Move over kale! Turmeric is the wellness superstar that Priyanka Chopra, Miranda Kerr and Gwyneth Paltrow use in their health and beauty routines. Us Weekly takes a closer look at this trending superfood.
“Turmeric is a spice from the same family as ginger that has some potential medicinal properties,” New York City-based nutritionist Brooke Alpert explains to Us Weekly. “It contains the chemical curcumin, which helps decrease inflammation in the body and can also be beneficial for treating conditions that involve inflammation.”
The orange and yellow-colored root is most known as the main ingredient in Golden Milk Lattes, which have shown up all over Instagram tagged #goldenmilk or #turmericlatte as well as on wellness-centric sites and in juice joints.
On Goop’s website there’s a step-by-step video on how to make Gwyneth Paltrow’s version of the turmeric-based elixir which she calls the “GP’s Warming Morning Latte.” The online shop of Los Angeles’s Moon Juice, the brainchild of plant-based chef Amanda Chantal Bacon, features activated turmeric-dusted pepitas as a on-the-go snack.
Alpert shares with Us her easy recipe for the anti-inflammatory treat: Whisk two cups unsweetened almond milk with 1/2 tsp dried turmeric (try BareOrganics Turmeric Root Powder), one tbsp honey and a touch of fresh ground black pepper in a small saucepan. “Bring the mixture to a low boil for around 10 minutes then pour it into a mug and enjoy!” she says.
The Diet Detox author also suggests working the holistic ingredient into meals regularly to get an anti-inflammatory boost. “Turmeric is traditionally found in curries and many savory dishes and can be a wonderful addition to meats and vegetables, even roasted sweet potato wedges, for an earthy flavor,” she explains.
The spice, native to India, is now a staple in the beauty world, too. Priyanka Chopra highlighted the ingredient in a video for Harper’s Bazaar on Wednesday, June 20, where she mixed turmeric into a DIY mask and applied it to her skin, a recipe she credits to her mother. “In episode 2 of #LittleBlackBook with @harpersbazaarus, I sit down with my mom to talk all things skincare. Everything I know about beauty came from my mama!” she wrote.
Miranda Kerr, founder of Kora Organics, laced the skin-perfector into the company’s Turmeric Brightening and Exfoliating Mask, which features a sparkly gold hue. As Alpert tells Us, “Using turmeric externally may improve signs of inflammation on the skin.”
