Enjoying Your Food for Joint Pain
Joint pain is nothing new to many people, even those who don’t fall within the age bracket commonly associated with feeling advanced signs of pain due to age. Basic issues like cartilage degradation in the joints, resulting in the reduction of cushioning that would otherwise prevent bone-on-bone friction, can lead to considerable pain and reduced movement no matter one’s age. There are also overuse injuries that can affect one whether they play a lot of sports or not (so much for the myth that only tennis players get tennis). Joint pain can be mitigated with rest, ice, compression and elevation in order to keep the swelling down – but something as simple as eating right can improve your condition even further.
Consider, for instance, turmeric. This yellow curry spice is also known as the Queen of Spices, because beyond its sharp aroma and distinctive flavor it brings to the table a potent antioxidant curcuminoid known as curcumin, which gives turmeric powerful medicinal qualities:
- Curcumin acts as an antioxidant, helping the body in two ways: fighting off free radicals and triggering the production of enzymes that can also act as antioxidants.
- Curcumin makes turmeric a natural anti-inflammatory, which directly counteracts one of the main reasons behind joint pain. Turmeric dosages have been found to be more effective than even certain NSAIDs for reducing and preventing pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients – and all without the side effects.
- It’s not just joint pain, either – diseases like metabolic syndrome and even Alzheimer’s have inflammation as a core symptom or leading factor, resulting in the need to fight inflammation.
How Is Turmeric Different from Other Natural Remedies?
The main tricky bit with curcumin and turmeric is that it must be taken in significant amounts for its effects to properly register. As such, aside from taking highly bioavailable turmeric supplements, one can include turmeric in their diet in a number of ways. One of the most common ones is through making tea out of it, as a fairly strong dosage of turmeric can make for some potent tea. There are, of course, other options – one is the direct approach, where taking a teaspoon of turmeric with milk can help cholesterol. Here are some other recipes you can try that incorporate turmeric for flavor and health:
Honey Turmeric Chicken
Turmeric goes really well with chicken, as this protein takes flavors well and turmeric has a lot of fragrance and sharp flavor to offer.
- 4 chicken thighs (12 oz), deboned but skin left on (or use drumsticks, wings, or breasts)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or soy sauce
- ¾ tablespoon turmeric powder
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- Pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Add the dry and wet ingredients to the chicken and mix well to coat the meat.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium heat. Add the oil and let it heat up, then move the chicken to the skillet. Cook both sides until golden brown. They should be crisp on the bottom, with the skin side glazed.
- Alternatives: you can cook the bird in an oven or grill instead of a skillet.
Turmeric Coconut Basmati Rice
This side dish is easy to make. The ingredients make the rice fragrant, while onions, garlic and turmeric bring a savory depth that pairs well with many mains.
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- ½ onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- 7 oz light coconut milk
- 1 ¼ cups water
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the onion, salt, ginger, and garlic. Cook about 6 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions are soft but not browned.
- Add the rice and turmeric. Stir to coat the grains and let them toast lightly, stirring often.
- Pour in the coconut milk and water, stir, and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat, cover, and cook 15-18 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and finish with chopped basil if desired.
For more information on our Turmeric Curcumin Supplement, click here.