Golden Turmeric Milk

Turmeric is a beautiful thing.

It’s so good for your body, virtually anyone can benefit from it.  It’s most known for its active ingredient, Curcumin.  Although you need to consume a lot of turmeric to get a high amount of curcumin, some believe it is best to eat the whole rather than the curcumin extract. Curcumin is a highly studied component of turmeric, best known for its anti-inflammatory benefits.

Based on a quick google search….

According to Authority Nutrition:

“Curcumin blocks NF-kB, a molecule that travels into the nuclei of cells and turns on genes related to inflammation. NF-kB is believed to play a major role in many chronic diseases.”

It also is absorbed best when eaten with a fatty meal or consuming black pepper with it.  This helps enhance absorption around 2,000%, which is great about this recipe because we are adding black pepper to create our paste.

And taken from Dr.Weil’s website:

“Alzheimer’s disease: Duke found more than 50 studies on turmeric’s effects in addressing Alzheimer’s disease. The reports indicate that extracts of turmeric contain a number of natural agents that block the formation of beta-amyloid, the substance responsible for the plaques that slowly obstruct cerebral function in Alzheimer’s disease.
Arthritis: Turmeric contains more than two dozen anti-inflammatory compounds, including sixdifferent COX-2-inhibitors (the COX-2 enzyme promotes pain, swelling and inflammation; inhibitors selectively block that enzyme). By itself, writes Duke, curcumin – the component in turmeric most often cited for its healthful effects – is a multifaceted anti-inflammatory agent, and studies of the efficacy of curcumin have demonstrated positive changes in arthritic symptoms.
Cancer: Duke found more than 200 citations for turmeric benefits related to cancer and more than 700 for curcumin and cancer. He noted that in the handbook Phytochemicals: Mechanisms of Action, curcumin and/or turmeric were effective in animal models in prevention and/or treatment of colon cancer, mammary cancer, prostate cancer, murine hepatocarcinogenesis (liver cancer in rats), esophageal cancer, and oral cancer. Duke said that the effectiveness of the herb against these cancers compared favorably with that reported for pharmaceuticals.”

And it seems turmeric is also promising for breast cancer, as found on Dr.Mercola‘s website:

“One study noted that curcumin, the major component of the spice turmeric, has several therapeutic effects, one being the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. Curcumin was studied against triple-negative breast cancer, which scientists noted has a poor prognosis, after which researchers concluded that curcumin may be able to inhibit the proliferation of TNBC cells, possibly due to a change in the signaling pathway of the cancer’s underlying molecular mechanism.”

So yes, it does seem to be a very beneficial superfood, one that I always try to keep in my cabinets or my refrigerator.

The reason why I made this actually was thanks to my Mother in law.

She said she saw something about turmeric on Facebook (and funny too, her sister that same week messaged me a video on the benefits of turmeric). She asked me to look up a recipe for turmeric paste that she can make to create Golden Milk with. So we did, and then she made it with turmeric powder (and I watched lol), and I tasted it and I Loved it. It is so creamy, flavorful and comforting.  My Father in law fell in love with it too, he uses the freshly ground turmeric root to help with his arthritis flare ups. And he says it really does work.  So a few days later I made a batch for myself with about 10 or so fresh turmeric roots (that Tim so so nicely cut and grated for me!!! LOL his hands were yellow afterwards – CAUTION: Turmeric STAINS! We had to use bleach to get our countertop white after this so be careful and make preparations to cover the counter in a towel or something ahead of time).  The taste was the same either way, I don’t notice a big difference. It is personal preference. I imagine the roots will be healthier for you, but the powder is deffinately less time consuming and more convenient.

It is the perfect warm comfort drink in the winter time…although today was 70F out in NY!!! And BTW you can also drink this chilled too. But the temperatures around me will drop down to freezing by Sunday, so if you are in the same boat as me, you owe it to yourself to make this easy recipe. I’m sure glad I made it:)

Happy Sabbath everyone!

This recipe was adapted from Where is My Spoon Here.

Golden Turmeric Milk

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Serves: 10-15 Cups Cooking Time: 30 Minute 30 Minute

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• TURMERIC PASTE:
• 1.5 Cups - Filtered Water
• 10 - Turmeric Roots, shredded or 1/2 Cup Turmeric Powder
• 2" - Ginger Root, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp - Cinnamon Powder
• 2 tsp - Black Pepper
• 1 tsp - Nutmeg Powder
• 3 Tbsp - Coconut Oil
• FOR THE MILK:
• 1 Scoop - Turmeric Pasre
• 1-2 Cups - Vegan Milk (of your choice)
• 1/2 Tbsp - Honey or Maple Syrup

Instructions

1. Chop up and grate your turmeric (if using fresh whole roots) and ginger into very fine pieces (be sure to remove the outer skin though).
2. Add your water into a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil.
3. Next add the rest of the ingredients for the paste in and cook on medium-low for 3-5 minutes. Stir to prevent burning. Towards the end it should start to thicken up, just add more water if it becomes too thick.
4. Once the consistency turns into a paste, turn off the heat and let cool. Then transfer to a glass container and store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
5. When you are ready to make your Golden Milk, warm up 1-2 cups of your choice of milk in a small saucepan over medium low flame, and add in a scoop of your paste. Once it reaches the temperature you want it at, remove from the heat, add in your sweetener, and if you used fresh turmeric root, strain through a strainer. Pour into a mug, let your mind relax and enjoy the flavors of health!