If you are not a big fan of detoxification treatments but still want to treat your body to something healthy in the spring, try golden milk. The preparation is very easy, and the taste is excellent. Plus, you do not need dozens of ingredients. You can prepare the milk base and pull it out of the fridge whenever you feel peckish.
Spectacular effects of curcumin
The main ingredient of golden milk is deep yellow turmeric, thanks to whose golden colour the drink got its name. It contains a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer curcumin, which has dozens of medicinal effects. The most important ones include strengthening the immune system, regulating cholesterollevels, improving digestion, detoxifying the liver, or regulating digestion. In Asian countries, curcumin has been known for centuries and ranked among the "medicines" they have used for various ailments. Among other things, it also improves the quality of sleep.
The effect of curcumin is significantly supported by ground black pepper - it increases efficiency up to 2000x. As a basis for making golden milk, prepare turmeric paste in advance; this will save your time when preparing the drink. You may keep turmeric paste in the fridge and reach for it whenever you feel like golden milk. So here we go:
Turmeric paste
Gather all the ingredients:
- a quarter of a 250 ml cup of turmeric
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- half a cup of water
Put turmeric in a small pot, add black pepper and water. Stir the mixture thoroughly and simmer it on a low flame stirring constantly until it thickens; simmering also softens the bitterish taste of turmeric. Then pour it into a closable glass and let it cool. Store the paste only in the refrigerator.
Turmeric paste can be varied to suit your taste, with the addition of other spices; a great choice is ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, or cloves.
Golden milk from turmeric paste
You will need:
- 1/4 teaspoon of ready-made turmeric paste
- 1 cup of coconut or other milk
- 1 teaspoon of coconut oil or rendered butter (ghee)
- honey to taste
Pour hot milk over the turmeric paste and teaspoon of coconut oil and mix well. Allow to cool to a maximum of 40 - 50 °C, and then sweeten with honey. Bon appetite!
Treat yourself to golden milk in the evening
The effects of turmeric are said to be best before bed, so enjoy golden milk in the evening. When you're peckish, you don't have to reach for chocolate, but you can prepare delicious golden milk very quickly. The spices make it thick, so it will fill you up and chase away any sweet cravings.
If you want to treat yourself to golden milk only occasionally and are afraid that you will have leftover turmeric paste, you can always prepare the milk directly from fresh or dried turmeric. The preparation is simple, it just takes a little more time (and dishes :-) compared to the preparation from turmeric paste.
Golden turmeric milk
You will need:
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric or approx. 2 cm piece of fresh turmeric root
- 1 pinch of ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of coconut oil or ghee
- to taste: approx. 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, approx. 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger or a piece of fresh turmeric root
- honey to taste
If using fresh turmeric root, cut it in slices (the same if using fresh ginger root). Pour the milk into a saucepan, add all the ingredients except honey and bring to the boil on a low flame. Let it simmer slightly, stirring occasionally, 3-5 minutes is enough. Allow to cool to 40 - 50 °C, then season with honey and enjoy.
