The beginning of the year is always a great time to re-evaluate habits and work on our seasonal routines. This post was originally published in 2019, and two years later, golden milk is still one of our favorite winter drinks. We hope you’ll give it a try!
Have you tried golden milk yet? You may have also heard it referred to as turmeric tea.What about making your own?
We admit, this is one of those foods that seems to be trendy for the moment. BUT, after reading yet another article about it last January, we had to give it a try last year. That one cup 12 months ago turned into a peaceful and healthy ritual that’s lasted a full year. Today we wanted to share this drink with you.
About Turmeric
Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family. As a spice, the roots of the plant are used either fresh or dried and powdered. It is believed that the curcumin compound within turmeric can decrease inflammation within the body as well as providing other health benefits. As mentioned in this article, the spice has proven “anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial”, but as also stated by the NIH, it is difficult to find rigorous studies supporting many of the health claims associated with turmeric.
Additionally, studies like this suggest that consuming turmeric with a food that contains the compound peperine will increase your body’s absorption of curcumin into the bloodstream. Thus, consuming turmeric with foods that contain peperine may increase the spice’s potency. Our recipe includes freshly ground black pepper for that reason.
Personally, we are open health claims associated with plants that have been consumed for centuries for their beneficial properties. BUT we also don’t want to spread misinformation, so without a few specific studies to point to, we suggest that you research these claims for yourself.
Golden Milk
Our recipe only varies slightly from when we started. The one main change is that we include freshly ground black pepper for it’s ability to increase the level of curcumin absorbed by the body. Because, if your’e going to believe in fringe medicine, you gotta go full throttle.
- 1 cup soy milk (we prefer soy over other non-dairy milks because of its high protein levels, but you can use another milk if you prefer)
- 1/2 to 1 inch piece of fresh turmeric peeled and grated (I use my favorite microplane for this)
- ground cardamom
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground black pepper
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. I don’t use strict measurements, just the fresh turmeric and a couple of dashes of everything else. Warm over medium heat. I prefer not to rush the warming of this, and definitely don’t bring it to even a simmer. If you do, then as it cools, you’ll get a skin on top of the drink (yuck).
That cute little pot with the wooden handle? It’s Dansk’s butter warmer; they just call it that because they’ve never had golden milk.