If you fight allergies, digestive problems, irritated skin, headaches, or even serious chronic health problems, then you might be familiar with
inflammation, AKA the no-fun combo of heat, pain, redness, and swelling in the body. (Um, ouch.) Some are going so far as to call it the health crisis of our time—probably because common American diet staples like
dairy,
gluten, and
sugar can all cause it.
That includes chef David Bouley, who is on a mission to change the way we eat. One of his sneaky inflammation-fighting tricks is using a powerful fighting agent, turmeric, right from the get-go. The New York City culinary star—who is opening a new restaurant with an emphasis on teaching people how to cook healthier at home—has logged about 500 infused-oil recipes. Yep, you read that right: 500. Aside from turmeric, he also counts mint oil (to calm the body), lemon (to boost immunity), and vanilla (another inflammation fighter), as kitchen regulars.
Combining turmeric with high-quality oils is smart because the benefits of the spice are transported more easily through healthy fats—swap it for your usual EVOO
As he explained at an event co-hosted with Well+Good and Dr. Frank Lipman, MD, the oils are what he calls building blocks to a "living pantry" he's creating. The idea is to have a kitchen full of healthy tools (like veggies and the aforementioned turmeric oil) at your disposal, so you can make yourself Bouley Botanical-quality foods in a minimal amount of time.
"[These oils are] one of the ways that we get health benefits we hear a lot about into the kitchen, and into our bodies," Bouley explains. "Because they're so powerful and so clean, you could do anything with them."
And because Bouley wants everyone to be able to cook like him, he shared his recipe at the event, and we're passing along the goods. He combines turmeric with high-quality oils because the benefits of the spice are transported more easily through healthy fats—swap it in for your usual EVOO and you're in for a (body-calming) surprise.
Here's how you can whip up your own turmeric-infused, anti-inflammation oil.
David Bouley's turmeric oil recipe
Ingredients
1 cup powdered turmeric
10 Tbsp avocado oil
10 Tbsp grape seed oil
10 Tbsp olive oil
1. Fill a water bottle with the oils and turmeric.
2. Let sit for two weeks. And, voila, it's ready to use.
Looking for more ways to fight inflammation? Try sipping on one of these seasonal drinks. And this simple breathing exercise can help, too.
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