If you haven’t tried this yet, put it on your list asap. It’s a little like a chai in flavor and it has the added benefit of the anti-inflammatory properties of Turmeric. We all know that inflammation is to blame for all sorts of issues in the body as well as for disrupted sleep. The ginger in it supports your digestion and helps you deflate some if you ate things that make you feel bloaty so you’ll be more comfortable in general. It’s also a very nourishing thing to make yourself a warm drink to end the day with. Routines like this help program your brain to expect to sleep when they happen. That way when your life is busy and you aren’t able to keep to a schedule or get the amount of sleep you usually require you have at least programmed your body and brain to expect sleep when you do these things.
The bonus being that the supportive herbs and anti-inflammatory properties of this drink boosts the rest you do get. A win win all around! Realistically, not everyone is going to mix up the spice blend to make their own stock of golden milk paste (see recipe below) so I totally recommend the Gaia one (click on pic above to get it on Amazon), I’ve tried a few and it seems to have the most balanced flavors. Sometimes it’s nice to just have someone send it to you already done. The benefit to making it yourself is that you can adjust the seasonings to your taste.
This can be made with regular cows milk, or any kind of nut milk you prefer, just remember the type of milk will change the flavor and sweetness. I like it in almond milk personally, since we rarely have cows milk in house (someday I will have my own cow or goat and then raw milk will abound but until then, there just isn’t a budget for it here…). When you make it up, add a nice unfiltered honey (I use a local orange honey I buy in bulk) to sweeten it a little.
This recipe makes a small jar of paste that should be kept in your refrigerator. It will keep for up to 3 weeks. I like the addition of the coconut oil as it adds all the beneficial medium chain fatty acids to help you burn fat while you sleep with the added benefit of making you feel full. This recipe calls for clove, which is not standard but I like the chai flavor it imparts to the mix, if you buy the premade powders they won’t have this or the vanilla. I also prefer the Himalayan salt instead of regular salt as it has a higher mineral content and tastes less salty. If you don’t have the pink salt, it’s better to not include salt than to substitute.
Golden Milk Paste
Notes
You can also experiment with using the Vitality Essential Oils in place of some or all of the dried herbs this will change the consistency and they should be added to the coconut oil and then mixed to the other ingredients when taken off the heat.
Some potential oils to use:
- Cardamom Vitality
- Thieves Vitality
- Black Pepper Vitality (lots of flavor but no heat)
- Cinnamon Bark Vitality
- Frankincense Vitality
- Copaiba Vitality
Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp Ground Black pepper
- Pinch Ground Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cardamom
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Ground Himalayan salt
- 1/4 cup Turmeric, powder
- 1 Tbsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger OR ½ tsp Dried Ground Ginger
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 tbsp Coconut oil
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- Place the water in a small pot with the spices and vanilla, bring to a low simmer until it thickens to form a paste
- Remove from heat and mix in coconut oil
- Transfer to a clean dry jar and store in your fridge
- Use ¼ – 1 tsp in 12 oz milk with honey to taste