Turmeric coffee and golden milk lattes have surged in popularity over the past few years for good reason. These beverages are warm, comforting, colorful, flavorful, and loaded with healthy nutrients and antioxidants. Adding turmeric, and other spices if you like, to coffee is a simple way to boost its health profile. Turmeric is part of the Ginger Family, and an important ingredient for curry dishes.
What is Turmeric Coffee?
Turmeric coffee is incredibly simple. You simply add turmeric - and other spices, if you like - to coffee to boost its health profile. Turmeric is a vibrant yellow spice widely used in Indian cooking and traditional medicine. Golden milk lattes are another drink made with turmeric and may also contain other spices, such as ginger, black pepper, or cinnamon, and can contain coffee.
The Potent Trio: Turmeric, Ginger, and Cinnamon
These three spices-turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon-offer a symphony of flavors and a powerhouse of potential health benefits. Combining them in your coffee creates a beverage that is both delicious and beneficial. The powerful health component in turmeric is called curcumin. Ginger contains gingerol. Cinnamon health benefits come from its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, immune-boosting, heart-protecting and cancer-fighting properties.
Turmeric: The Golden Healer
Turmeric is rich in phytonutrients that may protect the body by neutralizing free radicals (pollution, sunlight) and shielding the cells from damage, inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and other joint disorders, colitis, allergies and infections.
Ginger: The Zesty Brain Booster
Ginger is a popular brain food. There’s also some evidence that ginger can help enhance brain function directly.
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Cinnamon: The Sweet Antioxidant Champion
Cinnamon is deemed as the highest antioxidant spice (or herb). One of the most beneficial spices on earth. One tablespoon of cinnamon contains 68% manganese and 8% calcium and 4% iron. Manganese is a trace mineral. It is vital for the human body, but people only need it in small amounts. The body can not make manganese.
Potential Health Benefits of Turmeric Coffee
Thanks to curcumin and other related compounds, called curcuminoids, found in turmeric, turmeric coffee offers many potential benefits. However, many of the studies supporting these benefits use larger doses of curcumin than you get from an occasional dose of turmeric in your coffee or golden latte. Therefore, larger, high quality studies in humans are still needed. These include:
- Reduced inflammation: Curcumin may alleviate chronic inflammation, which links to chronic ailments like cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, mental decline, and some digestive disorders.
- Pain relief: Curcumin may reduce inflammatory and nerve pain. Many natural pain relief supplements feature curcumin as a key ingredient. Ginger, cinnamon and sesame oil together has a stronger effect for joint pain. Also, Osteoarthritis (OA) is curtailed to a certain extent.
- Increased antioxidant activity: Curcumin may help neutralize harmful free radical compounds, which cause cellular damage when they build up in high enough levels in your body. Cinnamon is deemed as the highest antioxidant spice (or herb).
- Immune support: Turmeric may help your body more effectively ward off harmful pathogens by reducing inflammation and increasing antioxidant activity.
- Turmeric’s effect on mood disorders, depression and dementia have also been explored. Currently, these studies are small. Some research results show that people who have osteoarthritis reported less joint pain when eating turmeric in recipes.
Maximizing Curcumin Absorption
Turmeric isn’t well absorbed. A good marriage is combining turmeric with black pepper -> Pepper is documented to help increase your body’s ability to absorb turmeric’s beneficial compounds. Approximately ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper can be taken with 1 tsp turmeric powder. Peppercorn is an aromatic fruit picked from pepper vines. Peppercorns exhibit anti-diabetic, anti-cancer and anti-bacterial properties. If you use skim milk or a low fat plant-based milk, add some coconut oil or butter to increase the fat content and improve curcumin absorption.
Crafting Your Own Golden Milk Latte
Interested in trying a golden milk latte for yourself? They’re simple to make and require just a few common ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 mL) of milk, dairy or plant-based
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) of turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) of black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) of vanilla extract
- Optional: honey to taste
- Optional: 1-2 ounces (30-50 mL) of espresso or strong coffee
- Optional: 1/2 tablespoon (6 grams) of butter or coconut oil
Directions
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, optional coffee, and optional butter or oil on low.
- Whisk regularly until hot.
- Carefully transfer the latte to a large heat-safe mug and sweeten with honey to taste, if desired.
- Optional: For a frothy latte, transfer just a small amount of the drink to your mug and use a frothing wand to make it bubbly. Then, carefully fill the cup with the remainder of the latte.
DIY Spice Blend for Coffee
So many people are selling this with complex ingredients using words like capsicum and gingerol. This is the basic recipe. You can add this trio of spices to your morning coffee with your usual teaspoon of collagen. Hum-m-m? This is the ratio. I would start here. If you like, make larger batches in the same ratio. I have a sprinkle jar to help blend it and I don’t need a spoon or scoop and no lumps.
Read also: Adding Turmeric to Coffee
Ingredients:
- Turmeric powder
- Cinnamon powder
- Black pepper powder
- Ginger powder
Instructions:
- Mix turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper and ginger in a bowl and store in an airtight glass container.
- Dr Steven Gundry M.D. suggests adding (MTC) coconut oil - few drops in your coffee. Remember Bullet Coffee? That is what MCT is about. Gundry also states that cow’s milk, almond and cashew milk negates the effect of MCT in your coffee. Coconut oil or coconut milk is acceptable. NOTE: Dr. Gundry MD. supports no milk,almond or any other milk in coffee. It kills pr negates the MCT in your coffee.
Additional Tips and Considerations
- Spice it up: Be adventurous. I am baking Oatmeal cookies today. I will add some triple goodness for “Spicy Oatmeal Cookies”!
- Ginger Variety: This woman in Hawaii is holding mild, perishable, Pink “Baby Ginger“(only sold locally). If you can buy it, store in the freezer. Grate frozen rhizome into recipes and put right back into the freezer. Store your regular ginger in the freezer too; lasts longer.
- Collagen and MCT Oil: Feed the brain with Collagen and MCT (coconut) oil.
- TGC Daily: Spice up your life with TGC !! Make it your daily spice mixture of turmeric, ginger and cinnamon (T.G.C.) Made up of two roots and the (inner) bark of a tree. Supplements you can shake from your own dispenser.
- Cinnamon Source: Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon produces high quality cinnamon. It has more oil than cassia cinnamon (found in the rest of the world). 50-63% of the oil (from Sri Lanka’s cinnamon) is called cinnamaldehyde, which explains its mild flavor but very tasty.
Read also: Benefits of Turmeric for Skin