BY: NADIA ZAIDI
Turmeric is the newest super food, and guess who jumped on the bandwagon? Yours truly.
In my defence (I know I’ve always been a go-against-the-grain type of gal), but turmeric is a daily staple in any south-Asian household, and so it almost seemed fitting. So I tried a more traditional concoction, and kind of ran with it.
I kept a food journal to look at what would happen if I drank turmeric and warm milk every single day before bed for three weeks. The results were quite interesting and I had to share them.
If you can’t stomach the idea of drinking turmeric, rest assured that it’s a subtle taste that can be masked quite easily. I kept it simple: milk, turmeric, and honey or brown sugar. If I was feeling extra adventurous, I’d add in a cinnamon stick, because, why not?
This is what I found:
I slept better
We all know that warm milk makes you sleep better. But add in a teaspoon of turmeric and it’s golden – pun intended. I’ve talked about my battle with insomnia in the past and a bout of nocturnal panic attacks. I’ve had warm milk before bed before and it was effective at helping me relax, but the turmeric kicked it up a couple notches and knocked me out within 40 minutes of drinking it. I felt better rested and less restless throughout my sleep.
My leg pain disappeared
As a twenty-something going on forty, I’m experiencing leg pains at the end of a busy day. I don’t know why exactly, but it seemed to subside after a week of drinking turmeric milk before bed. Prior to this method, I would pop in a painkiller to deal with throbbing leg pain, or restless leg syndrome while sleeping. It’s almost too good to be true.
Glowing skin, less acne
Look, I didn’t wake up looking like a Greek Goddess or anything, but after drinking this concoction for weeks, I noticed that my skin looked radiant. I never quite understood what those cosmetic serum models meant until now. The only difference: I was getting it naturally and not spending a ton of money to achieve some store bought glow. I also noticed that any acne had cleared, and that my skin appeared more even.
Helped with digestion and healthy flow
I felt less bloated and noticed that I was able to better digest heavier foods. It almost seems ironic because you associate milk with heaviness, but I definitely felt lighter in the mornings.
Great for anxiety
There is something very soothing about turmeric and milk. Both seemed to tame any anxiousness I would normally have before a busy work morning. Now, I’m not saying that you should replace your Prozac (if you need it) with a pinch of turmeric, but something about it made me feel calmer, and certainly more relaxed before hitting the snooze button.
Final verdict: turmeric can only do you good. Try it out. If anything, you’re only gaining nutrients and a little glow!
