Who can say where food aversions come from?  My worst one is turmeric, the element that gives yellow curry its, well, yellow-ness (confession: I’m shuddering just thinking about it).  There’s no good reason why I don’t care for the look, smell, or flavor of it.  I never had a bad experience at the homes of my childhood friends Sanjey, Pavneet, Deepa, or Priya.  But I just don’t like it.

Which is a shame, and not only because it makes me the jerk who says “anyplace but Indian” when picking a restaurant.  It’s also a bummer because turmeric is one of the most healthful substances around.  So here are 5 reasons I wish I liked it:

1. The curcumin in turmeric (the thing that gives it its orange-yellow color) may have powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties (see this article).

2. Curcuminoids are also plant-based antioxidants that protect the body from nasty free radicals and the damage they wreak.

3. Research studies (like this one) are investigating whether a turmeric-rich diet helps prevent heart disease.

4. Traditional Indian medicine (Ayurveda) has used it for centuries for everything from healing cuts and burns to strengthening teeth, and several Asian countries use it regularly for soothing stomachaches, improving liver health, and more (click for Wikipedia article). 

5. Heidi Swanson, my all-time fave foodie blogger, just posted this Cashew Curry dish, and I know it’d be delicious….if only I could be in the same room with it.