Pumpkin Turmeric Latte

I have never been a “winter” person. I just hate the cold. But, over the years as I have learned to practice gratitude on a daily basis, I have found many things I love about winter. Don’t get me wrong — I still prefer a beach to a snowy mountain, but there are so many reasons to truly be happy about winter. And one of those things is a steaming cuppa… And this cuppa pumpkin turmeric latte is really something to make you smile, no matter how frigid the temp outside may be. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr….

Other than steaming favorful lattes, some of the things I now truly feel grateful for about winter are:

* Watching huge snowflakes fall from the sky (okay, so a lot of the time, I’m inside watching them, but still grateful)
* Christmas music (all the way from Thanksgiving to New Years)
* Fuzzy boots
* Big cozy sweaters
* Delicious bowls of hot steaming soup
* The smell of chestnuts roasting in the street vendors’ carts (yup, it’s just like the song says)
* My dogs’ total happiness in the snow
* Christmas movies

During the winter, I experiment with latte recipes all of the time. I mean, it’s like I’ve become possessed or something. And, I have never steamed my milk! I heat up my ingredients in a pot and these blitz it in the blender and pour it into my favorite mug. And ta-da we have an awesome latte.

Turmeric lattes are all the rage right now. There’s a little cafe around the corner from me that has them on the menu. But… blechhhhhh… they are gross. And I have no idea why. I mean, if you are putting in the right ingredients, it’s not hard to make it come out right. Anyway, these are the right ingredients, so go ahead whip this up!

And, after you drink this awesome pumpkin turmeric latte, if you want to try another warming winter recipe, try my Hot Chocolate Smoothie Bowl!

Here are some of the healing ingredients in this pumpkin turmeric latte:

Pumpkin can help reduce pain and fever and can soothe stomach irritations. It’s a great food to treat constipation, allergies and asthma. It’s high in vitamin A and can help protect your lungs and intestines from cancer.

Turmeric is actually a Chinese herb (Jiang Huang). It is great for reducing inflammation throughout the body. If you suffer from aches and pains in your joints, try turmeric. It can help relieve menstrual pain and some other abdominal pains but, if you are pregnant, ask your doctor before you eat too much turmeric.

Black pepper is also a Chinese herb (Hu Jiao). It’s used to control vomiting and diarrhea and is good for some stomach pains. This common herb also can help the body more easily absorb nutrients, and it is sometimes prescribed to lessen the symptoms of respiratory ailments. Be sure to use black pepper whenever you use turmeric, because it increases the body’s ability to absorb the turmeric.

Collagen strengthens bones and muscles, keeps your joints healthy, improves flexibility and concentration, and helps heal your digestive system. It also keeps you looking youthful.

Dates are rich in potassium, dietary fiber and tannins. Fiber is good for your gut and tannins help the body fight inflammation and infection. Dates are also rich in vitamin A and iron. The most amazing thing about dates is that they can be used to replace sugar in almost anything. I stopped using sweetened protein powders in my smoothies and now I use unsweetened ones but I add a few dates.

Cinnamon is one of the best herbs to warm the body. It’s great if you have a cold. If you are nauseous or have diarrhea, go for the cinnamon. It also gives you energy and helps with menstrual pain. Cinnamon is a Chinese herb: “gui zhi” is the cinnamon twig and “rou gui” is the cinnamon bark. Both are warming and are used for a variety of ailments. In the winter I add cinnamon to all sorts of foods. It helps with the common cold, swelling, various menstrual issues and some aches and pains. Be careful with it if you have a fever because it is so warming.

In Asian medicine, we use coconut to strengthen the body, reduce swelling, and stop bleeding. Coconut kills viruses, bacteria, and parasites. It’s good for all types of infections and viruses in the body, including the flu, bronchitis, tapeworms, urinary tract infections, and herpes. And perhaps most importantly, it helps you keep your mind sharp and it makes it easier for you to focus. I like to use full-fat canned coconut milk for these lattes.