Wednesday Wellbeing: Turmeric latte by Zoe
Golden miracles
We hear much about the magic and power of turmeric these days and of course it’s all true as far as I’m concerned! This wonderful coloured root really is a superfood that helps to reduce inflammation with its active ingredient curcumin.
Turmeric is a potent substance known for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. According to Dr Axe there have been over 12,500 peer-reviewed articles published on the benefits! Enough said.
The benefits of turmeric
Turmeric can support many health issues, including challenges with digestion, fatigue, fighting colds, viruses and flu, it’s anti-inflammatory properties can support those with cancer, arthritis and joint pains and aches, plus other variants of pain, including menstrual pain. It’s also known for fighting inflammation, depression and promoting healthy skin. It can be taken in a good quality supplement form and can also be consumed as part of our daily food intake.
Uses for golden turmeric root
I love to use the fresh, organic turmeric root. Most days I add it to something or other. Including grated into soups, sliced in infusions, chopped or made into a paste for a curry, shredded into stews, grated and added to a tagine or quinoa and of course chucking a chunk in the Vitamix or juicer for shots, juices and smoothies!
But one of my favourite uses and most requested recipe, is for golden milk, or a turmeric latte or as it’s traditionally known haldi doodh. This healing cup of golden goodness, has its roots in Ayurveda and tastes deliciously creamy! It’s a life saver and can sometimes dispatch a cold or sore through before it even takes hold. It can also help to get rid of chesty coughs and fights flu. It’s my go to if I’m feeling a bit run down. An early night and a cup of golden milk are my miracle workers. And If nothing else is working, try a couple of cups of golden milk a day.
No offence but unless you love them, please do forget the versions that can be boughtin take outs, health food restaurants or your mainstream Starbucks and even the pre-made powder blends! I’ve yet to come across one that tastes remotely good! Even the turmeric latte I purchased to sip luxuriously in a café in Paris last week was a poor substitute for my homemade blend.
So, I’m sharing my tried and tested pimped up version this week, so you’re in for a real treat!
Golden Milk Recipe
To make a batch I use the following:
1 pint of milk (I use a plant-based variety but cow is the traditional go to)
1 or 2 dates for sweetness, optional. I use dates because of their nutritional value.
2 – 3 cm organic ginger root
4 – 6 cm organic turmeric root
1 tablespoon ghee, pure butter or coconut oil
2 drops doTERRA black pepper essential oil
2 drops doTERRA cardamom essential oil
Or using dry ingredients;
Add 1 level tsp ground turmeric ( you can reduce slightly to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Few twists of black pepper
Couple of notes before I start. You can omit the use of dates and use a sweetner of choice at the end, for example, honey, maple syrup, agave. You need to add the butter or some kind of fatty oil and the black pepper for the turmeric to work its magic effectively. I have a heavy duty Vitamix so everything I use is blended to oblivion but this is not essential.
Organic ginger and turmeric can be bought online via Riverford but I also use our local food cooperative Infinity Foods in Brighton. If you’re using fresh and it’s not organic, peel it first. I leave the skin on mine as it’s organic so it all goes in the Vitamix!
https://www.riverford.co.uk/bri/
I really do hope you’ll give this a try, once you’ve mastered it to your taste buds, it’s a simple fix. Plus, it really is delicious and IT WORKS!
Pop over to my stories on the Gram @Zoe.Swan to see the shades of yellow!
Yours in creamy, golden goodness,
Zoe
Health & Wellness Coach
Kundalini Yoga & Meditation Teacher