12 Tricks to Make Your Guilty Pleasure Foods Healthier

Add turmeric to your cheesiest dishes

If you’re the type to slather on nacho sauce, dip into a rich bowl of queso, or load your pasta with just about anything that has a melted texture, turmeric could be your new best friend. Why? Because turmeric’s bright yellow color can turn any naturally white, real-seeming cheese into the nacho-looking stuff which means you can fool just about anyone into thinking they’re dipping into the ooey-gooey nacho sauce they secretly love at movie theaters and stadiums. Aside from cutting back on chemical preservatives found in the pre-made yellow sauces, turmeric adds a potent dose of antioxidants that help curb inflammation. “Turmeric contains an ingredient, curcumin, which has incredible anti-inflammatory properties. It’s been linked to a reduction in all sorts of diseases,” explains Stephanie Greenspan MS, a registered dietitian in New Jersey. “It has been linked with a reduction in all sorts of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, cancer, and depression.” While eating turmeric-laced nachos probably won’t stave off heart disease, it may take the edge off the guilt associated with eating a whole plate. Here are 16 other foods that fight inflammation.