Why chai?

If you’ve been following this blog, you know I love coffee…almost as much as I love Pitbull, boy bands and wearing pleather.  Which is a lot.

But I also enjoy a nice cup of chai from time to time.  Why chai?

Chai is tea.  In India, the term chai refers to all tea.  What we know as chai is called masala chai in India.  Masala refers to the blend of spices added to the tea, which always includes cardomom, and typically star anise, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and ginger.  In India the tea is served with buffalo milk, and is sweetened.

Since I don’t have access to buffalo milk, I typically enjoy my chai black.  I don’t even need to sweeten it.  The spices add a depth of flavor that I really enjoy.  When brewing at home, I always buy organic chai.  My favorite, and one that is readily available, is Tazo organic chai.

Not only are the spices delicious, they add to the nutritional value of the tea.  Black tea is already high in polyphenols, which are potent antioxidants.  Black tea is also said to boost the immune system, and may also increase alpha-wave brain activity and decrease production of the hormone cortisol.   The black pepper has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.  Cinnamon helps to lower blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity.  Ginger is another potent anti-inflammatory, and the cardamon contains antioxidants and is a digestive aid.

So there’s a lot of good stuff in there, and it smells and tastes amazing!  Unfortunately, the form of chai most people are familiar with is a chai latte, sold in many coffee shops.  While I love Starbucks, their chai latte is loaded with sugar.  A grande has 31 grams of sugar. Just not necessary, guys.  While it is full of sugar, at least the chai latte at Starbucks is not loaded with too much other crap.

While I usually drink my chai black, every now and then I’ll make myself my own version of a chai latte, packed with healthy fats and collagen, and without all the sugar.  Because why not drink something that not only tastes delicious, but is helping to firm your skin and give you healthy hair and nails?  Am I right?

The coconut oil I use is Nutiva.  You can find it at a good price in my amazon store, here’s the link: Nutiva coconut oil.  My favorite brand of collagen peptides is Vital Proteins.  Here is a link to purchase directly from the company and receive free shipping.  I buy the container with the blue lid: Vital Proteins Product Page.

And if you’d like to buy the coconut oil and collagen at a substaintial discount, check out Thrive Market.  Love this place!  If you order nothing else but collagen and coconut oil on a regular basis the membership will more than pay for itself.  Click on this link to try a free one month membership: Thrive Market

Happy, Healthy and Hot Chai Latte

2 chai tea bags 

1 tablespoon coconut oil 

stevia to taste

2 tablespoons collagen peptides

Almost boiling water

Put your tea bags in a large mug, and fill with the hot water.  Let it steep at least 5 minutes to really bring out the flavor.  Discard the tea bags, and pour hot tea carefully into blender.  Add the coconut oil and stevia and blend on high until frothy.  Turn speed down to low and add collagen.  Pour back into your mug and enjoy!

Susan, thanks  for inspiring this post.  Here’s to many more years of sipping chai together!

So, can drinking chai help you feel happy, healthy and hot?  Yep!  You will be happy sipping such a delicious drink.  The spices and black tea have so many antioxidants to keep you healthy.   And if you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you already know that the collagen does amazing things for your hair, skin and nails.  So of course you’ll be hot!