Turmeric or Curcuma longa from the ginger family is a prominent spice in India and other Asian countries which is known for its healing and antiseptic properties. But not many know that how beneficial it is for managing weight, losing excessive fat and treating obesity.
Turmeric is a flowering plant which includes three most active ingredient that are; curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Turmeric is also a rhizome. Rhizome’s main function after being an antiseptic is reducing fat. [2]
Turmeric’s key characteristic is to increase the metabolic activity of the body and help in better digestion or keep the digestive fire (Agni) of the body intact.
Why is weight management important?
A healthy body means that all three Ayurvedic Doshas of a human are balanced but the balance also comes with good shape of the body and fitness of the body.
People in the run to survive have been ignoring the true nature of human’s body which is to be fit and eat healthy. Unfit body comes with diseases and a fit body keeps the uninvited diseases at the bay.
The question is how to achieve the fitness that people are longing for in this world of constant competition to survive. Well, the answer is easy but to achieve it requires efforts.
The answer is Ayurveda and yoga or exercise. Ayurveda in today’s world is as important as money because in the busy world it can help people to stay healthy.
What Causes Obesity or Weight-Related Disorders?
- Poor lifestyle habits
- A high-calorie diet
- Low physical activity
- Smoking
- Lack of exercise
- Wrong body postures
- Junk food/Fast food
- Eating at night
- Eating in huge intervals
- Skipping breakfast
- Stress and anxiety
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heredity
Why Ayurveda Recommends Turmeric?
A study has proven that turmeric helps in treating obesity, metabolic syndrome and other related disorders.
Patients with metabolic syndrome that consumed turmeric witnessed a significant reduction in body mass index and weight.
Turmeric’s health properties are no less than miracle; it has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties which help you manage weight.
Not only that, remember when as a child your mother would give you turmeric milk at night after you fell from a bicycle and hurt yourself. That turmeric milk was healing you overnight.
In Ayurveda, every natural element is a wonder if it’s taken in the right amount and regularly.
Turmeric contains bioactive compounds with powerful medicinal properties. India has been using the spice for more than thousands of years and now science believes it too that what enlightening powers turmeric contains.
It also plays a major role in heart diseases, cancer and digestive disorders as well as improves skin’s texture.
How to Consume Turmeric?
The best way to consume turmeric is via milk and the best time to consume it is before sleeping.
Other ways to consume turmeric is in vegetables and with black pepper. To enhance your immunity, boil turmeric in water then add black salt and drink after cooling it down a bit.
Too much turmeric consumption can heat up your body and turmeric can be difficult to be absorbed by the body if taken alone, so always take it with something like black pepper etc.
People with bleeding disorders, kidney stones, iron deficiency and diabetes should avoid turmeric supplements. Even pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid consuming it.
Conclusion
The bottom line is turmeric aids weight loss and management. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which keep the metabolism of a body at peace and promote weight balance in a body. Know that every Ayurvedic recommendation should be consumed properly and in an adequate manner.
A famous quote of Ayurveda by Sebatian Pole goes like, “Because we cannot scrub our inner body we need to learn a few skills to help cleanse our tissues, organs, and mind. This is the art of Ayurveda.”
