Sue Hardman

Nourish + Rejuvenate

anti-inflammatory

The classic hummus recipe

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1 cup chickpeas (rinse and drain well)
+ 1/3 cup Tahini
+ 2 tablespoons olive oil
+ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
+ 1 clove garlic
+salt to tastePlace all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.

I’ve found to get the best consistency that you need to add more liquid – you can either add a tablespoon of water at a time, I prefer to add more olive oil.

Be sure to make your Hummus with good quality extra virgin olive oil.

The great thing about hummus is that you can make a number of different varieties depending on what you like – add roasted red pepper
or cooked beetroot, pesto, avocado or cooked zucchini.

It can then be used in sandwiches, smoothing over chicken or fish, and even baked potatoes but I think its best for eating raw vegetables like carrot, cucumber or celery.

To find out all the health benefits of hummus read here

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Hummus so much more than a dip

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Do you plan or consider what you’re going to eat for the day?  Do you ever consider the role of functional foods? These are foods that have a beneficial nutritional role – whether it be to provide your body with essential nutrients, balance hormones or to help your liver with the detoxification process.  Of course, if food doesn’t look or taste good then you’ll struggle to find me eating it – it’s best when all 3 are delivered.

Hummus is a creamy Middle Eastern dip that I’d class as a superfood with all it’s health benefits and I hope it will be a staple in your home after reading this.

Why eat hummus?

The classic hummus recipes contains 6 ingredients: chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, and tahini.Hummus contains the following nutrients: Protein, Fiber, Healthy Fat, Carbs, Vitamins – A, C, Vitamin B6, Folate and Minerals – Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Phosphorus and Manganese

The benefits of each ingredient:

  • Chickpeas are protein, fibre-rich legumes, a natural source of phytoestrogen, (which isn’t actually estrogen but does a good job of standing in for it) and a great choice if you’re looking to reduce your meat consumption. They’ll keep you feeling fuller for longer because of that combination of fiber and protein.

    Many Mediterranean nations experience great health, low heart disease and greater longevity. This may be due to the high fibre content – like chickpeas. Studies show that having just one daily serving (about 3/4 cup cooked) of beans of any kind can help to decrease chances of a heart attack and to help balance “bad” LDL cholesterol.

    Chickpeas have also been shown to have protective properties against cancer, while the fiber helps to keep waste moving out of the body quickly.

    It helps to balance blood sugar levels and decreases the chance of developing diabetes or insulin resistance.

    Diets rich in beans have been shown to help protect heart health partially due to their low score on the glycemic index. A high-fibre diet that includes legumes can help lower blood cholesterol levels, among other benefits, such as lowering heart disease risk, type 2 diabetes risk, and aiding in weight loss.

  • Tahini or sesame seeds contain lignin’s another natural source of phytoestrogens, loaded with fibre, and they’re also a great source of minerals.Sesame seeds are considered one of the ultimate reproductive foods in Ayurveda.as they enhance egg and sperm quality and quantity.
  • Olive oil is not cooked, and will therefore not be oxidised and hydrogenated.  Olive oil has been found to reduce inflammation in your body. Regularly consuming olive oil has been correlated with improving blood pressure levels, glucose metabolism, and reducing harmful cholesterol.
  • Raw garlic has a whole host of benefits including flavonoids, oligosaccharides, selenium, high levels of sulfur, and more. Garlic has been proven to help reduce your risk factors associated with heart disease, cancers and it acts as an anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral.
  • Lemon juice is alkalising and helps reduce acidity common in most modern diets, it also helps to increase your immunity, boost digestion, and to help keep blood sugar levels stable.
  • Sea salt best from a good quality source i.e. Himalayan sea salt which contains 60 trace minerals that have numerous health benefits:

Hummus is an anti-inflammatory food:

  • Extracts from garlic have been shown to reduce inflammation and help fight wrinkles and aging.
  • Chick Peas reduce inflammation, blood clots and inflammation markers.
  • Olive oil and sesame seeds reduce inflammation and provide important antioxidants, both which play a part in maintaining heart health by keeping the structure of arteries and cell walls healthy.The role of inflamm- ageing in a previous post you can read it here.

Recipe
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The Amazing Benefits of Turmeric

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You may already use turmeric root powder in your cooking, particularly if you like Indian-inspired dishes. It’s the key ingredient in your curry powder. Turmeric has been a staple of Indian food traditions for millennia and has a long history of healing use (over 4000 years) in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese medicinal traditions.

What is turmeric and what’s it’s secret?

Turmeric has a mellow flavor and is a bright yellow colour.

Turmeric may be the most effective natural supplement you could find as few others possess such a wide spectrum of qualities and medicinal uses.

Many recently published research studies are showing that it has major benefits for your body and brain.

Science has started to back up what ancient health traditions like Ayurveda & TCM have known for a long time, that it really does contain compounds with medicinal properties.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric.

The latest research on Turmeric & Curcumin

  • A new study from universities in China confirmed the antidepressant effects.
  • Scientists have demonstrated that turmeric may be helpful in decreasing blood sugar levels associated insulin resistance.
  • Oxidative damage one of the mechanisms behind ageing and many diseases. Curcumin has powerful antioxidant effects.
  • Now researchers from The University of Nottingham and Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich have found that curcumin may help reduce inflammation associated with tendinitis.
  • Chronic inflammation is a contributor to many common diseases. Curcumin can inhibit many molecules known to play major roles in inflammation.
  • Both turmeric and curcumin have shown potential to prevent DNA damage and help DNA repair. That is good news for preventing disease and slowing the aging process.

What Ayurveda have known for 1000’s of years about turmeric

  • It is strengthening and warming to your whole body it will promote proper metabolism correcting both excesses and deficiencies.
  • Improves your digestion – balances gut flora, will cleanse and strengthen your liver.
  • You can use it topically in the prevention and treatment of skin diseases.
  • Relieves arthritis, swelling is applied to sprains, burns, cuts, bruises, insect bites and itches.
  • Is considered a blood purifier and and is antimicrobial.

What are the Incredible Health Benefits of Curcumin?

✓Reduces your response to inflammation
✓Boosts your joint flexibility and comfort
✓Supports a healthy heart
✓Helps keep your mood balanced
✓Increases your memory retention and clarity
✓Supports good liver health
✓Encourages optimum immune
✓Helps you maintain a healthy digestion

How to take your Turmeric or Curcumin

It’s great for infections or inflammation like achey joints.

It’s probably best to avoid the heat of a curry, when you have inflammation, and take the powder with water – 1/4 teaspoon 3-4 x per day depending on the severity. If the taste is unbearable get some capsules.

It also turns out that the piperine in black pepper enhances the bioavailability of the curcumin in turmeric by 2000% (Shoba et al. 1998), when you cook with turmeric be sure to add a little black pepper.

Whether by incorporating it into cooking or taking it as a powder or one of several herbs in a tea, turmeric is at the heart of many different remedies and continues to prove its value after thousands of years of use.

 If you want to get yourself some Turmeric – try this product made by Pukka

  • Wholistic Turmeric is a concentration of the finest parts of whole turmeric root gathered from fertile organic soils.
  • This broad-spectrum formula contains the highest organic grade, sustainably cultivated herbs, carefully selected to bring you the full potential of nature’s goodness.

 

Golden Fusion™

Highly Bioavailable Curcumin and Grass-Fed† Collagen Peptides
Golden Fusion™ is a modern take on a centuries old golden milk recipe that is both great tasting and convenient. Golden Fusion features CurQfen®, a highly bioavailable form of curcumin with fenugreek along with grass-fed† collagen peptides. Organic herbs turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, Indian cardamom, and moringa in an organic coconut milk powder base round out this innovative formula.