But what is more effective? Consuming a milk latte? A turmeric capsule? Or using it as a spice?
The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin – it’s where the superpower lies. So, if you are consuming a turmeric capsule you need to check the amount of curcumin it has. The noticeable thing is curcuminoids only comprise a small part of turmeric. So, in order to get the anti-inflammatory effect, one needs to get 500 to 1,000 milligrams of curcumin per day.
One fresh teaspoon of ground turmeric has around 200 milligrams of curcumin. The quantity varies a bit depending on the origin and source.
Popping a pill would be the easiest way to get the required curcumin, but it doesn’t necessarily have to come from one source. You can take different turmeric products every day, which will add up to the dosage. You can use it as a spice in your food, put it in your coffee and smoothies.
Consuming the right amount of turmeric may help maintain your health but it won’t fix or cure problems.
The exact amount of turmeric you should consume in a day
500 milligrams of curcuminoids is a good dose for promoting gut health and keeping inflammation away.
Power pairing
Curcumin is powerful but is poorly absorbed on its own. So, even if you are taking the recommended dosage and it’s not making its way into the gut, you are not getting the benefits.
The solution is to pair it with another powerful spice – black pepper. Black pepper when combined with turmeric, increases your body’s ability to absorb the inflammation-fighting agent. That’s why many turmeric capsules also have black pepper as an ingredient.
Beware of the market-gimmicks
Some brands are taking advantage of the buzzword by not exactly selling what they claim. For example, a healthy turmeric bar, which is loaded with 20 grams of sugar and preservatives, and has a dash of turmeric, is obviously not healthy for you.
It has so much more inflammation causing substance (sugar), which makes the anti-inflammatory present in it negligible. So, in disguise of a healthy turmeric bar, they are selling the most unhealthy bar, full of sugar.
