The following is from The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer Cookbook by Dr. Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. and Jeannette Bessinger, C.H.H.C.

Okay, what’s the point of living long if you can’t enjoy any of your favorite foods or drinks, right? Take chai latte, one of life’s great pleasures. But first, take a look at the amount of sugar in a vanilla chai latte at Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks. Both contain 30 or more grams of sugar. Chef Jeannette whipped up a latte that actually tastes better but won’t give you the big dose of sugar which, if it doesn’t directly shorten your life, as many health professionals believe, certainly doesn’t extend it! And excess sugar depresses immune function. There are only 13   grams of sugar per mug in this recipe, but it’s all from raw honey, and you can reduce that to zero if you use stevia! So enjoy. Tea is enjoyed by some of the longest-lived cultures on Earth. This version tastes amazing adn will make your house smell like a spice market in tropical Grenada.

Ingredients

1 ½ tablespoons (9 g) whole cardamom pods (about 23)
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks (or ¾ teaspoon of ground cinnamon)
2 star anise pods (or ¾ teaspoon whole fennel seeds)
6 cups (1.5 L) water
¼ cup(32 g) grated ginger
3 tablespoons (60 g) honey (or 4 drops liquid stevia for sugar free)
½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened evaporated skim milk, unsweetened vanilla soy, or almond milk
4 high-quality black tea bags (pure Ceylon or Darjeeling work well)

Instructions

Toast all spices except ginger in a small dry skillet over a medium heat for about 5 minutes or until spices are very fragrant. Remove the cinnamon sticks and grind the remaining spices coarsely in a spice grinder (or dedicated coffee grinder), about 9 short pulses (if you don’t have a spice grinder, you can grind them by hand with a mortar and pestle, but it’s hard work!).

Add the ground spices, cinnamon sticks, plus 6 cups (1.5 L) water and ginger to a medium pot over high heat. Bring the water to a boil and lower the heat to a low simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered. Add the tea bags and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low to end the simmer and add the evaporated cow’s milk, if using. Continue to heat for 5 minutes (if using vegan milk, lower the heat but don’t add the milk until the last minute to prevent curdling or separation).

Strain the tea twice through a double-mesh sieve, stir in the sweetener, and enjoy.

Yield: 4 mugs