All this month we’re talking about Super Hero Foods: some common and not-so-common foods that are easy to eat and incredibly good for you. This week’s focus is on ginger and turmeric.

Getting to Know Them

You may have seen sliced pickled ginger in a Japanese restaurant. Did you ever think about cooking with it yourself? Ginger is widely available in the produce sections of most supermarkets. The brown-skinned knob that you buy is called a “hand” (see picture at right). While you can also buy powdered ginger, fresh ginger is higher in the compounds that make it such a Super Hero Food.

Turmeric is a member of the ginger family. You’ll commonly find it in curry powder (which is a blend of spices). Before you dismiss turmeric because you don’t like curry, give it a chance on its own. Curcumin is the substance that gives turmeric its deep yellow color and anti-inflammatory properties.

And that’s what I love about both ginger and turmeric: they are incredible inflammation fighters. It’s not their only trick, but it’s my favorite one.

Studies have shown that both are incredibly effective at reducing inflammation. Sometimes they even beat anti-inflammatory drugs. Why do we care about this? As we’ve learned, chronic inflammation can lead to a whole host of diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Reducing this inflammation helps reduce our risk.

It’s also great news for people suffering from inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Studies have shown that both ginger and turmeric reduces the joint swelling and stiffness associated with RA.

Easy Ways to Eat More Spicy Super Heroes

• If you like soup, look no further than this quick & easy Gingered Carrot & Edamame Soup.
• Add grated fresh ginger to your favorite stir-fry.
• Mix grated fresh ginger into mashed sweet potatoes.
• Drop a slice of fresh ginger into your next cup of hot tea.
• If you like curry – eat it! Enjoy curry dishes at your favorite Indian restaurant.
• Stir turmeric powder into cooked rice.
• Sprinkle turmeric powder on top of hard boiled eggs.

Have a favorite way to eat ginger or turmeric? I’d love to hear about it!

And while you’re enjoying your ginger tea, hop on over to Prevention Not Prescriptions to learn how to take your wellness into your own hands.

Tags: anti-inflammatory, ginger, Recipes, turmeric

This entry was posted on Friday, April 16th, 2010 at 8:32 am and is filed under Disease prevention, Recipes, prevention not prescriptions . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.