Does your turmeric actually make a difference to your health?
Turmeric is an incredible wonder spice that is a 'cure all' across Asia, and is now widely available in the West. Along with the flood of 'turmeric supplements' that have also hit the market, this has sadly resulted in people being doubtful as to the effectiveness of turmeric, because inferior versions often don't deliver on the amazing health benefits it's touted to have.
When it comes to deciding on a quality turmeric that actually makes a difference to your health, there are four crucial factors to consider:
1. Curcumin Content
The health benefits of turmeric are mostly attributed to its active compound curcumin, one of its many curcuminoids that also gives turmeric its vibrant orange colour. However, it's a lesser known fact that the curcumin content of turmeric can vary HUGELY.
For example, turmeric purchased from the supermarket will typically only contain 1-3% curcumin, whereas the turmeric we source for our Superblends contains an incredibly high natural percentage of approximately 7-8% curcumin.
This is about as high as it gets, with only four organic farms worldwide that can guarantee this level of potency.
2. Organic v.s non-organic
Going organic is another very important consideration when buying turmeric, as non-organic products can cause side effects such as headaches, digestive issues and skin rashes due to the heavy metals present in agricultural growth accelerants. A scary fact!
Organically produced turmeric requires more labour-intensive resources, which is usually reflected in the price. However, a higher cost is totally justified by the purity and nutritional benefits it delivers.
3. Whole Food vs. Turmeric Supplement Format
The turmeric in our Superblends is derived from the whole root, and is expertly roasted to maximise its curcumin content. Unlike pills, tinctures and gummies, as our turmeric is a whole food, your body will recognise it as so. This allows it to absorb its goodness more quickly and easily.
Another advantage of using turmeric spice, as opposed to a supplement, is that you are more likely to consume it with fats and other spices. Which brings us to our final point about:
4. Added Ingredients
There’s little point in buying and consuming something that the body is just going to remove or expel, and curcumin has a very low absorption rate and bioavailability. This means that the body struggles to access the goodness it contains. The reason for this is that curcumin dissolves in fat rather than in water. And as our digestive systems are largely water based, most of it just ends up being excreted by the body.
The natural oils found in whole root turmeric powder can enhance the bioavailability of its curcumin content, which is increased further when combined with a fat source (such as milk).
Consuming turmeric with complementary spices also helps to increase the bioavailability of curcumin. For example, when combined with a substance in black pepper called piperine, its bioavailability has been shown to increase by 2000%.
We work with Ayurvedic doctors to combine our triple-strength turmeric with the precise amounts of complementary spices in our Superblends, giving you maximum benefit for your health and taste buds.
When it comes to turmeric, SugaVida Turmeric Superblends are the ideal choice!
