Golden milk can be defined as turmeric milk (turmeric mixed with regular warm milk and other spices), or turmeric coconut milk (turmeric mixed with coconut milk and/or coconut oil). However you make it, the basic recipe of milk, turmeric, ginger, coconut oil, and pepper is made with ingredients that help with inflammation, bloating, and weight loss.
Turmeric has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for all sorts of health issues. Here are some of the benefits of turmeric (or golden) milk.
Benefits Of Golden Milk
Better Digestion
Curcumin, which is the active ingredient in turmeric, has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries because of its therapeutic benefits. Multiple studies have shown turmeric to help fight gas, bloating, and indigestion. Ginger, another common ingredient in golden milk, is great at fighting nausea and soothing stomachaches.
Happier Muscles
As a natural anti-inflammatory, turmeric can relieve joint and muscle pain and even help with headaches.
Shield Against Cold/Flu
One of the best remedies for bad cold is a warm glass of turmeric milk at night. Turmeric milk right before going to bed can help ease the symptoms of a sore throat as well. It helps protect the body from respiratory infections because of its antimicrobial properties.
Weight-Loss Support
While more research has to be done in this area, turmeric has been shown to increase metabolism in mice in two separate studies.
Raise In Good Cholesterol
The raw coconut oil often used in golden milk has been shown to help raise good cholesterol in the body. It’s even been shown to combat tooth decay!
Most of the time, golden milk is made with regular milk. When using regular milk, choose organic 1% or 2% milk for some healthy fats and satiety. Conventional cows milk comes from farms where the cows are given antibiotics and hormones, and are fed GMO feed — and the byproduct of those additives ends up in the milk.
Organic milk comes from cows given either organic feed or are pasture raised, and are not given any antibiotics or hormones. So it’s important to always choose organic milk for this drink! But if you are lactose intolerant, or are trying to avoid regular milk, or are vegan, then coconut milk is a good alternative for this drink.
When using coconut milk it’s important to get unsweetened coconut milk without carrageenan (which is a processed ingredient that causes inflammation in the body). Coconut milk is beneficial because coconuts are rich in vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 and minerals including iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous.
But coconut milk has almost no protein, so that’s a downside to using it in place of regular milk. If you’re looking for a filling drink with protein (along with the benefits of turmeric), coconut milk will not provide that. For that reason, this drink is best made with regular organic milk to get the calcium, vitamin D and protein along with the benefits from turmeric.
