Food for Beautiful Skin: Turmeric

If you read my last post, about how to make your very own turmeric face mask, you will be aware of some of the reasons this bright yellow powder is so great for topical application on our skin! So now let's looks at it's health benefits and the ways in which it can improve your complexion.

Can help to lower cholesterol

Obviously this is a big claim to make, and eating turmeric alone will not give you such benefits! But, if you include turmeric in your diet, as well as eating well and exercising, you can really reap these rewards as it has a positive effect on cholesterol buildup in the blood vessels.

Fights colds and flu

Turmeric is great for the immune system. Therefore, it's a great ingredient to include in dishes for the coming chilly months!

Combats inflammatory diseases

Turmeric's natural anti-inflammatory qualities mean it may work as well as some anti-inflammatory meds, without the side effects. If you google 'turmeric and pain relief' or 'turmeric and arthritis', you will see a number of stories about how it has helped in cases of people having severe strain or pain in their joints. Pretty amazing!

Fights the symptoms of acne

Again, because of it's anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric is the perfect ingredient to include in your diet if you suffer from acne. Acne results in inflammation of the skin, so including turmeric in your diet (and applying it topically) can help to calm down this inflammation.

Controls oil, brightens skin

Turmeric is great to include in your diet and apply topically to the skin as it both controls oil and brightens the skin, reducing any pigmentation marks or redness.

And now for my favourite part of this post, how to include turmeric in your diet! Recently, I've simply been adding it into many things I cook, such as stir fries, casseroles, soup, curries. Here is one recipe I've been absolutely loving that features this bright yellow gem!

Coconut and turmeric veggie curry

What you'll need

1 can coconut milk

Turmeric

Ginger

Tomato puree

Chopped tomatoes (optional)

Curry powder

Mixed herbs

Fresh chilli (dried is fine too)

black pepper

garlic

onion

chickpeas

sweet potato

peppers

Method

Fry your onions and garlic in a large sauce pan

Add in 2-3 teaspoons of turmeric and 1-2 teaspoons curry powder, stir.

Grate a thumb sized cube of ginger and add to the pot.

Next, add your tomato puree and the chilli. I use a whole chilli (or two!) but add according to your taste.

Shake the can of coconut milk and then pour into the mixture. Add in half a can of water too.

Once this boils, I like to add in a few tablespoon of chopped tomatoes.

Now, you will have a bubbling saucepan of liquid. Add in chopped sweet potato, peppers and chickpeas and simply leave to simmer (not boil) for about 30 mins.

You can choose your own quantity for the veg and liquids, depending on how much curry you want to make. Its tastes even better the next day, so I recommend making a lot!

Serve with fresh basmati rice.

This dish is truly delicious and it's the perfect healthy comfort food for when the weather is colder, like it is now.  In fact, I'm off to make some!

Enjoy!

Sinéad