Raw turmeric health benefits and nutrition facts
Turmeric, the golden spice, needs no introduction. After having dominated Indian cooking and medicinal system for over 4000 years, it has now spread westwards. The world has been waking up to the many benefits of the powerful herb.
Turmeric is sold and consumed, most commonly, in a dried powdered form. However, raw turmeric is also used quite widely in a number of Indian culinary preparations from pickles to subzis. When it comes to health benefits and culinary uses, raw turmeric stands shoulder to shoulder with its dry counterpart.
What is raw turmeric?
Raw turmeric is the rhizome of the turmeric plant. It resembles fresh ginger with bright orange flesh.
Fresh, raw turmeric is quite different from dried turmeric in flavour and texture. While dried turmeric has a more earthy flavour, raw turmeric is fibrous and has a bitter, raw mango-like taste.
Known as "Indian saffron" for its colour, raw turmeric is eaten as a pickle, added to salads or cooked like a vegetable. In some recipes, raw turmeric is added to curry paste for colour and flavour.
Also Read: Health benefits of turmeric
Raw turmeric nutrition
100 grams of raw turmeric contains the following nutrients:
Nutrient
| Measure (Daily Value)
|
Calories
| 352.9
|
Total fat
| 10.3 gm
|
Saturated fat
| 2.9 gm
|
Monounsaturated fat
| 1.5 gm
|
Polyunsaturated fat
| 1.5 gm
|
Sodium
| 44.1 gm
|
Carbohydrates
| 64.7 gm
|
Sugar
| 2.9 gm
|
Fibre
| 20.6 gm
|
Protein
| 7.4 gm
|
Vitamin A
| 0
|
Vitamin C
| 26.5 gm (45%)
|
Calcium
| 147.1 mg (15%)
|
Iron
| 39.7 mg (497%)
|
Health benefits of raw turmeric
Raw turmeric rhizomes have a lot of medicinal properties. The main source of their nutrition and therapeutic benefits come from the polyphenol curcumin. Eating raw turmeric on a regular basis can combat inflammation, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, anxiety and cholesterol.
Even in small doses, raw turmeric can provide a host of health benefits for people who don't have underlying health conditions. However, the bioavailability of curcumin is low, so it's best consumed with black pepper which makes the powerful polyphenol more usable for the human body by 2000%.
Here are some of the health benefits of raw turmeric.
- Keeps heart healthy
- Protects liver
- Promotes nerve health
- Has cancer-fighting properties
- Reduces pain
- Anti-inflammatory
- Anti-microbial
- Prevents risk of chronic diseases
- Prevents loss of vision
- Improves kidney health
- Relieves arthritic pain and inflammation
- Helps in weight loss
- Prevents Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease
Also Read: How curry powder boosts your health
Potential benefits of raw turmeric
1. Promotes heart health: Raw turmeric improves heart health and staves off cardiovascular diseases. Curcumin has been linked to cardio-protective effects such as preventing hardening of the arteries, heart diseases, aortic aneurysm, myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, aneurysm, etc.
2. Keeps cancer at bay: Curcumin's effects against cancer are well known. The polyphenol exhibits anti-cancer activities by targeting cancer cells and killing them. It also prevents the malignant cells from growing and spreading. It is particularly effective against breast, bowel, stomach and skin cancer.
3. Stops inflammation: Chronic inflammation can lead to serious health conditions like cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Curcumin in raw turmeric has been known to suppress inflammation through different mechanisms.
References:
Hewlings, S. J., & Kalman, D. S. (2017). Curcumin: A Review of Its Effects on Human Health. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 6(10), 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods6100092
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