The Health Benefits of Thai Cuisine
Thai cuisine is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. In fact, several Thai dishes, such as Tom Yum Soup, are currently under scientific study for their incredible health benefits (see Thai Soup Under Study). Of course, it's already known that many of the fresh herbs and spices used in Thai cooking - such as turmeric, galangal, coriander, lemongrass and fresh chillies - have immune-boosting and disease-fighting power. Find out more about these and other ingredients that contribute to making Thai food one of the healthiest you can eat.
Each of the following Thai ingredients has numerous health benefits and immune-boosting power. To maximize these benefits, I recommend cooking your Thai food from scratch, which means you are using only the freshest ingredients.
TURMERIC
Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, is known as an anti-inflammatory, helping to relieve allergy symptoms as well as arthritis (or any condition caused by excess inflammation). It is also a powerful anti-oxidant, that can protect the body from damage by toxins and free radicals. Curcumin also protects platelets in the blood, improving circulation and protecting the heart.
As such, turmeric has been known to:
be a valuable digestive aid
helps those with arthritis
improve cardiovasular (heart) conditions
protect the body from bacterial infections (such as wounds)
fight skin and breast cancers in animal studies.
GALANGAL
Though foreign to most of us in the West, this relative of ginger has many of the same health benefits, most notably its ability to aid with digestion.
Galangal is now grown in most Southeast-Asian countries, but was first harvested for use in cooking and medicine in China and Java. By the Middle Ages, galangal was already in common use throughout Europe. Referred to as “the spice of life” by St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), galangal was, in fact, one of her favorite remedies. This famous herbalist used galangal to treat a wide variety of diseases.
Today, galangal is used extensively in Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, and is often thought to be even more beneficial than ginger in some ways.
Galangal has been found to:
alleviate abdominal discomfort and pain
assist in digestion
remedy vomiting, seasickness and motion sickness
improve blood circulation in hands and feet
treat diarrhea
fight inflammation, thereby treating arthritis
treat ulcers and inflammation of the stomach
even cure the hiccups!
LEMONGRASS
This fragrant lemony herb is used extensively in Thai cooking. It has also been used since ancient times in Chinese medicine for the following conditions:
flus and colds, which may be why Tom Yum Soup is so good at relieving cold & flu symptoms
fevers
headaches
abdominal pain and other stomach conditions
arthritis
fungal conditions
CORIANDER
In Thai cooking, coriander is used in two ways: in its seed form, and as a fresh herb. In the West, coriander is also known as "cilantro" or "Chinese parsley". While fresh coriander has nutritional value, coriander seed has been used since ancient times by healers in Greece, Rome, the UK, China, and India for the following complaints:
gastrointestinal trouble (including gas and bloating)
digestive problems
bacterial and fungal infections
loss of appetite
CHILIES (fresh or dried, whole, minced or powdered)
Recent human studies show that eating chillies helps you sleep better, keeps your heart healthy, and help maintain consistent insulin and glucose levels. Of all the chilies studied thus far, it seems cayenne pepper is one of the most powerful in terms of health benefits. Also, it's one of the few chilies which we use here in North America (available in flakes or powder in most grocery stores).
COCONUT MILK
In recent years, coconut milk has somehow been given a bad reputation when, in fact, it is extremely healthy. Once, coconut oil received negative press because of its high level of saturated fat. However, modern research has shown that not all saturated fats are alike and that the fatty acids in coconut oil, the medium chain triglycerides, do not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease, but are in fact very healthy. Contrary to what you might believe,
coconut milk lowers bad cholesterol (LDL), while promoting good cholesterol
boosts immunity
modulates metabolic functions
provides valuable fatty acids which most people in the West are lacking
fights aging
Some negative studies done on coconut oil in the past was done on hydrogenated coconut oil, which has been highly processed. Other studies have clearly shown that traditional Asian cultures that eat significant amounts of coconut do not suffer from modern diseases seen in the west where people consume other kinds of fats.
Coconut milk is very high in Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, In the human body, its converted to Monolaurin, which is a powerful anti-viral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid.
To read more on the health benefits of coconut oil and coconut milk, see: A New Look at Coconut Oil or The Health Benefits of Coconuts and Coconut Oil on the web at about.com.
edited, original source is Darlene Schmidt, About.com Guide