From time to time, I post a recipe or a food that I’ve either heard of or have tried myself and found to be beneficial.  Of course we’ve all heard of the warm milk routine that some drink to help the sleep, but have you tried some of the variations of that?  I’m going to share two recipes today that I enjoy.  I would also like your comments on them and any suggestions to improve these or other drinks similar to these that you would recommend.

The first is a simple Cinnamon Milk that I enjoy.  This recipe is very simple and gives the reminder of eating cinnamon toast as a kid.  It is comprised of 1 cup of milk, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, some honey and vanilla to taste.  Of course you can adjust these to your taste but I really like this drink, especially before bed or on a cold evening.  Warm it up (don’t boil it) in a pan and drink slowly.  It’s better for you than hot chocolate and has much less sugar.  Here are some of the benefits of cinnamon that I’ve read (remember, benefits vary by person):

Cinnamon is a very powerful antioxidant

Cinnamon helps the digestive system

Can help with cold and flu–Cinnamon milk can help to prevent colds and flus. It’s also great for chronically cold hands and feet.

Weight loss–cinnamon can help slow the process of moving food into your stomach and can help regulate bloods sugars.

Can help fight insomnia–some report falling asleep better after drinking this mixture

Of course all of these can vary by person and if you are taking certain medications, you should consult your doctor.  Generally, these ingredients will not interact with any meds but it’s still best to check.

Tumeric or Golden Milk

Tumeric is becoming one of my favorite ingredients in many foods.  Not so much for it’s flavor but for it’s color and health benefits.  Golden milk has a few more ingredients than Cinnamon Milk but it’s just as easy to make.  Here is a simple recipe that I use and I change it up from time to time depending on if I have the ingredients or want to try something different.  1 quart of milk (whatever type you like), honey (which is put it at the very end after the milk has cooled some to retain the benefit of the honey or you can use a little sugar), 1 teaspoon of ground tumeric, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger (optional), 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.  FYI, the black pepper is essential to help the active ingredient in tumeric (curcumin) absorb into the body.  Curcumin doesn’t absorb well but when black pepper is added, reports say the absorbtion rate increases 2000%.

Warm this up and drink a cup before bed or really anytime.  The mix of spices is a wonderful drink to change things up.  You can store the remainder in the fridge and warm it up later.  The cinnamon benefits which were stated in the previous recipe still apply and the tumeric, which helps as an anti-imflammatory, adds to the benefits.  Of course, please check with your doctor, especially if you are taking heart medications.  The curcumin can counteract blood thinners, so be sure to run this by your doctor.

I drink lots of teas: black, red, green, and white, and most of the time without any sugar.  These two recipes give a change of pace and are highly beneficial.  I’d like to know if you’ve tried them and had any positive results and also if you’ve tried any other similar drinks that are healthy and help with any specific physical issues.  Ultimately, I trust in Jesus, the Great Physician but I also believe that God gave us the leaves for healing, so why not use them.

Until next time….live long and prosper!