Maintaining a balanced, healthy diet doesn’t mean you should limit yourself to bland, tasteless food. There are many food elements and ingredients that offer a kick of flavor along with many health benefits. Curry powder is a fantastic example.
Curry powder is native to South Asia, and its worldwide popularity began in the 19th and 20th centuries. By the mid-20th century, Indian cuisine became more popular in Western countries, so curry powder became widely available.
Curry powder is a mix of several ground spices. It is usually an orange or yellow color, and when you go to the grocery store, no two curry powder brands contain the same ingredients and give identical flavors. The spices most commonly found in curry powder mixes are:
- Black pepper
- Cardamom
- Chili powder
- Clove
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Fennel
- Ginger
- Mustard
- Turmeric
All of these spices have many health benefits. And when they are mixed in one powder used for curry dishes, the result is a dish that is rich in flavor and healthy, to boot. Here are six ways curry powder can help your heart, digestion, and more:
1. Blood Sugar
Studies have found that people who consume more curry powder have healthier blood sugar levels. This means that they are much less likely to develop diabetes or experience severe spikes or dips in their blood sugar. This is mainly due to turmeric, which is a common ingredient in curry powder.
2. Antioxidants
Curry powder’s many components contain an abundance of antioxidants such as lutein, curcumin, and quercetin. Antioxidants are compounds that mitigate the effects of free radicals in the body.
Free radicals in your body can cause cancer, mental decline, and heart disease. Eating food rich in antioxidants can decrease free radical activity in all parts of your body and reduce the risk for these diseases.
3. Anti-Inflammatory
Turmeric is one of the healthiest spices available in the market today, and many health enthusiasts worldwide promote regular ingestion for improved bodily function overall.
Turmeric contains curcumin, which is a chemical that regulates inflammatory proteins. This means that consuming turmeric and curry powder will provide you relief from inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
4. Fight Cancer
Curcumin in turmeric can also fight certain cancer cells. Numerous studies have shown that curcumin can induce cancer cell death and suppress signaling pathways in the body to limit the spread of cancer cells. Curcumin may be able to fight brain, breast, colon, and prostate cancer.
5. Bone Strength
As you age, you lose density in your bones. Turmeric can reduce bone loss by up to 50% and increase the speed of bone repair, regrowth, and connectivity.
6. Improve Blood Flow
The spice mix in curry powder can also help improve function in your blood vessels and boost blood flow. This means reduced cholesterol and triglyceride levels, leading to a much healthier heart and better blood pressure levels.
Conclusion
Curry powder will give any dish a fantastic kick of flavor, and it has many health benefits, too. The myriad spices in the powder blend—particularly turmeric—are rich in compounds that can help your body in myriad ways. If you don’t already have it in regular rotation at home, it’s time to start now!
If you are looking for healthy places to eat in downtown Phoenix, Sexy Chef is the best choice for you. We offer South Pacific comfort food and a special curry sauce that will keep you craving for more. We also offer vegetarian options. Order from us today!