This time of year we’re all about immune system boosters. We teamed up with Chief Nutrition Officer, Maria Capecelatro of Unwrapp’d, to bring you insight on how to keep your immune system healthy and functioning properly throughout the winter months. Unwrapp’d is an incredibly tasty and nutrient-dense bar dough. You can shape it, bake it, or eat it by the spoon-full to keep you fueled for physical activity or life on-the-go. They also happen to produce Unwrapp’d in the very SAME commissary kitchen that we make Golden Root in Denver, CO. We’re so proud to team up with such a wonderful health-focused food company here in Denver that’s focused on sustainability and thinking outside the wrapper.
Winter is a time for many people to get sick and stay sick. To combat illness, fatigue, and the winter blues, we wanted to provide you with a simple recipe to keep your immune system healthy and your spirits high. You can even find many of these ingredients in your own pantry! All you’ll need from your pantry is our Golden Root turmeric latte mix, Unwrapp’d Cookie Dough, coconut cream or coconut milk, and coffee.
Before getting to the recipe, we’d like to break down the benefits of the health-promoting ingredients that you will find in Golden Root turmeric latte mix and Unwrapp’d nutrition bar dough. The following ingredients are helpful on their own but when combined together, can create effective immune-boosting benefits and help the body weather stress.
T U R M E R I C – This herbaceous perennial rhizome plant resembles the look and feel of raw ginger root. The taste, however, is much different than ginger - turmeric has a peppery, bitter, and earthy flavor. It contains curcuminoids, which are the antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory compounds that give turmeric its rich color and healing benefits.
G I N G E R – Similar to turmeric, ginger is a rhizome plant that has been used in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years to treat digestion issues like nausea, stomach pain, and diarrhea. Ginger also works as an adaptogen to reduce stress in the body through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
B L A C K P E P P E R -- Black pepper contains the active compound called piprine, which gives black pepper its pungent and strong flavor. When priprine is combined with turmeric’s active ingredient, curcumin, together they increase the absorption and bioavailability of turmeric by 2,000%, making it easier to reap all of the health benefits that turmeric has to offer.
C O C O N U T M I L K / O I L -- are antifungal, antibacterial, antiparasitic and antiviral, making them great choices before and during sickness. Coconut can also reduce inflammation, which can result from stress, illness or injury. Coconut oil can decrease the presence of Candida, an opportunistic yeast in the GI tract. When Candida is left unchecked, its byproducts can suppress the immune system, making one more likely to get sick.
The fat in coconut helps the body absorb turmeric so that it can be used effectively.
C O C A O N I B S -- Fermented and dried pieces of cocoa beans, these crunchy, bitter bits have been used for thousands of years in Mayan culture to help people reach a meditative state. Compounds in cacao help ease stress and depression and promote positive mood.
Cacao also contains powerful antioxidants called OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins). A study on conventional cocoa -- which has fewer OPCs than cacao nibs -- has shown it boosts natural killer cell numbers following the flu vaccine. NK cells kill virus-infected cells and those that may be cancerous. Cacao can also reduce the growth of harmful gut bacteria and prevent the immune system from overreacting.
R E C I P E
I N G R E D I E N T S :
- 1 cup/8 oz freshly brewed coffee
- 1 Tbsp Unwrapp'd Cookie Dough
- 1 tsp of Golden Root turmeric latte mix (Original or Sugar Free)
- 1.5 Tbsp coconut cream or 3 oz of coconut milk or milk of choice
I N S T R U C T I O N S :
Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until foamy and savor. (hint: the grit at the bottom of your mug is filled with the most immune boosting goodness).