Winter weight-reducing home remedies: turmeric powder

Ok, so we all know the blues of gaining weight over winter but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Here is a quick home remedy for you that will have you looking even slimmer this upcoming summer! But that is not all this magic spice does, it will also give you a beautiful skin complexion that will leave you in disbelief.

Turmeric is one of the most fetching culinary spices with its intense golden hue. We are always reminded to eat colourful plant foods because their pigments, which are associated with anti-oxidants which protect and repair cells from damage, caused by free radicals and have important anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric’s intense colour makes it a front-runner in this food group.

The wide range of turmeric health benefits come mainly from its main ingredient, curcumin. This is 5 to 8 times stronger than vitamin E and stronger than vitamin C for your body.

Curcumin helps promote weight loss! Curcumin in turmeric helps your body block fat while improving liver function which means better detox. Turmeric health benefits will help you gear up for a successful diet.

How it works: Turmeric curcumin has an effect on your body– inhibiting the cell division of fat cells and inhibits the formation of fatty tissue by blocking the mechanism used to form it, by suppressing your blood vessels used to form fat tissue. Curcumin helps slow down the division of fat cells in your body, making it harder to gain weight.

Turmeric is easily available at all spice shops. I recommend only a daily dosage of between 2 and 3 grams of turmeric per a day. When taking turmeric supplements try to remain within this quantity, taking into consideration the turmeric you are getting from other sources such as your food. The way I take my turmeric is – I mix a teaspoon of turmeric powder in a shot glass of warm water, stir well and swallow down – do this 30 minutes before each meal and you will soon see the swift benefits.

If you want to use turmeric purely for your skin and you don’t want to ingest it, try these remedies;

• Take 4 tablespoons turmeric powder and to this add 1 tablespoon milk and 4 teaspoons of honey to make a sticky face mask to fight acne. Or mix 8 tablespoons of turmeric powder, mixed with 5 tablespoons of olive oil or sesame oil to make a creamy face mask. Then massage into your face for at least 10 minutes and leave to dry overnight. The turmeric will dry and become stiff like a mask. This action will reduce the acne size. Rinse the dried paste off in the morning.

Quick tips;

• Mixing flour and turmeric in yoghurt can help women lighten the appearance of stretch marks.

• Mix chickpea to turmeric to use as a facial scrub to inhibit hair growth.

• Apply a mixture of coconut oil and turmeric powder on cracked heels.