PEOPLE IN FOOD
Former Premier League footballer Thomas ‘Hal’ Robson-Kanu found that his sports injuries were hugely improved by his homemade turmeric shots
As a professional footballer, Thomas ‘Hal’ Robson-Kanu lived his boyhood dreams.
In a career spanning 15 years, he played in the Premier League for clubs West Brom and Reading, and represented Wales at international level. But an early setback almost cut his playing days short – were it not for a home remedy that he calls his ‘secret weapon’.
As a teenager, Thomas suffered two big knee injuries. After the second, surgeons advised he would never play without pain or restriction again, writing off his hopes of a football career. After two and a half years of physio and rehabilitation, it seemed they were right. ‘I would hit these barriers of pain, inflammation and swelling,’ he says. ‘There were a lot of dark nights.
I had a dream of becoming a footballer, but I couldn’t even get out of bed without pain.’
Doctors prescribed Thomas painkillers, but he suffered nasty side effects. So he turned to natural nutrition. ‘My father and I went on a natural remedies research binge,’ he says. His dad, Rechi, began sourcing ingredients linked with aiding muscle soreness and inflammation – watermelon, pineapple, pomegranate, ginger and turmeric – blending them into a ‘golden elixir’ that Thomas would drink around his activities. After about six weeks, he noticed a change. ‘It was the first time I had woken up without any pain or restriction in my knee,’ he says. ‘My whole psyche shifted.’ A year later, Thomas made his first team debut.
‘It was the first time I’d woken up without any pain or restriction in my knee’
This blend became a fixture of Thomas’s diet. His discovery was timely – interest in turmeric in particular as a wellness remedy is rising. The root is lauded for its health benefits, including anti-inflammation and pain and nausea relief. There is also interest in its potential for helping conditions such as arthritis and Alzheimer’s. Thomas recalls his excitement at first seeing turmeric shots for sale several years ago: it meant that somebody else ha
