Curcumin

While it may not be something you find in the spice aisle of your local grocery store, chances are you’ve eaten quite a bit of curcumin in your life. It’s one of the components of the spice turmeric, which is a main ingredient in both curry powder and yellow mustard. The curcumin is what gives that familiar bright yellow hue to the mustard that’s commonly slathered on hot dogs. It was originally grown in Indonesia and southern India but is produced in several other areas near the equator, including China, Haiti, and Jamaica.

Turmeric has been used for centuries in both Asian and Indian medicine to treat various conditions such as upset stomach and arthritis pain. Curcumin appears to be the part of the spice responsible for all of these benefits. Research is being conducted on curcumin to determine its effect on colon cancer, heartburn, Alzheimer’s disease, cystic fibrosis, high cholesterol, and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

Using turmeric as a spice in cooking is safe for everyone. However, when taken as a supplement, turmeric’s effects on unborn and young children are not yet known, so if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding, you may want to limit your intake to just the amount needed to flavor food.

Turmeric comes from a root and is related to ginger, and its flavor, like ginger’s, can be described as warm and a bit spicy. For more ways to get this bright spice into your diet, look no further than eggs. Adding a bit to egg salad or deviled egg filling will enhance the yellow color as it adds flavor. If you’re a curry fan, go ahead and add some additional turmeric when you cook with this popular powder.

Because of curcumin’s bright color, turmeric can easily stain your hands, so consider wearing kitchen gloves while you’re working with it or wash your hands well right after using it.

— Heidi Reichenberger McIndoo, MS, RD, LDN