The hot mug for the day you feel awful

Some days the body is just down, the head is thick, the throat is sore, and you want something warm to hold and sip. This is that mug. It is loaded, closer to a light broth than a delicate tea, with ginger, turmeric, garlic, lemon, honey, and a little coconut oil all steeped together. Having a comforting drink you can actually make and trust is worth a great deal on a day like that.

The roots do the heavy lifting. Ginger and turmeric carry polyphenols, plant compounds studied for their role in the body's inflammatory response, and the lemon adds vitamin C, involved in supporting immune function. The garlic and coconut oil push it toward savory and make it sit more like food than a beverage. This is a warming, nourishing drink, not a medicine.

Wrap your hands around the mug and let the steam reach your face before the first sip. On a sick day, the warmth and the few quiet minutes are part of the comfort, not separate from it. Drink it slowly.

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh turmeric (or a generous pinch of ground turmeric)
• 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 tablespoon honey, to taste
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced

All ingredients are AIP Core compliant as written. No swaps needed. Fresh turmeric is intended; a generous pinch of ground turmeric stands in if that is what you have.

Method

Bring the water to a boil. Add the lemon juice, grated turmeric, grated ginger, coconut oil, honey, and minced garlic to a mug or small pot.

Pour the boiling water over everything and let it steep for about 10 minutes, so the roots and garlic release into the water.

Strain to catch the solids, then drink hot.

*Adapted from a-clean-plate*