Why You Need To Drink This Turmeric Tea Latte

Are you feeling bloated? Having joint pain? Low mood? This simple anti-inflammatory turmeric tea latte is here to rescue you!

Photo by Osha Key on Unsplash

Inflammation can wreak havoc on your body. In fact, science is pointing to the fact that many common diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, and even depression are linked to chronic inflammation. According to a recent study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), people diagnosed with depression show a 30% increase in brain inflammation than their non-depressed counterparts.

I found out about "golden milk" while searching for low-inflammatory foods when my anti-depression medication was actually causing bowel inflammation issues (I can't even imagine what my brain was doing!) Now, I reach for this drink when I am feeling bloated or sore, usually the week before my period. My hubby drinks it just because he likes the taste! It is an ancient recipe, and has probably been used for hundreds of years in the East. I have modified this recipe to our tastes, but feel free to experiment yourself.

Ingredients

Photo Courtesy of Wix

Turmeric

This tea latte has turmeric in it, a tasty yellow spice from India that packs a big health punch. The main active ingredient in turmeric is called curcumin, which works wonders by reducing swelling in the body and improving brain function. Clinical trials have used concentrated extracts of curcumin, showing that this powerful compound can work better than anti-inflammatory medication for treating rheumatoid arthritis, and can match Prozac in effectiveness for the treatment of depression (all without the nasty side effects of traditional medications!). Curcumin makes up only a small percentage of turmeric as a spice, so you would need to drink a lot of lattes and eat a ridiculous amount of curry to see its full potential, but hey, a little still goes a long way, right?

Black Pepper

You'll notice that this recipe also calls for black pepper - this is because curcumin isn't well absorbed by the body on its own. A compound in pepper called piperine can increase the bioavailability and absorption of curcumin by up to 2000%.

Coconut Milk

Curcumin is also fat soluble, which explains the coconut milk base of this tasty drink. Coconut milk is high in healthy fats and contains a surprising amount of vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, folate, iron, magnesium, and potassium.

Ginger

Not only does ginger taste great with the spice of turmeric and pepper, but it is also a natural anti-inflammatory and calms nausea. I use ginger regularly to treat minor tummy upsets - stay tuned for a post on my favourite soothing green tea with ginger and honey. I like to keep my ginger root in the freezer, and grate it directly over the saucepan.

Red Pepper Flakes

For some additional 'heat', I like to add some dried red pepper flakes to this drink. Red peppers contain the compound capsaicin, which has anti-inflammatory and pain-killing effects, as well as helping aid digestion and metabolism.

Cinnamon

Did you know that cinnamon is actually the dried inner bark of a tree? This tasty spice is also a proven anti-inflammatory. You could use cinnamon powder for this recipe, however it makes the colour of the tea a little less appealing...plus, everyone loves to try to use them like a straw or pretend they are fancy cigars!

Brown Sugar

Many recipes call for honey instead of brown sugar for turmeric tea, however I love the taste of cinnamon and brown sugar together.

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Recipe & Directions

Here is my recipe for 2 cups of turmeric tea!

• 1 can of coconut milk

• 1/2 can of water (not necessary but my hubby doesn't like his latte quite so rich)

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp brown sugar

• Grated frozen ginger (to taste...I like A LOT)

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (remember not to skip this!)

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 cinnamon sticks

Note: sometimes I add 1 tsp of medicated coconut oil to add a mood-boosting and painkilling punch to this recipe!

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, heat until starts to bubble, stirring often. The colour of the tea should become bright yellow, that's when you know it's ready. Pour into two mugs and serve hot!

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I hope you enjoyed this recipe! You can pin it on Pinterest to save for later. Thanks for reading, and let me know your favourite tricks for dealing with inflammation in the comments.

Catherine