Photo by Green Kitchen Stories
The Scoop
This is my winter wellness secret weapon. I spend quiet a bit of time caring for people with colds and flu’s at clinic and also traveling during the winter. So my body needs extra nourishment to stay healthy and strong through the season. I do my best to eat well, rest, stay hydrated, exercise, sleep plenty, wash my hands A LOT and do all of the other very important foundational stuff too. But sometimes I need an extra boost when the weather gets chilly, the mucous starts flying, and we are all indoors a lot more often than normal. I like to think of this as a turbo booster for my immune system.
I drink this baby all winter long. It’s great for general wellness support, when you feel like you are on the verge of getting sick, or when you are deep into one of those icky winter colds. I love to savor this lemon ginger tumeric toddy on chilly winter evenings or first thing in the morning.
This recipe was initially inspired years ago by an amazing vegetarian restaurant in Portland–Prasad. I’ve tweaked and added to it over the years as I’ve learned more and more about specific medical uses of foods. You’ll find lot’s of different recipes for this sort of thing. But this is my personal favorite. It’s powerful and yummy–the way I love all my food!
Lemon boosts the immune system with lots of Vitamin C and stimulates healthy digestion. Cayenne pepper aids digestion, supports your body in getting rid of mucous, healing from colds and flus, and boosts your natural detoxification systems. Tumeric and ginger are two of the strongest natural anti-inflammatory foods out there. They also act as potent anti-oxidants and immune system boosters. Echinacea is a fantastic herb that helps support and balance your immune system. And last but not least honey suppresses cough, soothes the throat, aids sleep, and is anti-bacterial to boot. All those ingredients come together to make a pretty special little drink that can help you feel and be your best all winter long.
Ingredients
Makes a 16 oz serving
Directions
1. Juice your lemon into a mug. Zest half the peel.
2. Grate your ginger and tumeric (or measure your tumeric powder). I really like using a microplaner for the lemon peel, ginger and tumeric to get it nice and fine. But the finest portion of your regular grater will work too.
3. Combine your ingredients into a mug–lemon juice, ginger, tumeric, honey and 2 cups boiling water.
4. Add a dash of cayenne pepper and 2-4 droppers full of echinacea tincture.
5. Stir with love, let steep for a few minutes, and slowly savor.
Now we’d love to hear from you in the comments below! What’s your favorite tip for staying healthy all winter long?
With Love,
Amber
Team Luminary
