got milk? The Health Benefits of Golden Milk
Having recently written about turmeric helping with weight loss I wanted to talk more about the health benefits of turmeric because there is so much more! It was in that blog I talked about taking turmeric pills in order to have high doses of curcumin, which is the main anti-inflammatory ingredient in turmeric. Turmeric can be used in cooking, especially Indian dishes. It can easily be added to a healthy shake as well. I wrote how it can be used in a health drink with apple cider vinegar here and now I am going to talk about its health benefits and making another delicious healthy drink called golden milk. For all my nondairy drinkers out there, don't worry, you can use seed or nut milk as well. My favorite way to make golden milk is with coconut milk. But first, here are 8 reasons to start adding it in to your diet:
Turmeric milk helps build immunity
Helps sleep
It is a good remedy for digestive problems.
It supports the liver.
Helps fight cancer
Clarifies the skin.
Gives relief from autoimmune diseases
Good for fighting Alzheimer's disease
When adding it to your diet you need to know that adding black pepper to it helps turmeric become more bioavailable. Which is another way of saying your body can absorb more turmeric if you add black pepper with it. Drinking golden milk before bed can help sleep because turmeric reduces inflammation, lowers your blood sugar levels, helps your liver to detoxify, boosts your immune system and eases your digestive system – all of which help you to get to sleep faster, to sleep better, and to wake up feeling refreshed.
How do you make golden milk?
Serves 2
Ingredients
½ cup warm water
1 cup coconut milk (or any milk you prefer)
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp virgin coconut oil
½ inch ginger knob, peeled and grated
1/4 tsp. black pepper or 2 black peppercorns, crushed
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp nutmeg powder
¼ tsp cardamom powder
*Optional 2 tsp raw organic honey or pure maple syrup for the vegan version
Preparation
Whisk coconut milk, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, honey, coconut oil, black pepper, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors have melded, about 10 minutes.
Do Ahead. Golden milk can be made 5 days ahead and reheated.
Golden milk powder with the exact ratios of spice can be bought at the office or online. Just add a teaspoon to simmering coconut milk or almond milk and you're done!
A great place to buy a golden milk latte with almost any type of milk you want is at Dr. Smood with the closest one to the office being on Lexington Ave at 47th St.
Our Favorite Coffee Alternatives
Coffee is one of the vials we test for in our food test kit. Due to the acidity and making the adrenals push out more adrenaline than necessary it definitely isn't a healthy drink for everyone. We also test caffeine in a separate vial to see if the sensitivity is to both or just one or the other. We know coffee can be extremely hard to quit and you may even go through caffeine withdrawal with a 3 day headache with it FINALLY being okay on the fourth day. So we wanted to take the time to give you some coffee alternatives.
1. Golden milk
This drink does quite the opposite of coffee for it helps you relax and is a good drink to have after dinner to relax. For all my nondairy drinkers out there, don't worry, you can use seed or nut milk instead of regular milk. Dr. Armitstead's favorite way to make golden milk is with coconut milk. But first, here are 9 reasons to start drinking golden milk or turmeric lattes:
Turmeric helps build immunity
Helps sleep
It is a good remedy for digestive problems.
It supports the liver.
Helps fight cancer
Clarifies the skin.
Gives relief from autoimmune diseases
Good for the brain and fighting Alzheimer's disease
Is anti-inflammatory
When adding it to your diet you need to know that adding black pepper to it helps turmeric become more bioavailable. Which is another way of saying your body can absorb more turmeric if you add black pepper with it. Drinking golden milk before bed can help sleep because turmeric reduces inflammation, lowers your blood sugar levels, helps your liver to detoxify, boosts your immune system and eases your digestive system – all of which help you to get to sleep faster, to sleep better, and to wake up feeling refreshed.
How do you make golden milk?
Serves 2
Ingredients
½ cup warm water
1 cup coconut milk (or any milk you prefer)
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp virgin coconut oil
½ inch ginger knob, peeled and grated
1/4 tsp. black pepper or 2 black peppercorns, crushed
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp nutmeg powder
¼ tsp cardamom powder
*Optional 2 tsp raw organic honey or pure maple syrup for the vegan version
Preparation
Whisk coconut milk, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, honey, coconut oil, black pepper, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors have melded, about 10 minutes.
Make ahead of time. Golden milk can be made 5 days ahead and reheated.
Golden milk powder with the exact ratios of spice can be bought here at Wellbends. Just add a teaspoon to simmering milk and you're done!
A great place to buy a turmeric latte with almost any type of milk you want is at Gregorys Coffee with the closest one to the Manhattan office being on 40th St. and Madison Ave.
2. Mud/Wtr
Is a spin of Golden Milk with a little caffeine and health benefits of mushrooms. All organic ingredients with 1/7th the caffeine as a cup of coffee, you get focus, energy and immunity without the jitters, crash and dependency. Ingredients: Cacao, Masala chai, Turmeric, Himalayan salt, Cinnamon, Chaga, Cordyceps, Reishi, and Lion’s mane. The mushrooms boost your immunity in a way that Golden milk does not but it is missing black pepper for the turmeric to be better absorbed. It can only be found online here.
3. Teeccino
Is a dark roast of chicory and barley with other plants that make it taste good and is actually like a dark tea. It is the darkest hot drink we can find other than coffee and does not have any caffeine. They have over 20 different flavors however not all flavors are organic. Some flavors include mushrooms. A great one has dandelion in it to help the liver detox. Teeccino can come in tea bags or like ground coffee depending on how you would like to make it. It can be found at health food stores, local grocery stores and online. Flavors include Chaga Ashwagandha Butterscotch Cream, Chocolate Raspberry, Dandelion Coconut and so much more!,