formation of new blood tissue
* Is a powerful anti-inflammatory
* Contains powerful antioxidant properties
* Counteracts the damaging effects of free radicals in your body
* Relieves arthritis pain and stiffness
* Is an anti-carcinogenic (anti-cancer) and can even inhibit tumor initiation, promotion, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis.
* Supports treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease
* Inhibits the toxicity of cancer-causing chemicals in the environment
* Inhibits radiation-induced chromosome damage
* Prevents the formation of harmful heterocyclic amines and nitroso compounds, which may result in the body when eating certain processed foods, such as processed meat products
* Irreversibly inhibits the multiplication of leukemia cells in a cell culture
* Is helpful in treating cystic fibrosis, type 2 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, cataracts, gallstones, and irritable bowel syndrome

How about now? Would you eat it? I would, and in fact, I do include it in almost every recipe I cook. It’s called turmeric, and is very easy to come by. Some don’t like the taste however, and others get annoyed that it stains everything it comes in contact with, but these minor drawbacks can be circumvented by taking turmeric as a supplement. Find a good pure organic source at your supplement store and start today! It has all of the benefits without any side effects, so why not?

Sources:

Mercola.com

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Complementary/Integrative Medicine Education Resources, “Curcumin at M.D. Anderson” (accessed January 22, 2009)

Biochemical Pharmacology, Volume 70, Issue 5, 1 September 2005, Pages 700-713

Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2009 Apr 1;131(12):4490-8.