Fight Inflammation with This Turmeric and Lemon Morning Elixir
Starting the day with your morning routine may suit your needs just fine. A bit of yoga, maybe meditation, a shower, a healthy breakfast with organic coffee, and then out the door.
Does this sound familiar? If so, your morning routine is already exceptional. But we have a mighty elixir that can compliment your regimen wonderfully.
You may have heard that warm lemon water will get those pipes working in the morning and optimize your health. You may even drink warm lemon water with Himalayan salt, or warm lemon water with honey in the morning.
However, have you heard of warm lemon water combined with honey, cinnamon, and the most essential ingredient to this morning elixir, turmeric?
If you have yet to try this one, you may be missing out on an excellent way to begin your day. All-natural lemon and turmeric are especially powerful ingredients that boast a wealth of beneficial properties.
Lemons offer a tasty, tart flavor with many health-promoting properties. According to a study published in the Chemistry Central Journal (2015), lemons possess a treasure trove of natural metabolites.
The study authors state, “Citrus fruits exhibit plentiful bioactivities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antimicrobial and anti-allergy activities, as well as cardiovascular effect, neuroprotective effect, hepatoprotective effect, obesity control, etc.”
Lemons are indeed a healthy ingredient to enjoy at the beginning of the day. However, when you couple lemon with turmeric, your health and wellness benefits increase significantly.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a yellow-orange spice that is part of the ginger family. Native to tropical South Asia, turmeric is well known in traditional Asian medicine and cuisine. More recently, its health benefits have been recognized in Western medicine.
According to a study published in the Journal of Nephropathology (2012), “Turmeric, a neglected Asian traditional drug might reemerge as remedy and/or preventive tool for various illnesses including different type of cancers, obesity, type-2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, CKD [chronic kidney disease] and ESRD [end stage renal disease], which are steadily increasing globally, claiming many lives and tremendous amount of resources worldwide.”
One active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, has been the focus of several academic studies.
Curcumin may alleviate inflammation: According to research from the Department of Stomatology at the University of California, San Francisco, curcumin possesses anti-inflammatory properties. The research, published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2004), found that curcumin, “may exert its anti-inflammatory activity by inhibition of a number of different molecules that play a role in inflammation.”
Curcumin’s anticancer potential: Curcumin may play a vital role in cancer prevention, according to a study published in BioMed Research International (2014). Previous research has highlighted curcumin’s antioxidant, antibacterial and antitumor properties, according to the study, which concluded, “Curcumin, a vital constituent of the spice turmeric, is an alternative approach in the prevention of cancer.”
Therapeutic applications of curcumin: According to a review study published in the AAPS Journal (2013), “curcumin has shown therapeutic potential against a number of human diseases,” including multiple types of cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, peptic ulcers, psoriasis, H. pylori infection, Alzheimer’s disease, acute coronary syndrome, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and respiratory tract infections.
Tip: I would highly suggest always making sure to take turmeric with a source of FAT… taking turmeric with fat greatly helps your body absorb it. So you could add a splash of MCT oil (coconut based) or even olive oil to this daily drink concoction to help your body absorb it better …
Turmeric and Lemon Morning Elixir
Recipe by the Alternative Daily
All-natural lemon and turmeric are especially powerful ingredients that boast a wealth of beneficial properties.
Ingredients:
1/2 of a lemon, squeezed for juice
1/4 – 1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1 cup warm water, and/or coconut milk (the coconut milk adds healthy fats, and helps absorption of turmeric)
Instruction:
Mix the lemon juice, turmeric and honey into your cup of warm water or milk. You will want to stir these ingredients well. Add cinnamon on top and continue to stir your morning elixir as you drink it — this will ensure that the turmeric does not settle at the bottom of your cup.
The Alternative Daily seeks to inform, encourage and empower readers to make healthy choices that will positively impact individuals, families and our planet.
A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.
Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.
Let’s address the absolutely ridiculous idea that fat makes you fat.
If fat made people fat, wouldn’t anyone who ever consumed lots of extra virgin olive oil (like in the traditional Mediterranean diet) be morbidly obese? Or what about the Inuit, who consumed a very high fat, low carbohydrate diet? Using this logic, they would have been larger than anyone in the United States today, despite current obesity rates being as high as they are.
The problem doesn’t lie in fat, but rather in sugar and refined carbohydrates. Take, for example, the following debate, which occurred in 2011 and consisted of high-ranking professors and researchers from Harvard University and other top schools in the United States.
Here is one of many passages which completely debunk this outdated and ridiculous concept.
“Total fat doesn’t matter, nor does saturated fat seem to. The traditional Diet-Heart paradigm is based on ecologic studies, biomarker studies, and animal experiments. These are best for hypothesis generation, not solid conclusions.”
This is a quote from Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., Dr.P.H, who is one of the most well respected minds in the world of nutrition and health.
As can easily be seen, suggesting that fat of any kind is unhealthy is both foolish and inaccurate. There are, unquestionably, certain fats that are problematic.
However, when we see any kind of information come out suggesting that fat is bad for you, it is usually based on a flawed studied or inaccurate and/or biased interpretation of the results.
The Evidence
For example, we see many studies which claim that “high fat feeding promotes the metabolic syndrome.” However, what one must do in cases such as these is look at the actual studies to determine what the diet actually consisted of and what type of animal the study was performed on (human, rat, mouse, etc.)
If one is unfamiliar with the scientific literature, they may be shocked to learn that nearly 100% of these studies consist of diets that are not at all what one in the health world would consider a “high fat” diet.
Gone are the almonds, heart healthy extra virgin olive oil, avocados and other staples like coconut oil.
Instead, many of these studies feed their subjects ridiculous concoctions of “food.”
Here is what one actual high fat diet consisted of: powdered Purina 5001, hydrogenated vegetable fat, with casein, L-methionine, AIN-93 vitamin mix, and AIN-93 mineral mix.
Before we get into just how ridiculous and unhealthy this “food” is, here is the actual table for the study, in case one wants to research this further.
The Details
Let’s start with the Purina 5001 and what it truly is, because last time I checked, you couldn’t buy that “food” at a Whole Foods or farmer’s market. If we go to the actual website for this diet, we find that Purina 5001 consists mainly of: ground corn and dehulled soybean oil.
For those extra curious, there are over 30 total ingredients (none of them much better than the 2 main ones) and they can all be read here.
So, we are starting this “high fat” diet with ground corn and soybean oil. Hmm. Okay. Then we are adding hydrogenated vegetable fat, dairy (casein), an amino acid, and a vitamin mix, along with a mineral mix. Does this look like a high fat diet that anyone in his or her right mind would consume? I didn’t think so.
Is There A Bias?
Where are the avocados, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, etc.? Where are the quality, wild caught or grass-fed, sources of protein? Where are the quality sources of carbohydrate? Exactly. They’re all missing.
By the author’s own words, around 17% of total fat in this “diet” was trans fat (!). They then go on to state that “this diet was used because of the more pronounced obesity it has produced in rats in our laboratory than have several commercial high fat diets.”
Does anyone else see the problem here? They know, going into the study, that by using this monstrosity of a “diet,” the rats (who aren’t humans, by the way) will get obese. So, what exactly is the point of their study?
Any scientist can run a study and then claim that “high fat diets promote the metabolic syndrome.” This is especially true if feeding the subjects trans fats and not basing the diet on anything resembling an actual high fat, low carbohydrate diet.
Take this study, for example, which followed (human) subjects over 12 months and compared a low fat diet with a high fat diet. The results?
“The low-carbohydrate diet was more effective for weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor reduction than the low-fat diet.”
So, when performed on actual humans, eating actual food (not rat chow), a high fat diet, over the period of 12 months, resulted in more weight loss than a low fat diet, as well as besting the low fat diet in the following categories:
greater decreases in fat mass
better ratio of total-high-density lipoprotein (HDL)
better triglyceride level
greater increases in HDL cholesterol level
Well that seems to contradict all of the propaganda of high carb, low fat diets, now doesn’t it? Maybe the problem isn’t the fat, but rather the carbohydrates. Mind blowing, I know.
The specific problem is sugar. And even more specifically, the problem is hyper-palatable food and fructose. This is a problem that is killing not just our health, but also our economy.
All Fat is Bad?!
To bring the ridiculous nature of this problem to an even further front, if fat was bad, why would we be supplementing with fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids) every day? Why would proponents of these low fat diets tell us to eat nuts, which are loaded with fat?
Perhaps it’s because the problem is the kind of fat, not the actual fat. Furthermore, there are essential fats. These are ones that your body cannot produce endogenously.
However, there are no essential carbohydrates.
Surprised? I’ve used but 3 small examples in this argument today and yet I think it is blatantly obvious that anyone touting the benefits of a low fat diet is beyond confused and is, quite frankly, scientifically wrong.
Those not consuming fats quickly run into a multitude of problems, especially cognitive. Too many carbohydrates in the diet cause a multitude of problems and they also make it very easy to over-consume calories, resulting in obesity.
The Bottom Line
So what to eat? Well, a nutrient dense diet consists not only of healthy fats but also quality sources of protein and good, starchy, carbohydrates. A little bit of fruit can be good, as well. Vegetables are your best friend, and help not only with cognitive and heart health, but also with cellular functioning and weight maintenance.
Any diet that contains lots of vegetables, quality sources of protein, and healthy fats, will be ideal. Note that what is not included are trans fats, processed foods, liquid calories, excess sugar, and anything made by man and not by nature.
The ideas and concepts behind a healthy diet aren’t complex, but sticking to one can be. There are many stressors in modern life and many around us are completely unhealthy and addicted.
Whether it’s to alcohol, caffeine, sugar, or stress, those in the world that are addicted can be so oblivious to what is actually healthy that they simply just live in denial until a disease or health condition makes it too late to act.
But you don’t have to live that way. Start today. Right now.
Change your unhealthy habits. Get rid of any things in your life that are causing you grief, stress and unhappiness. Whether it’s a friend who drains you, a romantic relationship that isn’t really worth it, or a job you are terribly unhappy in.
Life is too short to live in a sick, addicted state. A simple, healthful diet can help turn everything around. And a simple, healthful diet contains many healthy fats.
Casey Thaler, B.A., NASM-CPT, FNS is an NASM® certified personal trainer and NASM® certified fitness nutrition specialist. He writes for Paleo Magazine®, The Paleo Diet® and Greatist®. He is also an advisor for Kettle and Fire and runs his own nutrition and fitness consulting company, Eat Clean, Train Clean®.
A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.
Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook
In just one cow, there are dozens of cuts waiting to make it to your dinner table, and all of them are different thanks to where they are on the cow. The degree of tenderness, flavor and color are based on the type cow: whether it was factory farmed or grass-fed in pasture, whether the particular muscle was well-worked or hardly used, how a butcher chooses to cut the meat, and more.
Naturally, the average consumer might be mystified by the massive variety of beef cuts, and even more confused about how best to prepare and cook them. We’ve got you covered.
With help from praised Orange County, California, chef Aron Habiger, we’ve compiled the definitive guide to different cuts of beef and how to cook them next time you’re in the kitchen (or outside grilling!)
All cuts of beef, when inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are subject to a grading system. Three main categories comprise the grading system—prime, choice and select—with consideration toward the “palatability” of the meat, i.e., the tenderness, juiciness, and flavor.
Generally, Americans gobble up meat from the “select” category—the cheapest and least decadent of the three (there are also subpar lower rungs like standard, commercial and utility).
Prime beef comprises less than two percent of all USDA-inspected beef, and restaurant purveyors and suppliers buy most of it. Choice falls between the two extremes.
As you’ll learn, there are some cuts where you’ll want to shell out for the highest quality. Prime beef is the most decadent of graded meat, and comprises under 2% of all USDA-inspected beef.
With traditional “steak cuts”—top sirloin, New York strip, ribeye, and porterhouse—there are some universal quality indicators. Look for marbling, the consistent speckling of white intramuscular fat. The more marbling, the richer the meat. Make sure the steaks aren’t broken from too much man-handling. Finally, all beef cuts should smell clean—“like nothing but a light beefy scent,” Habiger says.
Below, you’ll find all the major cuts of beef, and, most importantly, how to cook and season them to perfection.
Top Sirloin
Related cuts: Coulotte steak, top sirloin butt steak
Where it is on the cow: Top sirloin steak—cut from the sirloin, or “above the loin” portion of the cow—makes for a great introduction to traditional steak preparation.
What it is: If you’re cooking up a couple of steaks at home for the first time, we recommend the top sirloin. It’s lean but still flavorful and decently tender when prepared properly. Typically much cheaper than its first-rate cousins like New York strip or the ribeye, you’ll appreciate its versatility and won’t sob too hard if you overcook it slightly.
How to cook it: Searing steak in a hissing-hot cast iron pan with lots of fat (grass-fed butter, ghee or clarified butter, tallow and coconut oil are all Paleo-friendly options) is almost always a good idea. Top sirloins, however, take well to the grill—just take care not to overcook them.
How to season it: You can season traditional steaks with spice rubs that include garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, coriander and more—we know you’ve seen various rubs and spice mixes on the spice aisle—but beef enthusiasts opt to season their steaks with only a liberal sprinkling of quality sea salt.
And no, we didn’t forget the pepper: It’s just better to “finish” your steak with fresh pepper, as it’s a fragile spice, rather than burn it in the cooking process.
More tips: Always let your steak come to room temperature before cooking it and let it rest afterward. It’s a critical tip home cooks often overlook.
If you’re serving up top sirloin, keep the steak neutral and save the aggressive seasoning for your accompanying vegetables—try roasted green varieties like asparagus, broccoli or zucchini.
New York Strip
Related cuts: top loin steak, Kansas City strip steak
Where it is on the cow: Cut from the top loin portion of the cow, New York strips are typically boneless (unless you’re dealing with a unique cut). The strip is cut from a little-worked muscle (the longissimus, if you want to get technical), leaving it very tender.
What it is: Compared to top sirloin steak, the New York strip ups the ante, though it’s not yet in the big leagues—that’s saved for the ribeye and porterhouse. It’s also deeply flavorful and succulent thanks to its fat cap. Don’t trim that too much if you’re looking for flavor.
How to cook it: All of the steak preparation rules of the top sirloin remain true with the New York strip. It takes well to a cast-iron pan, but grilling is an option too.
More tips: If you’re looking to get fancy, Chef Habiger recommends rendering some of the New York strip’s fat into tallow, then basting the steak in it as you cook.
Ribeye
Related cuts: Delmonico steak, Spencer steak, market steak
Where it is on the cow: As the name suggests, ribeye steaks are cut from the rib portion of the cow—traditionally the best center portion, or the “eye,” of the entire rib steak.
What it is: Ribeye steaks are sold both bone-in and bone-out, though traditionally it’s a “rib steak” if the bone is still attached. Ribeye steaks are typically large and dotted with consistent white specks of intramuscular fat known as marbling.
This marbling is thanks to the lightly used muscle in the upper rib section. Marbling makes for a gloriously rich beef flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Chefs—and our bellies—love ribeye steaks for this reason.
How to cook it: Sear the steak in a cast-iron skillet until a crust forms on both sides. Alternatively, grill it for 5 to 6 minutes per side.
How to season it: It’s especially important to keep ribeye prep and seasoning simple with just salt and pepper—you’re paying for that rich beef flavor, so let it shine.
More tips: Habiger recommends serving ribeye steaks alongside a parsnip puree as a lighter alternative to ultra-heavy potatoes.
T-Bone
Related cuts: Porterhouse
Where it is on the cow: T-bone steaks and porterhouses are very similar. Both are cut from the short loin and include a strip steak on one side of the bone with the tenderloin on the other side. T-bone steaks are cut slightly differently with a smaller piece of the tenderloin. As the name suggests, the tenderloin is the most tender portion of the cow because it gets very little use.
What it is: Habiger calls porterhouse steaks the “Cadillac” of all steak cuts, and for good reason. They’ll nearly always be the most expensive steak on the menu, and not just because they’re ginormous cuts of steak that are better suited for sharing. The combination of rich beef strip and ultra-soft tenderloin makes the porterhouse the best of both worlds.
How to cook it: Use your cast-iron skillet and some fat to form a good crust on the steak. You can use your oven to finish cooking the inside of a porterhouse.
How to season it: Go heavy on the salt with a porterhouse—a cut of steak that thick can take it.
More tips: For the love of God, don’t forget to let your porterhouse come to room temperature and rest. You spent a pretty penny on it.
Filet Mignon
Related cuts: beef tenderloin
Where it is on the cow: Filet mignon is cut from the smallest end of the tenderloin—this section gets hardly any use, and thus lacks connective tissue. This results in steak so tender it melts like butter in your mouth, but the flavor is relatively one-dimensional.
What it is: Filet mignon is known as the height of “fancy” steak, though Habiger notes that true steak lovers aren’t as impressed with it.
How to cook it: Searing filet mignon in a cast-iron skillet is still the way to go. While other steak cuts are best served medium-rare, filet mignon tends to be served on the rare side.
How to season it: Because the flavor tends to be one note, filet mignons need more aggressive flavorings. Serve them with a peppercorn sauce, red wine reduction or cream sauce.
More tips: You can wrap filet mignons in bacon to add much needed fat and moisture.
Minute Steak
Related cuts: sandwich steak, cube steak, round steak, breakfast steak
Where it is on the cow: Minute steak and its many-named variants are typically cut from the rear leg, or “round portion” of the cow, as well as from the sirloin area. Given that the area is constituted by strongly-worked muscles, there’s very little fat to be found.
What it is: You may have noticed by now that steak naming is a fairly straightforward process. Thus, it makes sense that minute steak is a generic term for thinly cut beef that cooks within minutes. It can either be sold thinly sliced or thinly sliced and tenderized with a mallet, leaving it with the characteristic mini-cubed indentation.
How to cook it: Pan frying or griddle frying is the way to go for these quick-cooking cuts.
How to season it: Such thinly sliced steak takes well to Paleo-friendly breading and crusts—think Paleo chicken fried steak.
More tips: Minute steak can also be quickly sliced and added to stir-fry for an Asian-inspired dish.
Tri-tip Steak
Related cuts: triangle steak
Where it is on the cow: Tri-tip, cut from the bottom sirloin portion of the cow, is a triangular cut of muscle that’s relatively lean but still deeply flavorful.
What it is: It’s a full-flavored inexpensive cut, and takes well to low and slow cooking.
How to cook it: You’re probably most familiar with barbequed tri-trip—and that’s where it shines. You can also oven roast trip at a low and slow pace for deep flavor.
How to season it: Here is where you want to put your spice cabinet to use. Try a dry rub filled with chili powder, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and paprika.
More tips: If you opt for the “sit and seep” method, where you let the dry rub infuse throughout the steak for many hours, omit the salt—it will dry your hunk of meat out.
Skirt Steak
Related cuts: flank steak, hanger steak
Where it is on the cow: Cut from the bottom plate of the cow, skirt steak is heavy on flavor and light on tenderness. Hanger steak is cut from the same region, but it’s a bit tenderer and even deeper in flavor. Flank steak is cut from the adjacent flank of the cow—another well-worked area, though it’s flavor is mildly different.
What it is: What do all three have in common? They’re all at their best when thoroughly marinated, then flash cooked to rare or medium-rare to avoid toughness.
How to cook it: Flash cooking on a grill or in a pan keeps these cuts from becoming tough. Quick cooking vegetables like bell peppers and onions pair well here.
How to season it: These cuts take well to aggressive marinades with acidic elements, like chimichurri sauce, carne asada marinade, fajitas marinade and stir-fry sauce.
More tips: These cuts tend to be inexpensive and therefore need a little more work. Be sure to trim them of their tough membranes and silver skin.
These cuts can also be rolled around vegetables for Paleo-friendly wraps.
Chuck Steak
Related cuts: top round, rump roast, flat iron steak
Where it is on the cow: Cut from the chuck portion of the cow all the way in the front, chuck steak and its variants tend to be sold as large rectangular roasts. A well-worked area, the chuck contains a lot of collagen and connective tissue.
What it is: Chuck meat is often sold as stew meat. It’s also the most popular cut for ground beef.
How to cook it: When sold as a “roast,” chuck meat requires low and slow cooking. One-pan and crock-pot stews are the preferred method for this cut. Cube chuck steak and sear it in a Dutch oven with some coconut oil until it’s formed a crust, then add your stewing ingredients.
How to season it: There are so many varieties of stewing flavors: try paprika-heavy Hungarian goulash or a meaty Indian curry.
More tips: Opt for starchy root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnips in a stew—they’ll hold up best to your low and slow preparation.
Beef Brisket
Related cuts: brisket flat cut
Where it is on the cow: Found in the lower chest of the cow, brisket has a lot of collagen and connective tissue from supporting its standing weight.
What it is: A fabulous choice for barbeque, beef brisket benefits from a slow cooking to break down the muscle fibers for an extremely tender cut of meat.
How to cook it: Slowly smoke brisket over low coals for about six hours, basting occasionally with accumulated juices. You can also use a charcoal grill for similar indirect cooking.
How to season it: Smoked meat works great with a sweet component. Try a straightforward spice rub with brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, coarse salt and black pepper.
More tips: For an extra juicy brisket, brush every hour or so with a beer-based mop sauce. Coffee is a great addition to the mop sauce, too!
Courtney Hamilton is a writer and editor who has covered everything from food to politics. When she’s not dreaming up Paleo-friendly eats and conversations, you can find her trying to get her preschooler to eat his veggies.
A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.
Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook
