Turmeric is what gives curry is robust yellow color and it is one of the most incredible antioxidants known.
This orange packs a punch and can be a little messy if you spill it on your desk at work..
While going through what I wanted to say about this wonder food I located this article and its just has all the information on Turmeric and Curcumin that I would be doing you a disservice by not simply linking to this top 10 list.
Here’s is a rundown of what the article is all about. If you want to read further into ANY of the following I highly suggest you click on the link above. This article is a bit sciency but I think it’s easy to understand and straightforward.
1. Turmeric Contains Bioactive Compounds With Powerful Medicinal Properties
2. Curcumin is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound
3. Turmeric Dramatically Increases The Antioxidant Capacity of The Body
4. Curcumin Boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Linked to Improved Brain Function and a Lower Risk of Brain Diseases
5. Curcumin Leads to Various Improvements That Should Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
6. Turmeric Can Help Prevent (And Perhaps Even Treat) Cancer
7. Curcumin May be Useful in Preventing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease
8. Arthritis Patients Respond Very Well to Curcumin Supplementation
9. Studies Show That Curcumin Has Incredible Benefits Against Depression
10. Curcumin May Help Delay Ageing and Fight Age-Related Chronic Diseases
I started taking a daily supplement of Turmeric once I was diagnosed with cancer. Cancer thrives on inflammation. Turmeric (the Ketogenic Diet) and Curcumin are inflammation crushers. A great supplement can be found at Costco or through Amazon. But you can also find Turmeric in the spice and seasoning isle at most grocery stores as well.
That being said, I try to consume turmeric fairly regularly in my diet. I actually really like Indian Food and curry dishes. On occasion I will sprinkle either curry powder or straight turmeric on eggs (not too much, I don’t want my 4 year old to notice ;)) as well as add curry seasoning or turmeric to my salad along with black pepper and olive oil. A girlfriend of mine made lunch not too long ago out of chicken, avocado, and a heavy hand of curry powder. It was fantastic. Now I almost to add curry seasoning to my avocados. I have in the past added it to coffee making my BPC super BPC. I have a friend who grew up in a traditional Indian home and she gives her sons warm milk with a dash of turmeric before bed when she is worried about the sickies. She always prefers the natural route, just as many of us do, especially when it comes to people in footed pajamas.
We could all benefit from less inflammation in our lives; especially those dealing with chronic pain, arthritis, and cancer. Adding this spice into your diet, tea, or vitamin box is one of the easiest and most natural ways to feel better.
For those of you that have seen our library of Keto resources, you know that it is extensive. We read A LOT! Erin and I are very passionate about diet and nutrition so we literally live, eat, and breathe what we preach! While we love our books, there is also a lot of information coming out in the news on a daily basis. In addition to our books, we subscribe to wellness and health magazines, both through snail mail and email, and scour the internet for the latest and greatest information. Gut health and depression has been in the headlines quite often the past few weeks. This is an article from Paleo Plan, an online subscription I follow on occasion:
“Did you hear the good news!? At long last…science is recognizing something that’s been known since antiquity…the interconnectedness between gut health and disease!
Recently researchers have begun to realize how depression and overall brain health are intimately connected to our microbiome (the 3-5 pounds of bacteria living inside our bodies which outnumber our own cells 10:1). Several studies are now linking depression with imbalances in our microbiome. In other words, having too much ‘bad bacteria’ and not enough ‘good bacteria’ in our guts can trigger depression (and a host of other diseases).
While scientists are rejoicing about their ‘discovery’ that the brain is indeed influenced by gut health, this is not breaking news. The father of Western medicine, Hippocrates, proclaimed over 2,000 years ago, “All disease begins in the gut”.
What is more along the lines of breaking news are recent headlines likening yogurt to Prozac for treating depression. Now before you go raid the dairy aisle of your local grocery store, let’s chat about why yogurt is being touted as an antidepressant.
Yogurt is marketed to contain probiotics, which are beneficial ‘good’ bacteria critical for immune function and overall health. These probiotics are also capable of altering our emotional state, and studies have found that supplementation with them can improve mood and act as a mild antidepressant.
There are some problems with most yogurts sold at the market (other than the dairy, sugar and other non-Paleo ingredients they commonly contain). Many commercial yogurt products have been pasteurized at high temperatures after the live bacteria cultures have been added, essentially killing all of the probiotics.
Further, we house hundreds of different species of bacteria in our guts, yet most yogurts (and probiotic pills) contain only a small handful of species. Dysbiosis (an imbalanced gut microbiome) is defined as overgrowth of any one type of bacteria. Unfortunately a ‘good’ bacteria can become ‘bad’ if taken in excess.
While yogurt may not be the best source of probiotics, there are several ways to increase your microbial diversity. Eating dietary fiber from whole, natural foods at every meal feeds the good bacteria in your gut and colon, helping them to naturally populate. Other foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, coconut kefir or yogurt, kombucha, live probiotic drinks, and other fermented/cultured vegetables are packed full of living probiotics. The key is to select a brand that is live or raw, meaning the bacteria haven’t been killed via pasteurization. Better yet, you can make your own raw fermented foods!
Lastly, it’s easy to overconsume any one type of bacteria if you take the same probiotic pills over and over. That’s why I urge my clients to rotate their brand of probiotic supplements and ideally get their probiotics from whole food sources.
Ok, so yogurt is probably not the”new Prozac” as news reports are so eagerly proclaiming, but the message is valid: a happy gut precedes a happy mind! It’s time for us all to quit fearing bacteria, and to embrace the reality that our bodies contain more bacterial cells than human cells…now that’s some food for thought! :)” – Paleo Plan
While we do not recommend yogurt for adults on a Ketogenic diet, I do allow my children to have good quality, unsweetened yogurt from grass-fed cows. It has the quality probiotics as well as the nutrients from grass-fed cows that you can’t get from any other kind of yogurt. This one in particular is also WHOLE milk yogurt that is almost impossible to find in this day of low-fat everything! It is the best I have found and a great treat for the kiddos.
I was listening to this same study on Good Morning America this morning and then came across it online as well, so I wanted to share it and put it in line with the Keto diet. It is written from a Paleo perspective so it does not follow all of our rules exactly, but it does have some good tips about cleaning up your gut! This is where Keto helps a ton! Fat is great for the brain and Keto does a great job cleaning up the gut bacteria even alone. The GMA segment was mainly focusing on carbs causing depression and the great probiotic foods we can use to help it. We all know we need to cut the carbs, but not everyone knows that there are actually healing foods that can repair some of the damage we have caused.
Dr. Perlmutter’s new book entitled, Brain Maker is all about the gut, and the foods you can use to clean it up! In fact, a large part of the article above is taken directly from his book. This is on my bedside table at the moment, and about to move to the kitchen to try the recipes he has included in it as well. Check it out in our Amazon Store!
The gut and the brain are more connected than we ever thought. What you put in your mouth can greatly effect what happens in your brain. Even more, as ketoers, we know that the brain prefers fat as a fuel, and by replacing your carbs for fat you are already helping. Now imagine going a step further to feed it healing foods as well!
How do we cause damage? Many ways, but a BIG one is antibiotics. We try to limit antibiotics as much as possible. While they were created for life-saving measures, they are highly overprescribed and frankly abused this day in age. I only take them and give them to my family if they are absolutely necessary – and by that, I mean a raging ear infection, sinus infection or something we know, without a doubt, an antibiotic can fix. If a virus is a possibility – I pass. Another example; I had a severe allergic reaction to a yellow-jacket sting last week. After two days my foot swelled so badly that I couldn’t get a flip flop on and it was turning colors. I reluctantly went to an emergency clinic when my foot was hot to the touch. The doctor immediately wanted to give me an antibiotic to reduce the CHANCES of infection. I did NOT have an infection, I had a reaction! I verified this and refused the antibiotic. There ARE cases when an antibiotic is needed. Just tell your doctor that if it’s not necessary you don’t want it. So many doctors today are quick to provide a fix because they think that is what YOU want, when in reality, you may just need to wait a couple of days to shake off a virus. If, however, an antibiotic is taken, you need to know that it not only kills the bad bacteria, but also kills the GOOD bacteria your body needs for many functions. I know it sounds crazy, but your body NEEDS bacteria. There is actually a purpose for it. So what to do, if you are sick with a fever and NEED an antibiotic? Take a great quality probiotic TWO hours after taking your antibiotic. While there isn’t exact science, this seems to have the best results in replacing some of the good bacteria you kill with the antibiotic. Here are a couple of probiotics we believe are GREAT ones. I do take these daily and switch them up after I finish a bottle.
These first two need to stay in the refrigerator:
This one below does not need to be refrigerated so it is great for travel:
To sum it up…Take care of your gut and it will take care of you. It kind of goes along with what we have heard for years…”You are what you eat.” It seems now, that this saying is more accurate than we ever imagined!
Take care of you, yours, and your gut! Happy Friday!
Daily, we are asked about what we use or where we purchased something. Be it information or a cooking gadget, often times we refer to Amazon. Due to this, we decided to put some of our favorite items together and create:
The Sweet Life Sugar Free Amazon Shop
We want our store to be an excellent resource for books, vitamins, and basically everything else that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. We have books listed that vary from history, to science, some that border on beach reads, and of course, cookbooks. As of now, we have several items that you will find in our own kitchens and the kitchens of our Keto dreams (hello-programmable touchscreen crock pot.)
We will continue to add books, tools, pantry items, and other miscellaneous products to the store as we fall in love with them.
Please take a moment and click through the store. Every book and most products listed, we have read, used, or have come recommended to us from highly trusted sources. In the coming days, we will also be adding in supplements.
We will try to link ingredients and tools that can be found on Amazon directly in our posts, but we have a tab up and ready that will direct you straight to the store!
If you have questions or would like a suggestion please email or send us a message, and we will get back to you!
I always make my Sprouts run on Wednesdays because it is double ad day, meaning you get all of last week’s sales, plus the sale prices on the items for the following week! It is usually a really great deal for produce. Not everyone wants to make the trek over to 1-10 and Callaghan or 281 and 1604, but this week is worth it! All supplements are 25% off, and if you spend more than $100 you get an additional 10% off. This also includes items like Jay Robb Whey Protein and Stevia products! It is worth the trip this week!
I got some great products on sale today and stocked up on:
Bulk Cashews (only in moderation folks)
Bulk Coconut
Grass Fed Whole Milk for the kids
Organic Celery
Cilantro and tomatoes to make another batch of salsa
Summer squash and zucchini (on sale – I always stock up)
All colors of bell peppers (on sale – stock up)
Green onion to use in a stuffing I make for the yellow squash (to be posted at a later date)
Coconut Butter
Brussel Sprouts (The ultimate cancer fighting food)
The Spaghetti sauce we like is also on sale
All Supplements are on sale – yes ALL!!!
Let’s talk about supplements for a minute… There are a few we recommend to anyone starting on a Ketogenic diet. The main reason, is because you are switching to REAL food and eliminating ALL processed foods and grains from which you obtain a large amount of sodium.
We always advise that you see your primary doctor to order base line blood tests to see where you might be deficient in certain nutrients. Shoot for optimal or ideal levels on your blood work- not average levels! (Unfortunately, our average population is not all that healthy.) We take more than we are showing you based on our own individual deficiencies. The following are needed by the vast majority of individuals.
When you go through Keto Adaption you lose a massive amount of toxins and water. It is very easy to get dehydrated because you are losing essential minerals as well. These supplements will help you immensely…
Celtic or Himalayan Salt – (The darker the better) think of all the boxed and processed foods you are no longer eating – they are filled with salt. When you give them up, you need to make sure you are supplying your body with quality sodium filled with trace minerals.
Potassium (99mg) – I take one in the morning and one in the evening. If you have cramping when starting Keto, you can up the dosage and then bring it back down to two a day. It maintains fluid balance in the body and relaxes muscles – also eat avocado, parsley, cabbage, celery, watercress, coconut, and cauliflower.
Magnesium Glycinate (800mg at night) – Magnesium helps hold potassium in the cells. It promotes healthy muscles, strengthens bones and teeth, heart muscle, nervous system, helps digestion and energy production. Magnesium is also great for constipation, sleep and keeping a regular heart rhythm. Good sources: Nuts
Vitamin D3 – Is actually a steroid hormone that activates more than 930 genes in human physiology mostly in the brain – powerfully anti-inflamitory and a great antioxidant. Everyone differs on dosage – see your doctor, but D has over 900 uses in the human body. Depends on sunlight, body weight and other factors
Statins inhibit vitamin D production
Low Vit D Contributes to: Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, Multiple Sclerosis
Weak bones and teeth, Illnesses
Other sources are fish, eggs, cheese, and oysters.
Vitamin C – This is great for your immune system and overall good health. I usually take 1000mg in the morning and 1000mg in the evening. When you limit your fruit intake, it is good to supplement with a quality Vitamin C. Make sure you are also eating your bright veggies like the yummy peppers I bought today, broccoli, cauliflower, lemons, and limes.
I always make my Sprouts run on Wednesdays because it is double ad day, meaning you get all of last week’s sales, plus the sale prices on the items for the following week! It is usually a really great deal for produce. Not everyone wants to make the trek over to 1-10 and Callaghan or 281 and 1604, but this week is worth it! All supplements are 25% off, and if you spend more than $100 you get an additional 10% off. This also includes items like Jay Robb Whey Protein and Stevia products! It is worth the trip this week!