You can cook raw turmeric. In fact, you must cook it to make much more nutrition available, to make it even worthwhile eating.
Mammals cannot digest raw turmeric efficiently, and very important curcuminoids will not be absorbed without heat and oil. Basic facts.
You'll only get about 3% of nutrients if eaten raw, much like the carrot and tomato (not many people realise this), and similar to the potato, turmeric is made up of tough starches and needs heat first to break down barriers, better for digestion.
We will always tell you to cook your turmeric - it's facts - it is notoriously hard to absorb, and that's why we always advise adding coconut oil and black pepper to significantly improve metabolism and effects as well. Don't waste your time otherwise (like grating, juicing, etc.) unless you just like the taste.
Are you not finding any real benefit eating turmeric?
Are you eating it correctly?
Golden Paste
The Golden Paste recipe is the best way for you to prepare turmeric, and then you can add it to other dishes and drinks if you like, but never reheat it once cooked.
We suggest getting high-quality turmeric powder to make the paste. Raw/fresh turmeric is bothersome to prepare, having the powder ready is a huge advantage.
Turmeric Powder
Turmeric powder has been cooked/boiled, then dehydrated, shrinking about 70%, then ground up into a powder but it has been activated in this way, much better to digest. You can replicate this method. The powder is better than raw, Golden Paste is better than powder.
Avoid supermarket varieties and cheap, bargain-priced items, find good quality ingredients at your local organic health food store and buy in bulk to save yourself money.
You can use raw Turmeric in the Golden Paste recipe but you will need 5 times as much
It's not the easiest way to make Golden Paste. You can grate raw turmeric to make up the powder in the recipe (x 5 = 2 1/2 cups or 300g) and you will also need to adjust the amount of water since the powder doesn't contain any.
Even if you add the basic ingredients (coconut oil and black pepper) with turmeric powder, into a smoothie, sandwich or whatever you're making, powder will always be better than raw turmeric.
Turmeric powder keeps for years (keep away from heat and sunlight) and costs about $40/kg for premium stuff. You can find some online, and we have built a list of reputable places - see if your area is here.
Are you growing your own turmeric at home?
It's a great (hardy) plant, good for subtropical regions above (zone) 9 and can be potted. Find out more here - HOW to grow turmeric (soon).
You can make your own powder, many people do, just need a few things first, and we'll show you - HOW to make turmeric powder (soon).
