Golden Latte - For All Your Aches and Pains
What is a Golden Latte?
The Golden Latte or Golden Milk is an Ayurvedic anti-inflammatory remedy that is centuries old. This recipe has grown very popular in recent years, one reason is that it actually works!
I personally don’t have too many aches and pains so I didn’t jump on this bandwagon at first, but my mother has some arthritis-type pain in her hip and she uses this every day. She claims that within 20-30 minutes of taking the Golden Paste her hip pain is gone. She also gives it to the dog for his hip issues too.
Even if you don’t feel pain most people that eat a diet including processed foods will experience low-level, chronic inflammation in the body. This is the bad kind of inflammation, the kind that causes health issues.
Eating and drinking things that help reduce inflammation will go a long way to keeping you healthy overall. You can also just take the Golden Paste like a pill, putting a small, pill-sized amount on your tongue and swallowing with water. My mother claims taking a little bit more frequently throughout the day is more helpful for inflammation than one golden latte in the morning or evening.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE INGREDIENTS?
In the recipe, every ingredient is essential and has a purpose. Turmeric is a flowering plant in the ginger family. When you see this in its root form you might confuse it with ginger it looks so similar. However, when you cut into it you’ll see bright orange instead of ginger yellow.
The anti-inflammatory properties come from curcumin, the compound responsible for the orange coloring. You won’t find too many studies that can confirm that there are any medicinal effects from curcumin or turmeric but I’m a strong advocate for seeing if it works for you. If it helps relieve your pain then who needs a study to say it works? You can do your own study of ‘one’.
Coconut Oil - turmeric is fat soluble so we need to add some fat in order to help the turmeric do its work. Coconut oil is one way but you could use other oils if you prefer. Link to coconut oil benefits from nutrition.org
Peppercorns contain an enzyme called Piperine, this slows down the digestion of turmeric allowing the body to boost the absorption of curcumin by up to 2000%.
Ginger root - most likely you have a least the dried form of ginger in your cabinet at home. The fresh root (rhizome) is also great to keep around the kitchen to use in everything from tea to stir-fry. Ginger contains a substance called gingerol, a powerful anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant.
Cinnamon - is also a powerful anti-inflammatory.
Acute inflammation is good and a necessary reaction to heal the body and defend yourself from harm. However, chronic (long-term) inflammation can lead to a whole host of health problems. The Golden Latte is just one food type that can help combat chronic inflammation. Eating a diet low in sugar and processed foods will also help your body’s natural ability to heal itself.
Recipe for the Paste
Ingredients
1 c. (235ml) water (distilled if possible)
1/2 c. (60g) ground turmeric root
1/3 c. (70g) extra virgin coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp. (5g) freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. (5g) ground ginger root
1 tsp. (5g) ground cinnamon
Heat water and turmeric in a small saucepan over medium heat
Stir constantly until it turns into a thick paste, 5-7 minutes
Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients
Store in the refrigerator in a glass jar for up to 2 months
Recipe for the Golden Latte
Ingredients
1 Tbs. Golden Paste
1 c. (235ml) liquid (animal milk, nut milk, seed milk, tea, coffee)
1 tsp. maple syrup (or other sweeteners to taste)
Optional: 1 Tbs. cocoa powder
Heat liquid in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Add the paste, sweetener, and cocoa powder, and whisk to combine.
Once heated to your desired temperature, pour into a drinking vessel and enjoy.
Other uses for the paste:
Add to soups, stews, or curries.
Add to baked goods like muffins or bread
