Turmeric offers tasty way to fight inflammatory diseases

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Turmeric, a known spice, is a root that appears to have a host of health benefits.

Lisa Odenweller, the owner of the Live Beaming chain, doesn't hide her passion about turmeric and for good reason.

"If I was stranded on a desert island and could only choose one superfood, it would be turmeric," Odenweller said. "The reason being, it's one of the most powerful spices on the planet."

Turmeric is seen in Indian foods, but it's application are endless. At Live Beaming they don't hold back.

"From anti-aging, anti-cancer, especially for anti-inflammatory," Odenweller said.

If you're trying to use turmeric at home, there's a bit of a catch. If you use the dried powdered spice, you will want to add a bit of pepper to the dish to help it be more absorbed and better utilized.

"You need to cook turmeric a little bit to bring out all those properties, all those things that it's good for like inflammation," said Chef Akasha Richmond, owner of Sambar in Culver City.

She recommends adding a bit of oil to cook, even hot water will help make it work better. But if you buy turmeric raw in root form, grating it works well on its own.

"It doesn't require the pepper because you're getting it in its raw form and it hasn't been processed," reminded Odenweller.

"We grate it fresh and we put it into rice, we grate fresh and we put it into our chicken burger, for our marinade for chicken. Fresh turmeric is also great in lemonade," said Richmond.

At most grocery stores shoppers can find turmeric powdered spice, but turmeric root is easier to find at health specialty stores and Whole Foods markets.