2 reasons why Turmeric is not working for you

So you have Turmeric everyday, but does your body really absorb its goodness? Not really. Your body absorbs only a small amount of Turmeric in a day no matter how much of it you consume. So say no to downing several spoons of it just in the name of health. What really matters is whether your body absorbs the active component of Turmeric, Curcumin.

Curcumin is important because it is known to have healing anti-oxidant properties that help fight Cancer, Alzheimers and even depression. Scientifically, your body metabolizes or breaks down most of curcumin in the Turmeric you are consuming but still it has low bioavailability. That means that instead of absorbing the goodness of this spice, your body is actually flushing it out.

So, how can you make the Turmeric you consume more ‘effective’ for your health? A simple analogy can explain this.

Picture yourself as a 30-year old in rush to get a hundred things done. Some of them are important some can wait. There’s work on one side and a home and family on the other. It’s a life in the fast lane and one small incident here or there could upset the balance you have so painstakingly built. How do ensure things work the right way everyday? By delegating some of the work. But mind you, you need to pick the right man or woman for the right job.

This is the conundrum your body faces with everything you consume including Turmeric. Your liver is in a rush to break down and digest all foreign substances. This process can’t be interrupted or changed. All you can do is balance the way in which you consume your Turmeric so that your body absorbs a larger part of it before flushing it out. The trick is to balance it by delegating some of the responsibility to other ingredients.

Enter, Pepper! This is the magic ingredient that will help make your Turmeric work like a dream. ‘Piperine’ which is the active ingredient in pepper inhibits or prevents the early breakdown of Turmeric.

Ditto with fat. Turmeric is fat-soluble and your liver takes time to break it down as it is not soluble in water. That helps you buy time to let the Turmeric get absorbed in your blood stream. Thus, increasing its bioavailability.

Now that you have the ‘potent potion’, the question is how much of it should you have in a day?

A joint study by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Joint United Nations &World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food additives (JECFA) states that the allowable daily intake value of curcumin is 0-3 mg per kg of a person’s body weight. Anything in excess of this may not be good for you.

In India the typical dosage of Turmeric taken by anyone is 1-1/2 tsp or 5 gms. If your powder is purchased from a regular store, it has an average 4% curcumin. When mixed with pepper or fat your body will absorb 0.2 gms of Curcumin. This is still way lower than what you should have in day if you want it to tap into the healing qualities of the Turmeric that you are consuming.

The trick is to buy Turmeric powder with a higher curcumin content so that the same 1-1/2 tsp or 5 gms of Turmeric you consume daily is more effective.

So the next time you go grocery shopping, make sure you check the curcumin content in the label of your Turmeric pack. And don’t forget to pick a bottle of black pepper or some fat to go with it.

At IKAI we understand the value of your health. We grow and process Natural Organic Turmeric, with a curcumin content of 10%.