Turmeric is being hailed as the next big super food and health and wellness experts around the globe have started adding it to everything from porridge to hot toddy.
Google trends have named it as the star ingredient for 2016 with searches soaring 56 per cent since last November.
‘Golden milk’ (or tumeric lattes) has started appearing on cafe menus around the globe. The spicy drink is made from turmeric paste or juice (giving it the distinctive golden colour) and milk (almond, cashew or coconut seem to be the most popular options). and has been touted as a healthy alternative to coffee.
But while turmeric is enjoying its moment in the spotlight there is nothing new about its super properties.
“Turmeric has been used for more than 4000 years to treat a variety of ailments,” says nutritionist Virginnia Thomas
“The active ingredient is Curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory properties so may be useful in treating conditions related to inflammation such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and ulcerative colitis to name a few,” she explains.
Virginnia also notes that Turmeric has anti- oxidant properties. “Something we need more and more of in today’s crazy toxic, stressful world.”
Although Turmeric root is more pungent than its dried counterpart, Virginnia notes that in terms of health benefits either option is fine.
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However, she also notes that a lot of the health benefits require a fairly large dose of cucumin so if you are really interested in boosting your intake then a supplement might be a better option than a turmeric latte.
So does this mean that we should just skip the golden milk trend? Well that may depend on how much you like it.
Virginnia notes that adding coconut milk in golden milk helps the body to absorb the cucumin content. However, she also warns that as a drink it is quite “calorie dense.”
“If you like it then you should keep enjoying it for what it is,” she says.
“But I’d rather get my turmeric from a great curry.”
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