This may be “so three years ago,” but it’s stuck around in my house. A combination of my hormones feeling like they are out of wack, cooler nights, and wanting a guilt-free after dinner treat has me gravitating towards the ingredients in this warming anti-inflammatory beverage pretty frequently around winter and the beginning of spring.
There are a lot of versions of this recipe floating around the Internet. I personally found NUTRITIONSTRIPPED's to be the best, which is where this recipe originates from. I’m a big fan of McKel Hill and all things NUTRITIONSTRIPPED. I started following her work a few years ago. Calling McKel extremely knowledgable in all things nutrition is an understatement. On top of her clean aesthetic, go-getter girl ways, delicious and easy-to-follow recipes, she’s extremely goofy and totally herself. She no longer posts on Snapchat, which almost every post, even serious, somehow had her goofy humor involved, but she does still video on Instagram and you can sometimes catch that humor in between posts of her recipes that she’s screen shotted from her followers attempts. She’s a big inspiration for me, both on a personal and professional level.
Why go through the process of temporarily staining your fingers, cutting board, and tongue for this recipe?
Because it’s delicious. Duh.
O, and, like all items which include turmeric, this milk has some properties your body won’t want to miss out on.
Turmeric
In recent years, turmeric has been the star of the show in the health and wellness industry, and for good reason. Turmeric is one of the most powerful natural anti-inflammatories out there. In India, they smoke far more tobacco than we do as American’s, yet their lung-cancer rate is extremely low compared to ours. Researchers trace this statistic back to a compound in turmeric called curcumin. Curcumin is what makes turmeric yellow. Indian’s eat a lot of curry, which usually calls for a lot of turmeric, making an abundance of it in their diet.
Pepper
Curcumin gets metabolized by the body very quickly, making it hard to absorb all of it’s goodness. Adding a bit of pepper solves this problem. Pepper’s key compound is called piperine, which reacts with curcumin, making it more bioavailable or easy for the body to absorb. Whenever using Turmeric, add a pinch of pepper!
Cinnamon
Cinnamon has a clean, folded, and put away laundry list of incredible properties. Just a few are it’s anti-inflammatories, anti-oxidants aiding the removal of free radicals from the human body, and helping to reduce LDL levels or the “bad cholesterol.” You can read about it in detail over at draxe.com.
Ghee or Coconut Oil
Ghee, or clarified butter, is used in Ayurvedic medicine for skin and intestinal healing purposes, and it's my favorite way to add healthy fats into my diet. It contains a short chain fatty acid called butyric acid, which your intestinal tract thrives on. Your body needs a variety of good fats to produce and keep hormones in check. If you’d like a vegan version, Coconut Oil does the same job!
Honey
Using local honey to add a touch of sweetness can also add in anti-microbial’s. Honey, especially when local, can actually help you to build up immunity to local allergens as well.
Salt
A tiny bit of salt with the sweet is always a good idea!
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GOLDEN TURMERIC MILK Cook time: 10 mins | Yields: 2 servings
2 cups Hemp, Almond, or Coconut Milk, preferably homemade. Wholistic Belly's homemade recipe here.
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch of Pepper
Pinch of Salt
1 Tbs Ghee
1 Tbs Honey
Whisk all ingredients in a sauce pan.
Simmer for 10 minutes, staring periodically.
Serve warm. Optional: add cinnamon sticks!
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