If you’ve ever had Indian food, I’m sure you are aware of the spice turmeric. It is deep yellow in color and gives some amazing flavor to whatever food it is added to. With that being said, adding complexity to foods isn’t it’s only use. In fact, it has been used for medicinal purposes for years to improve health. Turmeric contains curcumin and it’s for that reason that you might be used to hearing them used interchangeably. What’s so great about this spice and why should you consider adding it to your supplement regimen?
Powerful Antioxidant
By now you should have heard of free radicals and that they are constantly at battle with our bodies every day. It’s the job of antioxidants to go out and destroy free radicals before they can do damage to the cells of our body. When free radicals have a chance to destroy, mutate, or alter our cells (even at the cellular DNA level), it can cause us to get sick including life-threatening diseases such as some forms of cancer.
Many people don’t realize that when we are exercising, we are creating free radical damage. Now, the benefits outweigh the risks, but nonetheless, we need to be aware of this fact so that we can properly combat the battle going on inside of our bodies. So often we neglect to worry about the inside and solely focus on what’s on the outside (our appearance). However, it’s the inside that can cause serious illnesses to take over our cells and for that reason, we need to do everything we can to fight free radical damage.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
If you suffer from arthritis or joint pain (regardless if it is acute or chronic), curcumin might be a great supplement for your ailments. Inflammation can not only cause pain that we can physically feel, but it can also work at the cellular level (similar to free radicals) and bring on many different forms of diseases.
By decreasing inflammation in the body, you can get some relief from the joint pain you might be experiencing as well as better protecting your overall health.
Heart Health Benefits
Again, too many individuals focus on their appearance on the outside when on the inside they could be a ticking time bomb. Cardiac health is something you should be focusing on heavily. Many of us consider cardiovascular activity as helping to improve the health of our heart, which is true, but there’s more that can be done to keep your ticker strong.
Curcumin is potent in that the supplement is able to improve the function of the endothelium of blood vessels. Our endothelium is responsible for promoting normal blood pressure and allowing the arteries to relax – ultimately saving the heart from needing to work harder to push the blood throughout the body. It also helps provide efficient blood flow throughout the body to more effectively transport nutrients.
Why Do You Sometimes See Ginger Added to a Curcumin Product?
When you look at the benefits of ginger, they are very similar to that of curcumin. Both have the ability to reduce inflammation as well as contain cancer-fighting properties thanks to their antioxidant content. It only makes sense to combine ingredients that work synergistically to help strengthen and improve health.
What Is the Best Form of Curcumin to Use?
There are many different forms of curcumin supplements out on the market today. While one may assume a pill form would be the most convenient, there’s another option that can yield better results – a gummy.
You need to be aware that not all gummies are created equal and you need to purchase such a gummy product from a manufacturer you can trust. When you find a brand such as BeautyFit who produces some of the highest quality products on the market, decide if the product is right for you and your goals.
What would cause you want to use a gummy versus a pill?
There are actually quite a few reasons for this. One being if you cannot swallow pills, a gummy is a very simple way to take in certain nutrients and many have a delicious flavor to them as well – making them somewhat of a “treat.” You simply chew it up like any other food you put in your mouth and then swallow. Along the same lines, when you thoroughly chew up the gummy, it makes the ingredients/contents more easily absorbed and you get a higher absorbency versus a pill as the pill itself would need to break down and dissolve before the contents can be absorbed.
Regardless of the form you decide to use, curcumin is a supplement you should definitely consider adding to your nutrition and supplement regimen. The benefits of the ingredient along with the addition of something like ginger are extremely powerful and something that can help improve your overall health and longevity.