Spice Up Your Wellness Routine
Open up your senses and explore the wonderful world of spices for managing your rheumatism. These little flavor bombs aren't just for making your meals taste amazing; they're fighting off the inflammation in your body.
Spices have been touted for their health benefits. There are certain spices that can inhibit inflammatory pathways in the body. These benefits soothe your joints and flavor up your meals.
Don’t underestimate the power of a pinch of spice. These super-powered goodies really pack a punch. Sprinkled throughout the day these benefits will add up.
Try adding these spices to your food repertoire. I'll even get you started with some tasty recipes. Let's get cooking!
I am not a medical professional. Always consult a physician before adding supplements into your routine. I do not own the rights to these recipes.
Turmeric and Black Pepper
This golden spice is the golden ticket to wellness. Touted for its anti-inflammatory properties it's the golden child of healthy spices…that's my last golden pun.
Now it's not actually the turmeric itself that helps with inflammation, it's the active ingredient within it, curcumin. However, curcumin has a difficult time being absorbed by the body.
Enter in black pepper. This common household spice is the best way to really activate the healing properties of curcumin. Combining turmeric and black pepper increases the rate of curcumin absorbency, giving this spice the boost it needs to jump in and block inflammation.
Black pepper contains a substance called piperine that when combined with curcumin, has been shown to increase absorbency by 2000%(1).
This supercharged duo is a must to add to your wellness toolkit. Turmeric is most commonly consumed as spice added to food or within a beverage like tea. I generally consume turmeric through drinking tea, but I am trying to start adding it into my cooking rotation.
This honey chai tea from Yogi is my absolute favorite. It's a regular part of my evening routine. Here are a few recipes to try out! See my pinterest for more suggestions.
Turmeric Cumin + Garlic Shrimp
Coconut Curry Turmeric Chicken
Sweet potato muffins with Turmeric
Garlic
Garlic, Onion, Salt and Pepper. These are my seasoning staples and for good reason.
Not only is garlic a tasty addition to any dish, it's packed with anti-inflammatory properties. Laced with diallyl disulfide, it limits the effects of inflammatory cytokines.(2) It's packed with other health benefits too, from boosting your immune system to supporting heart health. And that smell? It's like a delicious hug for your senses, wrapping you up in its savory embrace. Here are some garlic forward dishes to get you started.
Garlic Herb Roasted Potatoes, Carrots and Zucchini
Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken and Green Beans
Cinnamon
Slight bite, but also sweet, no we're not talking about me, we're getting into cinnamon. Cinnamon is the new kid on the block touting health benefits for RA. That's due to its ability to inhibit cell damage caused by free radicals, thus lowering inflammation. A permanent fixture in breakfast and desserts, it's easy to add this spice to your routine.
Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Quinoa
Cayenne Pepper
Heat up your meals with this spicy member. Cayenne pepper will kick your health routine into overdrive with its capsaicinoids. These compounds have anti-inflammatory properties and are sure to add some benefits.
Commonly used in sauces, marinades and detox drinks. If you're a condiment person like me and just need a dipping sauce, you'll find easy ways to add this to your meals.
Sweet and Spicy Chicken Cayenne
Ginger
You got to get with my friend, Ginger. It is your best friend in the kitchen due to its ability to block inflammation pathways. Gingerol and Shogaol are the duo of chemicals that use their anti-inflammatory properties to keep issues at bay. Ginger commonly used in Asian based dishes is versatile and can pretty much go with any meal. Whether used in tea, fresh, crushed or powdered you'll be able to gingerly add it to your repertoire.
I drink this lemon ginger tea nearly every morning. It's light and with the added probiotics helps with digestion.
Ginger Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry
Ginger Turmeric Vanilla Cookies (Double Whammy of wellness)
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