When you experience autoimmune conditions, it means that somewhere along the way your immune system went rogue and began attacking your own tissues, organs and cells. This usually happens when there has been long term chronic inflammation.

“Inflammation is a normal part of our physiology but it should not become unbalanced.”

Inflammation is a normal part of our physiology but it should not become unbalanced. When we see severe inflammation in the body, that has been there for a long time, this is when autoimmunity may set in. The list of autoimmune diseases is long but some of the most common ones are arthritis, eczema, asthma, crohn's disease, hashimoto's/graves, type 1 diabetes, and celiac.

“Our immune system’s job is to fight against invaders.”

Our immune system’s job is to fight against invaders, but in this modern day toxic world our immune system is getting confused between our own cells and those cells that we should be fighting against. This means that the root of the autoimmune condition is within your immune system, in which case, nurturing a healthy immune system is incredibly important.

Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. And did you know that the bioavailability of turmeric is increased when you pair it with certain foods?

Turmeric is used to support symptoms of arthritis, asthma, bloating, digestive issues, liver problems, heartburn and headaches. It has also been found to support fat metabolism and weight management.

So how do you get the most out of this wonder food? You pair it with healthy fats such as coconut oil (and black pepper, although we have not used pepper in this turmeric nut slice recipe!)

Serves 12 | GF, DF, RSF

Ingredients:

Base

• 1 cup of ground almonds
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1-2 Tbsp hulled tahini
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp honey or sweetener of choice

Topping

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 4 Tbsp hulled tahini
• 1 tsp honey or sweetener of choice
• 1cm fresh ginger, grated
• Juice of half a lemon
• Sprinkle of finely chopped almonds

Instructions:

1. Combine all base ingredients together, mixing until you have a sticky, moist mixture
2. Add extra tahini or coconut oil if your mixture is too dry
3. Line a 20cm x 10cm baking tin with baking paper and press mixture firmly down to create the base layer (base layer should be at least 1cm thick
4. Place base in the freezer to harden
5. In the meantime, place coconut oil, tahini and honey in a small pan on low heat, stirring to combine
6. Take the mixture off the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients
7. Once the base is hard, pour the topping mixture evenly over it and place back in the freezer
8. Once the topping has started to set a little, sprinkle the top with the chopped almonds
9. Place back in the freezer until completely set
10. Enjoy!