Tea, grandma. I said tea - TEA, GRANDMA...

My grandmother keeps asking me if I’m attached to anyone. Like she’s keeping a mental checklist that reads: boyfriend at sixteen, check, normal; husband at twenty, check, normal. She’s done that since I was in high school, maybe once or twice during every visit. Nowadays, at the ripe old age of 91, she still asks the exact same questions… except that she now has a memory of about fifteen seconds. Oh, you thought this post was going to be about tea. The active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, is lauded as a powerful antioxidant. (My mother’s got pills of the stuff. Bah. They haven’t got honey.) Studies suggest that populations who regularly consume it have a lower incidence of age-related dementia. (Here: these guys and these guys did the research.) The black pepper in the following recipe contains piperine, which has been shown to improve absorption of curcumin. I found several recipes for turmeric tea in several places around the web, and started drinking this version because my dear, beloved grandmother is as terrifying as she is annoying. (Tada, relevance.) I continue drinking it because I like the taste. The flavor’s a bit medicinal, like a honey cough drop, but then again, that’s kind of the point. Water 10 cups Turmeric 2 tablespoons Black pepper 1 teaspoon Honey 10 tablespoons (What? I like honey.) Mix water, turmeric, and black pepper Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes Remove from heat, add honey Recipe Cost: $2.91 Nutritional Values (based on 5 servings): Limits Amount Per Portion Total Calories 113 Calories Added Sugars 105 Calories Saturated Fat 1 Calories Nutrients Amount Per Portion Protein 0 g Carbohydrate 30 g Dietary Fiber 1 g Total Sugars 28 g Added Sugars 26 g Total Fat 0 g Saturated Fat 0 g Monounsaturated Fat 0 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g Linoleic Acid 0 g α-Linolenic Acid 0.0 g Omega 3 - EPA 0 mg Omega 3 - DHA 0 mg Cholesterol 0 mg Minerals Amount Per Portion Calcium 23 mg Potassium 92 mg Sodium 21 mg Copper 82 µg Iron 1 mg Magnesium 11 mg Phosphorus 9 mg Selenium 0 µg Zinc 0 mg Vitamins Amount Per Portion Vitamin A 0 µg RAE Vitamin B6 0.1 mg

(calculated on https://supertracker.usda.gov/myrecipe.aspx) I like making it in larger batches and drinking a bit at a time. Other recipes have cinnamon and ginger added. I tried it with ginger, and found the result tasty, if a great deal sharper in its flavor. Still other variations add milk or milk substitutes, which makes the result sound like a chai. At the time I typed this up, I tried adding almond milk to the recipe above - not bad, but I still prefer my brew without it. And the relevance of the singer in the last post? Kerri Ho from The Songbird Tree suggested in this video that, if manuka honey isn’t available nearby, that local honey labeled unheated or unprocessed would have similar benefits. Around here, I’ve found brands that are labeled unfiltered and raw, so there’s something to try. (And thanks to The Songbird Tree for permission to post the vid.) If you decide to give turmeric tea a shot, you’re welcome to share your experience.