5 Minute Turmeric Recipe to Launch Your Perfect Day

THIS SURPRISING MAGIC HERB SHOULD BE PART OF YOUR DAILY HEALTH ROUTINE

Turmeric!  God’s pharmacy is potent and full of herbs and spices that can be used not just to flavour our food but also to enhance our health. It’s been around for thousands of years and has a long medicinal history in India as well as its obvious benefits in flavouring foods such as curry.  I always have plenty of both fresh and organic dried turmeric on hand, and even carry some in my handbag.

Many years ago, I severely damaged a vertebrae in my neck as a result of a car accident. Over the years I have tried many different modalities to help alleviate some of the chronic pain that I lived with.  Before I got into health and nutrition, I abused strong pain killers.  At the time, if someone had suggested that I was taking too many of them, I would have been in denial but looking back, I know I was. The thing is though with any type of pain killer, particularly one’s containing codeine, is that the body builds up a resistance to them and so, over a course of time, more and more are needed.  I built up such a tolerance for codeine-based pain killers and was taking a frightening amount to simply get through the day as I didn’t’ have the luxury of not working. You can read my story here as to how I completely reclaimed my health:

These days, I live with the same problem neck but I don’t have the same degree of pain largely as a result of how I eat and live my life as well as the daily use of nature’s pain killer, the humble turmeric. Turmeric is one of nature’s most powerful anti-inflammatory medicines and beats drugs like ibuprofen hands down. It has been shown to be highly effective in treating conditions ranging from arthritis (particularly rheumatoid) to diabetes. I find it is also great for sinus congestion and hay fever. I am very sensitive to cigarette smoke and it plays havoc with my sinuses which then sets off a debilitating headache. If I am exposed to cigarette smoke, I now drink a soothing glass of Golden Milk and it settles my sinuses very quickly.

The active compounds in this wonderful knobby root herb are curcuminoids, and in particular curcumin which is a power anti-inflammatory as well as anti-oxidant. The curcumin compound in turmeric is a bioactive substance that fights inflammation at the molecular level.  Inflammation is the number one root cause of most serious illnesses in Western society, including arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Not only is it a powerful anti-inflammatory, but also an antioxidant that helps to fight free radicals and repair damage!

Add Turmeric to your smoothies, dressings, soups, cooking, etc. I grate it into my smoothies or over salads and add it into raw crackers. If you do want to cook Turmeric, rub it into your meats, etc and gently fry in coconut oil to bring out the wonderful flavours. This is just another wonderful example of using your kitchen to heal rather than reaching for a painkiller.

One of my all-time favorite drinks is Golden Milk. I drink a lot of it in winter but also find it a refreshing drink in summer where I tend to have it cold. I make up a batch of Golden Milk paste every week though you can make a bigger batch and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.  It is important to add ground black pepper to your paste when you make it as it helps the body to absorb the curcumin as unfortunately, curcumin is not well absorbed by the bloodstream as it metabolizes too quickly in the liver and intestinal wall.  I find by adding ground black pepper to my paste or adding it when I am cooking with turmeric, helps my body to absorb the powerful healing properties of the curcumin. According to the US National Library of Medicine, black pepper contains piperine which is a natural substance that increases the absorption of curcumin by over 2000%.

I also add in coconut oil when I am actually making my Golden Milk as this also improves the absorption of the curcumin as it is fat-soluble. Basically, there are two steps to making Golden Milk. First make your paste which you can then store in your refrigerator, and then make your Golden Milk using your paste and  your favourite milk. Personally, I love it with homemade Coconut Milk.

STEP ONE:

GOLDEN MILK PASTE:

• 1/2 cup of turmeric powder
• 1 ½ tablespoon of ground black pepper
• 1 cup of filtered water

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a small a small sauce pan and mix well. Turn the heat to medium and stir constantly until the mixture is a thick paste. This does not take long so don’t walk away from the pan.
2. Let this mixture cool and then keep it in a small jar in the fridge.

STEP TWO

MAKE THE GOLDEN MILK:

1. Combine 1 tspn – 1 tbspn of the golden paste (above) with 1 cup of milk and heat gently on the stove. I like a lot of turmeric so I add a heaped tablespoon but my son likes it with just 1 teaspoon so don’t be afraid to experiment with strength.
2. Add 1 tspn of honey and 1 tspn of coconut oil. Stir gently and do not boil.  Pour into glass/cup and sprinkle with cinnamon.
3. Enjoy!