Homemade Caramel Pumpkin Coffee Creamer (and 7 Ways to Slow Aging)

We are learning so much about aging that we really have a leg up on our mothers who really only knew how to manipulate the outside (plastic surgery) but now we have so much knowledge on how we can manipulate what is happening on the “inside” of us and as I like to say “catch it before it falls”.  There is also this novel concept of replacing what we are deficient in instead of giving into that prescription medication for everything that ails us.   I’ll explain more on this below, but now lets get to the 7 “ways”.  I am going to put these in the order of personal importance.

7  Ways to Slow Aging

1) Eat organic food whenever possible.  I know it’s more expensive.  You would cringe if I told you how much money I have spent on surgeries, doctor appointments, prescriptions for compound drugs that my insurance didn’t cover, infrared saunas, acupuncture, allergy shots, and much more clinging to hope these things would bring back my health.  They didn’t.  The biggest and most dramatic result came from my drastic change in diet.  My diet was pathetic.  I was feeding my broken body preservatives, dyes, artificial colors, chemicals, antibiotics, hormones and pesticides.  There was no supplement or prescription in the world that could help me as long as I continued putting poison in my body.  Have you ever heard this phrase “pay the farm now or pay the pharm later”? It’s true, and clean organic food really is the miracle “medicine”.

All of my recipes on my site follow the “Kaufmann Diet”.  A word about sugar, insulin is a major player in aging.  Sugar ages your skin, heart, brain, and entire body.  Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food – Hippocrates.

2) A clean environment.   When we decide to eat organic, it’s because we have decided to ditch the toxins in our food,  but we also need to be concerned with the chemicals and toxins in our environment.  Recently I had the privilege of getting extensive testing (both blood and urine tests) and it was an eye opener.  I wasn’t just exposed to toxic mold in my past but also to petro chemicals in extremely large amounts.  We need to clean up our environment and detox our bodies to get our immune system ready for the challenge to heal.  There are ways you can test your home for mold with mold plates as well as safe antifungal sprays you can use in your home on a weekly basis to cut down on mold spores.

HEPA filters are fantastic and work really well to remove harmful particles in the air.  Switching over to more natural cleaning agents in your home can also lift some of the toxic burden off of your body.  A toxic body will cause damage and deficiencies which can age us faster on both the inside and the outside.

3) Feed and protect your mitochondria and telomeres.  What’s that mean?  Telomeres are a form of protection of our DNA at the end of chromosomes and our mitochondria have often been referred to as “the power plants” within our cells that produce the energy our body needs. If they are not healthy you are not healthy.  The length of your telomeres is linked to your life expectancy, they can grow back and here’s something interesting, there was a study that showed meditating resulted in longer telomeres compared to those that didn’t meditate.

Renowned cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra suggests supplementing with what he calls the “awesome foursome” (CoQ10, L-carnitine, D-Ribose, and magnesium).  Not just to ward off problem with the heart but to help feed your mitochondria.  Also, toxins and chemicals in our environment and food can cause damage to telomeres and mitochondria.  He has many fascinating books discussing the link between heart problems and our emotional health.  If you haven’t read “Health Revelations from Heaven and Earth” I highly recommend it.

Find Out If Your Body Is Deficient – It Affects Aging

4) Gut health.  Do you have acid reflux or constant burping?  Then your gut is sending you signals.  We can’t be healthy if our gut isn’t healthy as we know almost 80% of our immune system is in our gut.  Many of you know I was on Pepcid AC and Nexium for 14 years, my gut was destroyed by decades of antibiotic use.  The maximum you should ever take of these medications is two weeks.  I did tremendous damage to myself that takes years to recover from.  We need our stomach acid to digest and properly absorb our food!  I had a well intentioned gastroenterologist who told me my severe reflux was caused by too much stomach acid.  Wrong. Sadly most physicians will tell you that and write you a script for some cancer causing antacid drugs.

It was a man working in the supplement section of a grocery store who told me to take Betaine Hydrochloric Acid with Pepsin, half way through a meal that has protein.  Hydrochloric acid adds acid and it was a life changer.  You actually see results instantly.  Digestive enzymes, probiotics, and colostrum play a big role in gut health as well.   I plan on dedicating an entire post to acid reflux soon because I think it’s that important to living a longer, healthier life.

5) Less stress and more sleep.  I know, easier said than done.  Meditation and even napping when you feel tired if you can’t get a full nights rest. I am a big fan of the power nap!  The word meditation can sometimes bring weird images to mind for some, but it can mean something very simple.  I have a yoga mat in front of my pool and I just stretch, thank God, and try to be still for 5 or 10 minutes.  It really helps with anxiety.

This caramel pumpkin coffee creamer recipe but appear to be high in sugar but it is not.  You are only using a tablespoon at most at a time.  You can make this sugar free by substituting the maple syrup for xylitol. Although I caution this because I tried it with monk fruit and it was NOT the same result.  Because my husband is sensitive to xylitol, I used maple syrup.  This creamer should last about 2 weeks in the fridge.

I hope this article was helpful.  Remember, God designed our bodies to heal.  My book Eat Pray Get Well – A Journey from Chronic Illness, Brokenness & Junk Food Junkie to Wholeness & Wellness is now on shelves.  If you would like to read my full story of my journey from chronic illness it can be found on my website. My book is also available on Amazon.

Disclaimer – I am not a doctor.  I cannot give health advice.  Please discuss any medical questions with your doctor and consult your physician when starting any new diet or supplement.  Never forgo seeing your doctor in in lieu of internet advice.  There are affiliate links in which I get a percentage on sales.  I use these products myself.  Opinions are all my own.  I do not recommend any supplement or brand I didn’t personally love, use, and have benefited from.

Homemade Caramel Pumpkin Coffee Creamer

Erin Porter

Try this amazing homemade caramel pumpkin coffee creamer that is sure to please any coffee drinker!

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Course Drinks

Ingredients

  

Homemade Caramel Sauce

• 1 cup Coconut/almond milk blend (I used Califia Farms)
• 1 tbsp Heavy whipping cream
• 6 tbsp Organic maple syrup
• 1/2 tbsp Organic grass fed butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp Sea salt

Caramel Pumpkin Coffee Creamer

• 1 cup Coconut/almond milk blend (I used Califia Farms)
• 1 cup Heavy whipping cream
• 8 tbsp Organic maple syrup (you can make this is sugar free by using monk fruit or xylitol but I have not made it this way yet so I can't vouch for it.)
• 1/2 cup Pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 4 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 3-4 tbsp Homemade Caramel Sauce (depending on how sweet you like it)

Instructions

 

Caramel Sauce Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan on medium heat.
• Bring to a boil stirring almost constantly with a whisk.
• Once it boils reduce temperature to med-low and let simmer for 16-20 minutes while stirring VERY frequently. This part takes patience but it will thicken!
• Once the caramel starts to stick to your spoon a bit it's done (mine took about 20 minutes after I reduced to simmer). NOTE- make sure the sauce is simmering (gentle bubbling in the pot) otherwise it can take up to 35 min to start to thicken. Be careful not to over cook it or it will be too thick. It will continue to thicken after you remove it from the stove.

Coffee Creamer Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a saucepan and stir with a whisk until pumpkin puree and all ingredients are well blended. (about 1 -2 minutes)
• Add 3-4 tablespoons of the homemade caramel sauce depending on how sweet you like it.
• Place in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator up to two weeks.

Notes

UPDATE- I tried it substituting maple syrup for monk fruit and I do NOT recommend it, it was not the same result.

My husband did not drink his coffee with the whipped cream and extra caramel sauce this was fully for photographic effect 🙂