Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

Based on the good press curcumin gets, but reluctant to use supplements, for the past few years I've been adding a quarter tsp. of turmeric to a few ounces of water and hosing it down daily. My rationale is that this is is perhaps approximately the amount that people in India get in their daily fare. Of course I have no idea if they're any healthier because of it.
The People's Pharmacy column gets reports of good results from readers who claim pain reduction presumably because of the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric/curcumin. None of the "tangible" benefits ever accrue to me; I've always assumed any anti-inflammatory benefit is below threshold of awareness. I use a good quality (Pensy's) turmeric for which I pay a bit of a premium. Of course it tastes close to awful though the gustatory punishment is short-lived. Anyway, your opinion please. Am I wasting my time and money going through this daily drill. Don

Is there something specific that you are trying to treat?

Ann Esselstyn adds turmeric to her oatmeal every morning. I don't think anything she does is silly.

Sometimes I use a little amount of the dry powder in soups to make them look like "chicken" soup or in tofu to look like scrambled eggs (I rarely make the "eggs"). Back when we used to have green smoothies, I'd buy tumeric root in the produce department and add a little piece to the kale, etc. in the blender. Not sure if the tumeric helped us at all, but am confident it didn't hurt.

I read years ago that black pepper is needed to be consumed at the same time because it helps in the absorption of the benefits of tumeric, but I don't know if that's true.

It's encouraging that Ann Esselstyn puts it in her oatmeal; I tend to trust the Esselstyn Family's medical/food advice and practices.

Lyndzie, just the nomadic aches and pains of my gnarly 80 y/o bod and sundry other body parts that might benefit from an anti inflammatory visitor.

We've been adding turmeric powder to our oatmeal porridge for the last couple of years now. I don't even taste it. Always my favourite meal of the day.

Grammy Ginger wrote:Ann Esselstyn adds turmeric to her oatmeal every morning. I don't think anything she does is silly.

Well, remember there's a reason why her family calls her the Acid Queen and Jane calls her a goat because of some of her eating habits, like triple toasting an already hard, thin slice of bread until it's as hard as a shingle. LOL

Here is a recipe for golden milk, a beverage spiced with turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper. The canned coconut milk and oil is not McDougall compliant, but another milk option could easily be used.
https://minimalistbaker.com/5-minute-vegan-golden-milk/

mom + me said, "I tend to trust the Esselstyn Family's medical/food advice and practices." Same here. Along with McDougall and Novick, Esselstyn [i]does carry a sizeable load of gravitas. Don

Langeranger wrote:mom + me said, "I tend to trust the Esselstyn Family's medical/food advice and practices." Same here. Along with McDougall and Novick, Esselstyn [i]does carry a sizeable load of gravitas. Don

Well, 2 out of 3 say, without any clearly identified need and without any clearly identified benefit, yes.



In Health
Jeff

PS India has very high rates of heart disease.

Jeff you're modesty is intact and duly noted, but you can't make the contributions you do without becoming deservedly known as a walkinv, talking encyclopedia on nutrition. Don

Everyone who is consuming turmeric on a regular basis should be aware of the very real danger of lead contamination of turmeric coming from Bangladesh and India. Some producers of the spices in those countries add lead chromate to the spice to enhance its color. Here is a link to a scientific article on this subject: https://tinyurl.com/tvzggjd .

QubitBob wrote:Everyone who is consuming turmeric on a regular basis should be aware of the very real danger of lead contamination of turmeric coming from Bangladesh and India. Some producers of the spices in those countries add lead chromate to the spice to enhance its color. Here is a link to a scientific article on this subject: https://tinyurl.com/tvzggjd .

And the potential for side effects...

“Turmeric/curcumin supplements are generally safe, but gastrointestinal side effects may occur with higher doses and they can cause problems for people with gallbladder disease or kidney stones. They can also interact with medications, such as those for blood-thinning, blood-sugar-lowering, and immunosuppression, as well as the anti-cancer drug tamoxifen. Curcumin may also inhibit iron absorption. Be aware that black pepper extract (piperine) often added to curcumin to increase bioavailability also interacts with a number of medications. Although rare, elevated liver enzymes and liver injury have been reported with the use of turmeric/curcumin supplements.”

In Health
Jeff

JeffN wrote:

QubitBob wrote:Everyone who is consuming turmeric on a regular basis should be aware of the very real danger of lead contamination of turmeric coming from Bangladesh and India. Some producers of the spices in those countries add lead chromate to the spice to enhance its color. Here is a link to a scientific article on this subject: https://tinyurl.com/tvzggjd .

And the potential for side effects...

“Turmeric/curcumin supplements are generally safe, but gastrointestinal side effects may occur with higher doses and they can cause problems for people with gallbladder disease or kidney stones. They can also interact with medications, such as those for blood-thinning, blood-sugar-lowering, and immunosuppression, as well as the anti-cancer drug tamoxifen. Curcumin may also inhibit iron absorption. Be aware that black pepper extract (piperine) often added to curcumin to increase bioavailability also interacts with a number of medications. Although rare, elevated liver enzymes and liver injury have been reported with the use of turmeric/curcumin supplements.”

In Health
Jeff

Thank you, Jeff! I wonder if the whole root (like my family and I used to sometimes put into our green smoothies--again used to make) also can cause the above problems? We didn't consume too much, and at least it was the whole food that we were using, but still.

That's why it truly is best to "just" follow the McDougall Plan and not get into the weeds (eat a certain amount of x, y, z everyday) that other WFPB doctors espouse. When we follow Dr. McDougall's Plan, it's easy to see just how simple the McDougall Plan is! Laying down strong wills and actually doing it can sometimes be a problem, but the Program truly is easy and effective and all everyone needs to do.

Pensy’s states that they examine their turmeric “religiously” which along with their generally good reputation is reassuring. Despite that and influenced by Jeff’s input I decided to ditch it.