What Is Turmeric Powder Used For, What Vitamins Does It Provide And How To Consume It?

Turmeric is a herbaceous plant with an orange tuber that has multiple medicinal and culinary uses. As for its origin, this plant comes from Southeast Asia, specifically India.

According to studies conducted by Francisco Marroquín University and other universities, turmeric powder is used in the food industry as one of the main ingredients in curry, a well-known spice in the country, as well as in other consumer products for seasoning food.

On the other hand, turmeric is credited with medicinal properties and, according to Asian cultures, it helps prevent cancer. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, research is still being conducted to determine how effective it can be for the treatment of this disease. However, they emphasize that turmeric has other nutritional properties that are beneficial for health.

For her part, Evelyn Solórzano, a nutritionist, comments that turmeric has properties that help prevent respiratory diseases such as COVID-19. She also mentioned that the best way to consume turmeric is precisely when it is pulverized, that is, turmeric powder.

What vitamins does turmeric powder provide?

Although there are many sources of information on the Internet that claim that turmeric has various vitamins, specialists explain that the contribution is not that significant. According to nutritionist, María José Posadas, turmeric does not have a high vitamin content.

“What you will find in this type of ingredient is its antioxidant power, similar to that of vitamin E, which helps to reduce free radicals. Also, its antimicrobial power is due to its extract and its essential oils. In addition, it has a protective effect at the gastric level and anti-inflammatory properties mainly for patients who have arthritis or osteoporosis,” says Posadas.

The national nutritionist affirms that there is a minimum contribution of vitamins E, and C and a little of those of the B complex, but to enjoy the benefits it would be necessary to consume a lot of turmeric, which could be counterproductive in some cases, so she recommends using it to season some foods or adding turmeric powder to smoothies.

It is worth noting that in local markets a drink called golden milk is consumed, which is made from turmeric and could be useful for your regular diet, as long as there are no medical contraindications in your history.

According to data from the Nutrition Institute of Central America and Panama (INCAP), for every 100 grams of turmeric powder, there is a contribution of 13.40 milligrams of vitamin K, 4.43 milligrams of vitamin E, and in the case of the rest of the vitamins, the contribution is generally equal to or less than one milligram. Despite this minimal contribution of vitamins, experts indicate that turmeric has important anti-inflammatory properties.

How to consume turmeric powder?

In addition to being used as a condiment, turmeric tea can also be consumed in powder form. In general, turmeric tea is credited with digestive, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, due to its content of vitamins and minerals that are key to the functioning of the body.

However, it should be noted that drinking turmeric powder tea has some contraindications. According to the Medical News Today portal, the consumption of this plant can cause stomach upset in some people, as well as other adverse reactions related to blood clotting. For this reason, if you want to incorporate turmeric stem or powder into your daily diet, you should consult your doctor.