When it comes to healthy, healing drinks, Turmeric milk (“golden
milk”) is tops on the list, given it’s potent anti-inflammatory health
benefits.
Colder weather is starting to take hold, isn’t it? And while it may
not be as cold in SoCal as it is on the East Coast (I feel for you
guys), it’s still pretty darn cold for me. Nighttime temps in the 30’s,
yep that’s cold. So today I thought I’d whip up a recipe for a super
healthy, healing and warming beverage – turmeric milk.
Have you heard of turmeric milk (aka “golden milk”)? It’s been
seriously taking the world by storm over the last year. So much so that
Google made “turmeric” a top trending word of 2016 (and yes, I’m
just getting around to making a recipe with it in December – I know, I know).
Of course, if you’re from India, turmeric milk is nothing new and you
probably grew up with your mom making it for you. But for us western
folks, it may just be the coolest (warmest?) thing since
matcha lattes due to it’s myriad health benefits.
So let’s jump into those health benefits. If you have an autoimmune
condition (or 4, like me) then you’ll love turmeric milk for it’s
anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric is one of Mother Nature’s top
healing compounds and
studies
have shown that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, can
ameliorate certain autoimmune conditions by regulating inflammatory
signals. Cool stuff, right? In fact, it’s for that reason that I’ve
taken turmeric and we’ve given my dad (who has Parkinson’s, Rheumatoid
Arthritis and Coccidioidomycosis, among other things) turmeric pills for
years.
Turmeric is also a potent antioxidant, can fight free radicals (hello
aging) and can even help stave off the common cold. All because it
fights
chronic inflammation that may otherwise be suppressing your immune system.
But here’s the thing. You don’t have to take turmeric pills to get
those health benefits, just drink turmeric milk! Ayurvedic and Chinese
medicine have been prescribing turmeric milk for centuries…and I say why
mess with something that’s worked for centuries? Even better, warming
turmeric milk is soothing and relaxing before bed, like a chamomile tea,
so you may even get an awesome night’s rest. Oh, and one last bonus –
no gagging on pills. I totally suck at taking pills.
Turmeric Milk “Golden Milk” (dairy-free)
Posted by Lisa on December 7, 2016 / 1 Comment
When
it comes to healthy, healing drinks, Turmeric milk (“golden milk”) is
tops on the list, given it’s potent anti-inflammatory health benefits.
Colder weather is starting to take hold, isn’t it? And while it may
not be as cold in SoCal as it is on the East Coast (I feel for you
guys), it’s still pretty darn cold for me. Nighttime temps in the 30’s,
yep that’s cold. So today I thought I’d whip up a recipe for a super
healthy, healing and warming beverage – turmeric milk.
Have you heard of turmeric milk (aka “golden milk”)? It’s been
seriously taking the world by storm over the last year. So much so that
Google made “turmeric” a top trending word of 2016 (and yes, I’m
just getting around to making a recipe with it in December – I know, I know).
Of course, if you’re from India, turmeric milk is nothing new and you
probably grew up with your mom making it for you. But for us western
folks, it may just be the coolest (warmest?) thing since
matcha lattes due to it’s myriad health benefits.
So let’s jump into those health benefits. If you have an autoimmune
condition (or 4, like me) then you’ll love turmeric milk for it’s
anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric is one of Mother Nature’s top
healing compounds and
studies
have shown that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, can
ameliorate certain autoimmune conditions by regulating inflammatory
signals. Cool stuff, right? In fact, it’s for that reason that I’ve
taken turmeric and we’ve given my dad (who has Parkinson’s, Rheumatoid
Arthritis and Coccidioidomycosis, among other things) turmeric pills for
years.
Turmeric is also a potent antioxidant, can fight free radicals (hello
aging) and can even help stave off the common cold. All because it
fights
chronic inflammation that may otherwise be suppressing your immune system.
But here’s the thing. You don’t have to take turmeric pills to get
those health benefits, just drink turmeric milk! Ayurvedic and Chinese
medicine have been prescribing turmeric milk for centuries…and I say why
mess with something that’s worked for centuries? Even better, warming
turmeric milk is soothing and relaxing before bed, like a chamomile tea,
so you may even get an awesome night’s rest. Oh, and one last bonus –
no gagging on pills. I totally suck at taking pills.
Watch the video above to see just how easy it is to make turmeric
milk. Today, I’m using coconut milk, but you can also use almond milk or
cashew milk.
To that, just add some ground turmeric, a pinch of black pepper (which
helps your body absorb the curcumin), a sprinkle of cinnamon (another
natural anti-inflammatory) and your sweetener of choice. Then, bring to a
simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors all meld and enjoy. It really
is that easy.
Once you make it a time or two, feel free to get creative. Sometimes
I’ll add ginger (another fave herb) and if I’m using a nut milk, I’ll
always add coconut oil. Coconut milk has quite a bit of fat, so I tend
to skip the coconut oil when I’m using coconut milk, but fat is most
definitely needed to help the absorption of all the healing compounds.
Another benefit of coconut oil (and come to think of it, maybe why you
should add it either way), is that coconut oil helps the turmeric milk
froth it up (remember the lesson learned from my
sexy superfood hot chocolate?).
The moral of the story is turmeric is good for you, it’s loaded with
health benefits and it’s popular for a reason. So whip up a batch and do
like I did on these photos, sprinkle some extra cinnamon and a fresh
vanilla bean on top.
Enjoy!