Turmeric Beauty Rice

I am so excited to share with you my latest recipe creation… Turmeric Beauty Rice! I love sharing with you about the many amazing health benefits found in ancient herbs and spices. Today’s recipe highlights one of my favorite spices: Turmeric. This dish is not only designed to excite your taste buds but also to boost your beauty and health.

I have shared my love for Turmeric before here on the blog and in other Beauty Recipes like my Veggie-Turmeric Quinoa Recipe and my Sri Lanka Dahl Recipe. As always, what I have learned during my travels and my love for Ayurvedic medicine have inspired me to create this dish for you.

If you have not heard of Turmeric it is an amazing spice that has a mildly earthy aroma with some undertone scents of orange or ginger. At the same time it has somewhat of a pungent, bitter flavor- a little goes a long way for sure. :) Be sure you should pick some up the next time you are at your local health food store to try it!

Turmeric has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb. You may have seen it’s vibrant yellow color before in a delicious curry dish.

Recently, science has started to back up what the Indians have known for a long time… it really does contain compounds with medicinal properties. These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin. The curcumin in turmeric is known to be anti-inflammatory, making it a great way to abate aging and illness-contributing inflammation.

Turmeric is also known to help cleanse the blood, helping with healthy blood flow which in turn helps create glowing skin.

Note: My Ayurvedic teacher, Dr. Jay, says to cook with turmeric powder, even when fresh turmeric is available. He says the latter can contribute to an excessively heavy menstrual blood flow for women.

Just to name a few other Beauty Food highlights in this dish…

Mustard Seeds

My Turmeric Beauty Rice also contains mustard seeds which are very rich in phytonutrients, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. They are an excellent source of essential B-complex vitamins such as folate, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin,vitamin B – 6 and pantothenic acid.

These vitamins are essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish. These B-complex groups of vitamins help in enzyme synthesis, nervous system function and regulating body metabolism.

Cumin Seeds

You may have had powdered cumin, but cumin seeds themselves are actually an excellent source of iron, a mineral that plays many vital roles in the body. Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, and is also part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism. Additionally, iron is instrumental in keeping your immune system healthy.

Cumin seeds are hugely popular in Ayurvedic cooking, and have traditionally been noted to be of benefit to the digestive system. Scientific research is beginning to support this! Research has shown that cumin may stimulate the secretion of pancreatic enzymes, compounds necessary for proper digestion and nutrient assimilation.

Time to get cooking!