It’s simple enough. Take a turmeric supplement to get the recommended daily amount. Go buy a bottle to add to the growing collection of gout-fighting supplements. Squeeze it in the drawer with the tart cherry extract, resveratrol, quercetin, glucosamine, liver detox, kidney cleanse, and that uric acid lowering formula with the colorful label. Gout defeated. Read no further.
You apparently would not be here if all those supplements were preventing gout flares. The benefits of any supplement will be limited when a diet is full of high-purine foods.
Learning to cook low-purine meals will drastically lower the risk of gout. Eating more chicken and turkey than red meat is fundamental on a low-purine diet.
What makes a low-purine meal more gout-friendly? Turmeric. It will not only add flavor and color to a dish, but can help against gout.
After the frequently asked questions, six simple gout-friendly recipes with turmeric are listed. They include chicken or turkey. None are vegetarian.
What is so special about Turmeric?
Turmeric is a yellow-orange spice(root of Curcuma longa) in the ginger family. For centuries, it has been utilized in Ayurvedic and Chinese remedies to heal wounds, skin diseases, and digestive issues.
Modern studies suggest curcumin plays a part in fighting several disorders: immune health, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, indigestion, heart disease, cancer and neurodegenerative conditions.
Curcumin is the special active ingredient primarily found in turmeric. This unique chemical compound promotes antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Antioxidants protect cells from the harmful effects of free radicals. Secondly, curcumin has shown to limit the enzyme response that causes inflammation.
Remember, the intense colorant from curcumin will stain your skin, clothes and porous surfaces. It’s best to wear gloves when handling food with turmeric.
What is necessary to unlock turmeric’s health benefits?
Curcumin in turmeric is not easily absorbed and metabolized in the liver and intestines. Black pepper (piperine), healthy fats and bromelain will improve the bioavailability of curcumin. In other words, eating any one of these ingredients with turmeric will increase its effects.
Piperine was found to increase the absorption of curcumin by 2000%. Curcumin attaches to fatty molecules, which makes it easier to metabolize.
Bromelain is the extract derived from pineapples. It enhances the absorption and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin.
How much curcumin in is turmeric?
Raw or powdered turmeric contains about 3% curcumin. Turmeric extract can contain as much as 95% curcumin. Therefore, one teaspoon of turmeric powder (about 5,000 mg) will provide 150mg of curcumin.
How is turmeric good for gout?
New studies continue to support and reveal the health benefits of turmeric. Science has provided more evidence that suggest curcumin in turmeric helps lower uric acid levels. These are recent studies that report turmeric is good for gout.
From a major study in 2019, turmeric considerably lowered uric acid in mice. Quote from the study:
“Uric acid levels were significantly reduced after the treatment with turmeric nanoparticles (T-NPs) indicating that T-NPs show superior potential against gout management. Thus, T-NPs can be developed as an efficient antigout agent with minimum toxicities.”
Another animal study from 2019 saw curcumin suppress inflammation caused by excess uric acid. Note, some enzyme reactions and pathways are similar to allopurinol’s activity. Hmm?
In 2020 and 2021, two separate medical reviews evaluated several clinical studies for turmeric. Multiple findings indicated curcumin provides relief for arthritic symptoms; pain and inflammation. Patients reported less pain and better mobility after a few weeks of routinely taking a turmeric extract.
How does turmeric taste and smell?
These are the most common terms that describe turmeric’s flavor and aroma: bitter, pungent, orange scent, peppery, light mustard, zingy, earthy-sweet. It is less sharp and pungent than ginger.
How do you neutralize or mask the taste of turmeric?
While it may not be compatible with every recipe, you can add these ingredients to neutralize or mask turmeric: lemon, lime, tomatoes, sugar/sweetener, coconut milk, cumin, garlic, onions, oregano, parsley, cayenne pepper, chili pepper.
1 – Turmeric Lemon Zest Chicken
Here is a simple gout-friendly recipe with turmeric for beginners. A pan-fried chicken dish with nine easy to find ingredients. Prep and cook time will be about 30 minutes once you get used to it.
Did this video just make you hungry? It’s probably because of the close camera view and frying sound, right?
The Cajun powder and the lemon zest add tanginess to this dish . If you’re a newbie and don’t have a grater for the zest, the dish is still tasty without it.
This an excellent go to dish for beginners because the Cajun powder can be replaced. Try other seasoning powders to change up the flavor.
2 – One Pan Turmeric Chicken & Rice
This easy turmeric chicken and rice dish checks off all the requirements of a simple recipe: quick preparation, common ingredients, short cooking time (30min), and easy cleanup. Yet, it is very appetizing!
To make this a gout-friendly recipe, Do Not Use Chicken Stock!! Instead, substitute with a vegetarian/vegan stock or broth.
Why can’t you use chicken stock? Gout sufferers should avoid animal derived bouillon cubes, broth and stocks because of their high concentration of purines.
Variations: swap mushrooms with your favorite vegetables, replace stock with any 1 tbsp. of chicken seasoning with 1.5 cup of water. If you don’t have avocado oil, any cooking oil will do.
Do you know which common-everyday condiments help lower uric acid? Find out in: Five Gout-Fighting Condiments That Really Help
3 – Easy Turmeric Chicken with Coconut Cream
This simple gout-friendly recipe with turmeric is similar to the previous two. In this case, coconut cream is used to make a basic curry sauce. Ginger is included in this recipe, which is also good for gout.
If fresh turmeric and ginger are not available, replace with a 1 tbsp. of powdered version. The green chili peppers and shallots shouldn’t be hard to find at a decent grocery. They do top off this dish very well. The Thai basil and Vietnamese mint are great to have, but not necessary.
In case you were wondering, coconut cream is not bad for gout.
Here is the complete recipe and ingredient list at Everyday Gourmet. If you are a competent cook, it’s worth checking out the other gout-friendly recipes on the site.
4 – Turmeric Chicken and Rice Casserole
Casseroles are terrific because bake time doesn’t require you to stand at the stove. Set it and forget it (about 45 min. bake time), while you work on something else.
You can’t go wrong with this uncomplicated recipe from Downshiftology. If you need step-by-step instructions, the recipe is on their website.
This simple gout-friendly recipe with turmeric is surprisingly savory. No flavor deviations or substitutes are needed. Thinly sliced carrots works as well as grated.
5 – Turkey and Zucchini Skillet
Gout sufferers attempting to cut down on red meat should also include ground turkey in their diets. White meats from turkey contain fewer purines than red meats. Here is another straightforward low-purine recipe cooked in one pan.
You may notice turmeric is not in the recipe. You are correct. It is not, but can be easily added. In fact, turmeric can be added to several simple gout-friendly recipes. The color will drastically change, but the flavor will not. One tbsp. of turmeric works. Add when pouring in the diced tomatoes.
Want to add more turmeric? Add more spices or lime. As mentioned, the sweetness from lime or lemon will counter turmeric’s bitterness. No lemon or lime? More hot pepper and cheese mask turmeric also.
6 – Turkey Chili Crockpot Recipe
This turkey chili recipe is hearty with easy to find ingredients. The catch here is the 2.5hr cooking time in a crockpot or slow cooker. However, it’s a set it and forget it recipe. The longer chili brews, the more flavor comes out.
Another simple gout-friendly recipe where turmeric can be easily added. Adding two tablespoons will not significantly change the flavor of the chili mix. Again, if turmeric too strong, add spices, lime or a sweetener.
What about the kidney beans in the recipe? This dish will contain less purines without the beans. Yeah, I know. It is not chili without the beans. However, it is still very satisfying when you’re craving it.
Keep in mind, per weight, most beans typically have less purines than beef. Leave them out if you know your uric acid is high, or you’ve been eating like crap lately.
You can get away with adding one can of kidney beans for flavor. Using 2 cans, then eating it for two days straight will be pushing it!
Lastly, a crockpot is a worthwhile investment. First, it saves money; uses less power than your stove. Second, crockpots allow for many “set it and forget it” recipes, where you can do something else while it’s cooking.
Final Thoughts
Undoubtedly, to get a higher concentration of curcumin, a turmeric supplement is the way to go. If you are taking a variety of supplements and still getting gout, it’s likely because of a poor diet. Eating and cooking healthier will do more good before popping more supplements to ward off gout.
Cooking your own gout-friendly meals is essential in maintaining a low-purine diet. Eventually, those unhealthy orders and high-purine foods get replaced by homemade meals that won’t increase your uric acid levels. You’ll know exactly what you are eating because you cooked it.
For gout sufferers, simple gout-friendly recipes with turmeric are valuable to learn. Not only are they low in purines, but also provide gout-fighting properties from curcumin.
Whether fresh, powdered or supplement form, turmeric is worth a try in the pursuit of becoming GOUTPROOF!
During my oblivious years, I had a huge buffet of supplements. They did very little to prevent gout flares because I was still drinking and eating anything at crappy buffets! Consequentially, taking so many supplements dehydrated me. Not until I learned to eat and cook the right foods, did my uric acid levels finally start to go down.
References
- Highly Bioavailable Forms of Curcumin and Promising Avenues for Curcumin-Based Research and Application: A Review
- Evaluation of Turmeric Nanoparticles as Anti-Gout Agent: Modernization of a Traditional Drug
- Curcumin attenuates MSU crystal-induced inflammation
- Curcumin: A Review of Its’ Effects on Human Health
Related Posts:
