Hola,
How goes it my darlings? I’m hoping everyone is doing great and that you all had a great Monday. I have to admit that I didn’t expect to be back this soon as I’m still feeling that writer’s block. I started to write last Wednesday, and I downloaded all the photos I needed for this post then I just stopped. I don’t know what’s up with me but I’m forcing myself right now to push through. Hopefully this funk will disappear soon.
Has everyone read my previous post “Hello Fall?” It was a cool one listing my favorite things about autumn. It’s my favorite season and although I am from the Dominican Republic and LOVE the beach, I adore fall. I adore it because I get to wear booties, hoodies and pretty scarves which are all my weaknesses ;). If you haven’t read the post yet, finish this one then go on over and check it out. Also, feel free to comment your favorites if they did not make the list.
So for the past several months I’ve been testing out a couple of healthy drinks that have been raved about on the internet streets. I’ve read many an article about the wonders of warm lemon water and turmeric milk – aka: golden milk. I decided why not test them out myself? Y’all know I’ve been dealing with exhaustion, plus I read that lemon water can help get your hormones back in check. The word is that turmeric helps with reducing inflammation including the sinuses and the lungs, and since I suffer from awful nasal polyps (I’ve had three surgeries to remove them) and from really bad asthma, maybe this could ease my symptoms naturally. So yes, I tried and tested both drinks to see what all the hoopla was about. With all that being said, here is what I discovered:
WARM LEMON WATER
Lemons as you should all know by now, are rich in vitamin C so they can help you fight the common cold when you add them to your tea. I for one cannot have tea without squeezing some fresh lemon juice into it. Plus let’s not forget how yummy lemonade is and when it’s made from scratch like my mommy makes it, it’s beyond delicious. Warm lemon water is known to raise your energy levels and boy do I need that. Anyway, it is said that lemons provide a whole bunch of health benefits. However, since I’m no expert, I’m not going to sit here and claim to know that all those benefits are true. I will discuss MY experience…
I started drinking warm lemon water (which I began documenting) on October 11, 2015. Back then I was feeling awful. I had stomach pains every day, I burped nonstop and I could barely eat. Plus I had insane anxiety and that feeling of butterflies in my tummy all the time. I had already research the lemon water craze and I figured why not try it. That morning of the 11th, I took the leap and I’m so happy I did.
Seven days after I started it my stomach was feeling better with hardly any pain and much less burping. Two weeks after, there was even more improvement and a month after, my stomach pains were completely gone, no burping, and that anxious feeling and butterflies in my tummy were gone. My energy, which was nowhere to be found, came back again and my skin got a nice glow. I was also able to eat like a normal human being again.
I drank this every morning for about five months and then I stopped. You know how you get tired of doing something every day so I took a break? Thankfully, my stomach remained pain free but my period got super crazy. Around March I got a really bad sinus and ear infection so my ENT specialist put me on a round of antibiotics and prednisone. I feel like these meds (the prednisone mostly) screwed up my system and my hormones. My period was ridiculous from March through July and I was going bananas. I remembered reading that warm lemon water could help settle your hormones so I started drinking it again and lo and behold, In August my period went back to normal and has been ever since.
So I’ve become a huge fan of this warm lemon water craze. For me it’s worked and since I’ve documented it, I can say that it was this drink that helped me through my pains and hormonal craziness. It may not have the same effect for you or anyone else who tries it but for me, it worked wonderfully.
I squeeze half a lemon into a mug of warm water every morning after brushing my teeth and before eating anything.
TURMERIC MILK (GOLDEN MILK)
From my research, turmeric originated in Southeast Asia including India. It is said to have many medicinal and culinary purposes. It’s got a strong orange-yellowish color and it can be used either fresh or as a powder as shown in the above photo. There are so many articles out now describing all the medicinal purposes of this plant but again, I am no expert so I’m just going by the effects I’ve noticed when using turmeric.
After my third surgery to remove nasal polyps in May of 2015, I did extremely well. Although a few polyps came back throughout the months post-surgery, they were tiny and did not affect me as much. Although they were coming back, my ENT specialist was able to keep them at bay and if I got a sinus infection which I did several times, he’d prescribe prednisone to reduce them and that usually helped. I always got my sense of smell back (a very important issue for me) and I was able to breathe. My asthma was non-existent this whole time. I kept reading about turmeric and “golden milk” and how it was great for reducing sinus infections and inflammation in general. Plus I also read that it helped keep asthma at bay and cleared the lungs. I really did not want to keep taking antibiotics and prednisone so I figured I’d help my system along the natural way.
I started drinking the turmeric milk back in June of this year. Not on a daily basis like I did with the warm lemon water. I drank it two times per week before going to bed. Since I only did it twice a week, it took a while to see any real results but I do have to say that I slept like a baby each night I drank it and my skin just got even better. That was noticeable pretty quickly.
I’d say it took about three weeks into it for me to see real results with my sinuses and they were positive. I drank the golden milk on nights when I felt stuffy and I have to say three weeks into drinking the milk, I felt my sinuses clear up a bit. Not to an extreme but I was able to feel the difference. Unfortunately, I ran out of the turmeric so I haven’t drunk it since August. It’s a shame because in mid-August I was around someone who was smoking (the worst trigger for polyps and asthma for someone like me) literally right next to me, and it killed me. So much so that when my ENT specialist prescribed prednisone yet again, it did nothing to help and that’s a first. I’ve felt awful, stuffed up and with asthma out of control ever since. I need to pick up some turmeric soon because now is when I can really test it. In any case, I’ll share the recipe with you all…
I use the following recipe:
One cup of milk or organic coconut milk (I prefer regular whole milk)
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper
1 tablespoon of organic coconut oil (if you’re not using coconut milk)
1 teaspoon of raw honey (to sweeten)
Pour milk in a pot and add all the ingredients minus the honey. Stir continuously until everything has blended then turn the stove on low. Continue to stir and when the milk is hot enough, add the teaspoon of honey. I like to let the milk come to a boil before turning it off. However, other recipes I’ve seen say to turn off once the milk is hot. It’s your choice. Whichever the case, let it cool off then drink. I think it’s yummy and the ground pepper gives it a bit of spicy kick. 😉
If nothing, with all the positive effects that is being said about turmeric, drink the milk for great skin, to boost your immune system or just because you want to drink something tasty before bed and will help you sleep soundly. I will order more turmeric powder and continue to test it so that I can really find out if it does indeed aid with reducing inflammation in the sinuses and all the other benefits described in articles. Once I’m back on the turmeric milk for a few months, I’ll write a follow-up post to describe my results. Deal? 🙂
… The End …
So there you go my loves. All in all I’ve had good experiences with both warm lemon water and turmeric milk. Like I said, I need a lil bit more time to continue to test the turmeric milk and see what else it can help with, but so far I’ve had positive results. I do have to say that my skin is even better than usual since I’ve been drinking both so that counts for a lot of somethings.
What do y’all think? Do you think you’ll try one or both? If so, what would you lean towards trying the warm lemon water or the turmeric milk and why? I’m thinking you all might go for the warm lemon water because the turmeric milk may sound a bit weird and unknown. Yes? Trust me, it does taste good and if you like spicy, this has that kick to it.
Alrighty, y’all remember the drill… comment below and let me know what you think. If you’ve tried either or both, let me know your results and your feedback. If you’re debating on trying either or both, did I at least sway you to give them a shot? Don’t be shy. Share your thoughts, opinions, results. Let’s compare. I mean were all trying to do anything that can keep us healthy these days, and both of these drinks seem to offer a lot of health benefits so why not try them? Okay loves, join the conversation. I look forward to your feedback on this one. Let’s chat. Go! #engage
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Gracias,
AnnaCris ❤
AnnaCris 