As you may have heard, turmeric is anti-inflammatory. And, that’s a good news now that we are learning more about what causes physical stress and disease in the body.
Although having a strong immune system is important for our survival, our bodies can overreact to different stressors such as eating a poor diet, one too high in protein from animal sources or too high in sugar.
Read more below about the causes of (and relief from) inflammation and then try this TURMERIC SMOOTHIE recipe (below) to calm your system and bring on health.
Turmeric can have a bitter, powdery taste so start slowly and then add more. I haven’t tried the fresh turmeric, but I’ve seen it at Whole Foods.
There are also turmeric supplements, but all turmeric supplements are not the same!
Cheers to a healthy alternative! Try these other Health-conscious recipes:
Look for a product with better absorption rates; one that’s natural; doesn’t use harsh chemicals or solvents to extract it from turmeric root, and stays in the body for a longer time–8 to 12 hours.
(For a detailed review of curcumin which is the anti-inflammatory ingredient in turmeric, see this detailed Facebook post from the medical librarian at Happy, Healthy, Long Life.)
CAUSES OF INFLAMMATION
The answers as to why you might have excess inflammation are not always easy and if you suspect you are suffering because of it, it’s worth consulting with a doctor who is practices functional or plant-based medicine.
(Here are the links to finding doctors who practice plant-based medicine * and to ones who practice functional medicine.) **
A poor diet
Switching to a plant-based whole food diet can reduce inflammation. Primarily the intake of fruit and vegetables as well as of whole wheat is inversely associated with the risk of inflammation. (1)
Lack of exercise
Don’t let a day go by without moving a little. Setting an alarm on your phone is a great way to remember. It doesn’t take much.
Get up and take a quick walk around the block, do a few jumping jacks or knee bends, or marching. And, several times a week get a higher intensity workout at a class or sport you enjoy.
Extra fat
In addition to improving your diet, eating plant-based whole foods should help you take off the extra pounds. Using recipes such as you’ll find on this website can get you going.
Stress
Find ways to tackle stress. Probably the quickest way to trigger the relaxation response is deep breathing. It’s a signal to your brain. Take time to reflect and a few minutes to meditate.
Too much daily alcohol intake
We forget that alcohol is a toxin and that the body works hard to neutralize it’s affect.
The current recommended daily allowance for alcohol is one, five-ounce glass of wine or equivalent for women and two for men. That way, you’ll have the beneficial effect, and non of the downside.
The wrong gut bacteria
Seventy percent of your immune cells reside in your intestines (2) so your gut bacteria can affect your immune system.
A whole-foods, plant-based diet is high in fiber and makes your gut bacteria very happy because they feed on this fiber. Beans, greens, cruciferous vegetables all contain ample fiber. In addition, a good pro-biotic supplement can help you on the way.
Hidden or chronic infections from viruses, bacteria, yeasts, or parasites
Get help from a trained doctor.
Hidden allergies from food or the environment
Avoid these when possible.
Exposure to toxins such as mercury and pesticides or mold
Identify and remove from your environment.
* PlantBasedDocs is a searchable, directory of physicians, clinicians and allied health professionals who understand that a pill for every ill is not the answer.
Instead, they are embracing the nutritional science that overwhelmingly supports the efficacy of whole food, plant-based nutrition and its ability to prevent, suspend, and, often, even reverse the most devastating chronic, degenerative diseases.
** FunctionalMedicine.org is also a searchable database that helps you find healthcare professionals who are familiar with the concepts and approaches of Functional Medicine.
Functional Medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach, and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership.
Turmeric Smoothie
This smoothie is creamy and has a lovely flavor. I like to use my Homemade Almond Milk. You could also try one of these delicious Nut, Seed and Grain-Based Milk recipes.
You’ll also need bananas, frozen mango, the turmeric, of course, freshly grated ginger, your choice of hemp, flax or chia seeds, some vanilla extract, cinnamon and just a pinch of ground pepper.
Blend all your ingredients until smooth and you have one inflammation fighting smoothie! This is a perfect smoothie to start your day or enjoy in the afternoon.
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Healing Tumeric Smoothie! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
This recipe is Certified Plantricious because it meets the following guidelines.
The Trusted Seal for
Plant-Based Nutrition
- Must be whole food plant-based, contains no animal products
- May be minimally processed
- No added oil
- No added sugars
- No artificial additives or preservatives
- Sodium (mg) to Calories ratio, 1 ≤ 1
- Total Fiber to Calories, 2g ≥ 100 calories
Healing Turmeric Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 cups non-dairy milk such as almond, soy or coconut
- 2 medium frozen bananas broken into pieces
- 1 cup frozen mango or other fruit
- 1 tsp fresh turmeric root peeled and grated, or 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp fresh ginger root peeled and grated
- 1 Tbl hemp seeds flax or chia seeds
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract non-alcoholic preferred
- 1/4 tsp Ceylon cinnamon*
- pinch ground pepper
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients into a high-powered blender. Add more or less ginger for your taste.
- Blend until smooth, scraping the sides as necessary.
I love the ingredients and the whole idea of the healing smoothie.. However, when you on a 1200-1500 calorie diet per day this drink consumes more than a meal and a half to two meals.
Hi, Something was off on the nutrition label. I’ve fixed it, For 2 servings it’s 295 calories and for 3 it’s 197. Thanks for noticing!
This smoothie is delicious. Everyone loves it. My children ask for it frequently. My mother-in-law says it taste like a dessert. We like to have it for a snack in the evening. I sometimes substitute frozen pineapple instead of mangoes, but either is good. I thought it was worth trying to get some extra turmeric in us. Definitely glad I did.
Hi Jessica, so glad you and your family are enjoying the smoothie and mixing it up with other fruits. Great idea!
I love the way this smoothie tastes. When I’m in the mood for a bowl of ice-cream I have the smoothie instead. The list of ingredients do not show any ginger. However the instructions do. How much grated ginger should I start with?
Hi Diana, thanks for catching that 🙂 I suggested adding 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger, but you might want to experiment because ginger can be very strong. 1/4 tsp of ground ginger would be a good starting point for powdered. It sounds like you’ve been drinking this. How much ginger have you been using or did you leave it out?
Love it ….turmeric smoothie…Instead of frozen fruits, can we use fresh ones …
Sure, I like my smoothie pretty cold, but fresh works great, too.
I have to watch my sugar and was wondering if there is a way to reduce the total grams of sugar?
Thank you
Hi Denise, I suspect that it’s the banana and mango that are adding to the grams of sugar so you could eliminate one or substitute another fruit with more fiber and less sugar. I recalculated the nutrition information using soymilk because it has more protein and that lower the grams of sugar somewhat. You could add grated fresh turmeric and ginger to any homemade smoothie if you’re looking for the healing values in this smoothie. My V-8 smoothie has 15 grams of sugar. I hope that helps.
My friend is undergoing chemotherapy for a very serious form of breast cancer. I am about to try your Heart Healthy Smoothie. Can you suggest any other recipes or ingredients that would help to maintain her energy and well being. Thank you
Hi Phylis, I’m so sorry your friend is going through this difficult time. You sound like a very supportive friend so that’s great. Unfortunately, I’m not an expert at maintaining energy after chemo, but I know that eating a whole-food, plant-based diet is very important to support her recovery and prevent a reoccurrence. I do have a couple of thoughts, however… Getting a good night’s sleep is important, getting out in nature is very healing, having the support of friends such as yourself, and practicing meditation. She can also be proactive by meal planning and cooking healthy meals during a time when things might seem out of control (if she has the energy or maybe help from you). My two trusted websites for information on cancer are nutritionfacts.org and drfuhrman.com. These both use science to back their recommendations. I can also refer you to crisbeatcancer.com and eattobeat.com. Eat to Beat has a companion book called, Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. If I think of anything else, I’ll add to this response. Sending all the best and I hope you enjoy the smoothie. 🙂