Chronic inflammation is the precursor to many health problems, ranging from the obvious ailments like arthritis to conditions directly caused by inflammation such as heart disease and diabetes.
Chronic inflammation is present in all lifestyle diseases, and in many cases (such as heart disease) is even the direct cause of them. It has even been linked to cancer. This is not the type of inflammation that you get from say, a sprained wrist (swelling, redness), but rather a systemic and ongoing inflammatory process that negatively affects every system in the body. Essentially, it is your own immune system turning on you. And it is almost always caused by eating too much of the wrong types of food.
Fortunately, food will also eradicate it, and Turmeric and Ginger are two ancient roots that have incredible healing properties, and when combined, are more effective than any drug in relieving chronic inflammation. Here is an easy and yummy way to get these vital nutrients into your body every day!
Ginger, turmeric, and carrot juice smoothie
The benefits of turmeric are seemingly endless. Research has shown that this root can actually regulate over 700 genetic expressions and has literally hundreds of health benefits. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which is also responsible for turmeric’s bright orange color. Its number one property is the ability to relieve chronic inflammation, the root cause of all disease.
Turmeric is a cousin of the ginger root, and when the two are combined they produce a synergistic effect that promotes not only relief from inflammation but also cleanses the liver and puts fat cells to the torch. Ginger and turmeric are available at health food stores and are usually right next to each other. They look similar but the turmeric has a bright orange/yellow cross section.
They are strong spices, especially the ginger, so a little goes a long way, as you will see in this recipe. So for some added sweetness, satiety, and awesome health benefits, we are going to combine it with some carrot juice. Carrots are loaded with vitamin A and antioxidants including beta-carotene.
Organic ingredients are the best way to go.
Ingredients and how to make
-5-6 carrots. You can leave them unpeeled if you want to.
-½ inch ginger root
-½ inch turmeric root
-½ teaspoon black pepper
Throw all of this into a blender and blend until it liquefies, then drink it or refrigerate for later.
So why black pepper?
One of the most interesting things about plants based foods is the synergistic way that they work with one another. The presence of black pepper will increase your absorption of the curcumin in the turmeric by over 1500 percent!
Other ingredients to experiment with
Turmeric is a fat-soluble food, meaning that it is only absorbed by the body when in the presence of fat. So try throwing in an avocado into that blender, or simply drizzling some olive oil onto a salad to eat with the smoothie. If you wanted to kick up the flavor profile, you could also try adding oranges or frozen bananas.
A note about juicers
Be sure that you use a commercial grade blender and not a juicer. The difference is that a juicer removes ALL of the vital plant fiber, leaving you only with juice. While at first blush this may seem fine, you are only left with what is basically sugar water, with some vitamins.
You want the benefit of eating the entire plant. So get a blender that will pulverize and liquefy your food and not just extract the juice from it. The easy way to tell the difference is that a juicer has a mesh screen that separates the fiber from the liquid, and a good blender just uses blades, so it incorporates the entire plant.
Don’t just read this – try this!
Don’t be one of those readers who just nods and says “Sounds cool…I’ll try that someday.” Drink this every day with breakfast in place of your normal orange juice and in a few weeks you will feel the difference. This drink will not only go a long way in ridding you of chronic inflammation but will also provide an incredible array of nutrients.
Source: positivemed.com
EmoticonEmoticon