The Benefits of Using Turmeric and an Exploration of Other Natural and Healthy Products

A lot of people have heard about the benefits of turmeric for health, and it has been gaining popularity in the last few years. As with anything, there's always the question of whether or not a particular thing will work for every individual.

For myself, personally, I've tried using turmeric outside of cooking for several years on and off, and didn't really see any of the amazing benefits I heard so much about. Did it taste good? Absolutely! Did I feel like it was helping me in any of the ways that it's lauded for? Not in the least.

But I wanted to keep trying it, simply because I figured at worst it wasnt doing any harm. Maybe there was something I was doing incorrectly. I've researched it before, but there was one thing I somehow never stumbled across, or possibly it was just missed. That is that turmeric needs heat, like pepper, to deliver effectively, internally.

Though I had given up on it for a bit in terms of ingesting it, after researching articles and videos on how to make simple turmeric face masks, I used it for that and noticed some modest results.

As for taking it internally again, I had started putting black pepper in my coffee -- not on recommendation but because I wanted an extra kick to it (and I didn’t have any cayenne available at the time, which was what I really wanted). So I decided on a whim to add turmeric as well, and that’s when I noticed the difference. After doing that, I learned that coffee with black pepper and turmeric is a “thing” and has been championed by many for quite some time. How I missed it is beyond me, but I’m glad it finally works.

One of the benefits I’ve noticed so far include a bit of increased energy. Though modest results to date, I like them enough (and like the flavor enough) to keep taking it. Would I recommend it now as something medicinally beneficial? Definitely. I’m not a licensed health prodessional. But as a person who explores the benefits of organic supplements, foods, etc., and believes they are useful in addition to traditional medicine, so far I’ve found through research and self-experimentation that turmeric is something that works for me.

And if you like using natural and organic products in general, check out some of these ighlights from the Natural Products Expo East, in 2018!

Since working with NPE through an associated company several years ago, I enjoy checking out the event and highlighting companies in attendance. Natural products are popular, but often underrepresented in many areas, and this Expo gives people a chance to learn about the organic options available in food, skincare, and health products.

A common thread with the majority of the food at NPE is that it’s pleasantly devoid of the types of heavy ingredients in most mainstream brands that leave one feeling sluggish. Even if an item did include sugar or a more traditional ingredient, it wasn’t overpowering. Here are a few highlights from the Expo.

Hippeas

These little vegan cheese puffs made out of chickpeas are so delicious that they knock most regular cheese puffs out of the water. I’m not kidding — the flavor is comparable to many brands on the market, but these aren’t as heavy and have a light, satisfying crunch. And I adore most of the brands on the market now, but I’d rather have these if they’re available as an option. They’re just so good!

Bear Yo Yos

Bear Yo Yos are an all-natural fruit roll that tastes pretty good and has no additional sugar. They’re thicker than most fruit rolls on the market, and have bit of a slightly tangy bite to them. The packaging states that, even at 60 calories per pack, this isn’t really a low calorie food. Which is a good reminder, because it’s easy to forget with these and just keep on going. It’s basically fruit, right? One of the cool things about this is that there are collectible cards about different countries.

Elmhurst Clean Protein

This is billed as the cleanest protein drink in the world. Made mostly from peanuts, filtered water, and chocolate the ingredients seem to back up as much. The taste is somewhat creamy and smooth, with a kickback from the peanuts. The only drawback I found to this was the packaging. While eco-friendly, it was a little on the flimsy side. Definitely not even close to the worst packaging, but it could use a little bit of reinforcement. Other than that, it did provide a great boost and was good.

Truth in Snacks

This surprised me. I’ve had dried fruit snacks before that weren’t so great — fruit that wasn’t dried properly, seemed kind of damp, etc. These, on the other hand, were pretty close to perfect. The fruit looked like it was freeze-dried fresh, not near rotten or anything like that, and the crunch was crisp, solid and sweet. The only ingredients are whichever fruit/fruits are listed on the bag. No extra sugar, preservatives, and so forth. I tried the Mango, Banana, Strawberry, Fuji Apple, and Fruit Medley — all delicious. A nice variety of flavor, and all of them were good snacks that didn’t leave me feeling sluggish after eating.

Mother Kombucha

Kombucha has become pretty popular in recent years. Initially, most of what was available was the fermented tea with no additional juices or flavors. The first time I tried Kombucha, I thought it tasted like what sun-baked dumpster water smells like. I don’t think I’m alone in saying it was more than just an acquired taste — almost like drinking kombucha could have been one of the challenges on Fear Factor. But things have changed, and there are a number of companies experimenting with different flavors. One such company is Mother Kombucha. They had several flavors to try. One of the best was a coconut-flavored kombucha that the rep billed as, “taking you to the beaches of Florida.” A light flavor that expertly blended the kombucha to produce an invigorating drink that tasted kind of like a seltzer. It was delicious — however, it’s not yet widely available.

OWYN (Only What You Need)

A plant-based protein drink. The Smooth Vanilla tastes pretty good overall, but with a slight unexpected, bitter aftertaste. It’s still good, but the main selling point for OWYN is the recovery factor; after drinking it, there’s a definite feeling of “clean energy” recovery, not a bogged-down slow-recovery that I’ve personally felt from other mainstream protein drinks.