Why You Benefit More from Taking Turmeric With A Heavier Meal

The curcumin in turmeric has powerful health benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies show that it may help manage inflammation and pain, and can even be beneficial for treating certain health conditions. 

However, curcumin has low bioavailability. In other words, it’s hard for your body to absorb the curcumin from turmeric. If you’re adding turmeric to your food or taking a supplement, you also need black pepper and fatty foods at the same time to help your body absorb the curcumin.

Enhancing Turmeric Absorption

It’s well-known that black pepper and turmeric work well together. Many turmeric supplements also contain black pepper to enhance bioavailability. Black pepper contains piperine, which can enhance curcumin absorption by up to 2,000%.

Curcumin is fat-soluble. When you take turmeric with a meal containing healthy fats, that also enhances curcumin absorption. That’s why it’s good to take turmeric with both black pepper and a heavier fat-containing meal. 

Cautions To Keep In Mind

Because black pepper enhances the absorption of curcumin so effectively, people who take highly concentrated doses of turmeric and black pepper might be getting too much curcumin. Recent studies in the U.S. have shown there may be “a correlation between turmeric supplements, black pepper and liver injury.” The number affected appears small, but you should still exercise caution before taking large or highly concentrated doses of turmeric with black pepper.

Turmeric can also lower blood sugar and affect some medications. Talk to your doctor before taking turmeric, especially in supplement form, if you have diabetes. You should also talk with your doctor if you’re taking medications (especially blood thinners, chemotherapy, or certain immunosuppression drugs) or have an underlying medical condition. 

Tips for Taking Turmeric With Food

The safest way to add turmeric to your diet is to cook with it. Making a meal with turmeric, black pepper, and healthy fats will improve absorption of curcumin. There are lots of different recipes you can try, including Turmeric Black Pepper Chicken, Turmeric Scrambled Eggs, and Easy Chickpea Curry.

You can also drink turmeric as a tea with a meal containing black pepper and fats, or make golden milk–a blend of turmeric, black pepper, milk, and oil. You might also consider taking turmeric in supplement form. Talking with a medical professional or an expert nutrition coach can help you decide what’s the right choice for you.