How healthy is curry?
In this brief article, we will answer the question “How healthy is curry?”, list down its health benefits and tell you how to make a healthy curry.
How healthy is curry?
Yes, curry is healthy when it is cooked in a certain way with healthy ingredients and little to no fattening ingredients.. Curry is made with a spice blend, vegetables and meat.
The vegetables contain a lot of vitamins and minerals while the meat provides protein. Some spices used in curry also have a lot of health benefits as discussed in the next section.
What are the health benefits of eating curry?
Curry has some surprising health benefits. We will discuss them here.
Anti-inflammatory
Curry is made using spices like turmeric, coriander and chili powder. All these spices have potential anti-inflammatory effects.
Turmeric contains curcumin which is known for its ability to fight off inflammatory proteins.
Chili powder contains capsaicin that can alsi fight inflammation.
Coriander, on the other hand, was used in medical practice as an anti-inflammatory agent in old times.
A healthy heart
Curry has also been linked to improvement in blood flow and in the function of blood vessels which basically lead to a healthy heart.
If you have abundant turmeric and curcumin in your curry, you can also lower your cholesterol level.
It has also been found to control blood pressure. All these factors favor the health of the heart which in turn decreases the risk of any cardiovascular diseases.
Anti cancer
Circumin found in turmeric has the ability to fight cancer cells. Research has shown that the places where curmin is consumed very regularly in diet have a low cancer rate.
Other spices in curry like chili powder, cumin and coriander may also have some anticancer abilities
Anti oxidants
Circumin is a powerful anti-oxidant that relieves the body of oxidative stress by fighting free radicals. Free radicals damage the cells.
Antibacterial and Antifungal
Coriander and cumin are known to have antibacterial and antibacterial properties helping the body fight off any infections.
Blood sugar levels
Curry may also help lower the blood sugar levels making it a good and healthy choice for diabetics however, more research is required.
Improves digestion
Curry may also aid in digestion by improving digestive health and relieving symptoms of digestive discomfort such as flatulence, bloating, and diarrhea. Cumin, coriander, bay leaves and many others help in digestion.
Brain health
Some studies have shown that having curry can keep the brain healthy and reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Bone health
Curcumin may also be beneficial for bone health such as bone growth and repair however a lot more research is still required.
Reduces hunger
Some studies have shown that having curry improves the feeling of fullness and reduces hunger which prevents the person from overeating.
Read more about the health benefits of curry here.
How do you make a healthy curry?
Whether a curry is healthy or unhealthy depends on the type of ingredients you use to make it and their quantity. We will share a few tips with you which you should keep in mind when making a healthy curry.
- Add a lot of vegetables in your curry. Not only will they increase the nutritional value and fiber in a curry, they will also make the curry taste even better.
- Use chicken or seafood when making curry as they are mostly lean meat with abundant protein and less fat. Avoid fatty meats such as beef.
- Be very lenient when adding spices such as turmeric and cumin as they have a lot of health benefits. They will also make the curry flavorful.
- Use less oil to make curry or use low fat oils such as canola oil.
- Substitute coconut milk with low fat coconut milk because regular coconut milk is full of fat and calories.
- Skip the coconut milk. Use water or chicken stock instead. Chicken broth is healthy plus it adds a great flavor to the curry.
- Garnish the curry with fresh herbs like fresh coriander or parsley for added health benefits.
- When picking a side dish, go for whole grains such as swap white rice with brown rice. Similarly you can have a whole wheat naan instead of a regular naan.
Other FAQs about Curry that you may be interested in.
What to do if Garam masala is more in Curry?
What meat is best with green curry?
Conclusion
In this brief article, we answered the question “How healthy is curry?”, listed down its health benefits and told you how to make a healthy curry.
