October 5, 2021

Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Smoothie Recipe (Easy & Delicious!)

Name: Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric & Ginger Smoothie
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 inch ginger (peeled and sliced); 2 inch turmeric (peeled and sliced); 1 c pineapple (cubed); 1 c mango (cubed); 1 tbsp coconut oil; 1 tbsp chia seeds (or flax seeds); pinch of black pepper; 1 c fresh squeezed orange juice; 1 tbsp lime juice; 2 c ice

Full of tangy, sweet, spicy, and tropical flavors, this anti-inflammatory smoothie will make you forget it’s even healthy because it’ll feel like you’re on vacation. Drinking anti-inflammatory smoothies or drinks has the potential to help prevent and/or fight against various chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and more. Learn how to make a tasty and healthy treat today.

Foods to add that reduce inflammation

Many vegetables, fruits, and foods have anti-inflammatory benefits like blueberries, tomatoes, salmon, spinach, ginger, and turmeric. These foods have natural antioxidants and polyphenols that have health benefits which include but are not limited to reducing your blood sugar levels, lower the risk of heart disease and also reduce inflammation.

The latter is one of the most important because some say it may be the cause of many chronic illnesses. These days you can find many drinks like ginger or turmeric shots that are known to help reduce inflammation.

Are smoothies bad for inflammation?

Smoothies that aren’t created with health in mind can be unhealthy if you drink too much aka if you add a ton of sugary fruit and juice, but lack fiber, or a variety of vitamins and minerals. When making a smoothie, make sure to add plenty of vegetables, good fats, protein, and fiber, like chia seeds or flax seeds.

Smoothies that focus on anti-inflammation should include ingredients that have beneficial ingredients like ginger and/or turmeric.

Ingredients in this anti-inflammatory smoothie

This smoothie not only includes a varied amount of anti-inflammatory ingredients like fresh ginger and turmeric, but it also has tropical and tasty fruits like pineapple, mango, and orange juice.

Turmeric, like ginger, has a lot of antioxidant nutrients like curcumin, which has been known to help chronic pain illnesses like arthritis. However, to help the body digest and break down curcumin, it’s helpful to add ingredients like fats (coconut oil) and black pepper that help enhance the bioavailability of turmeric.

Fresh vs powdered turmeric

The two most common forms of turmeric you can buy at the store are fresh roots and powder. While fresh turmeric is still in its original root form, powdered turmeric typically goes through the process of peeling, boiling, and drying before it’s crushed into a powder.

You can find a powdered form of turmeric in many grocery aisles, and fresh turmeric is typically available in many Asian grocery stores or health food stores, like Sprouts. It’s important to buy turmeric powder from a trusted brand because some brands use filler ingredients like cassava flour.

When making anti-inflammatory smoothies, it’s suggested to use fresh turmeric because it may contain more antioxidants than processed turmeric powder which may reduce the amount of some beneficial active nutrients like curcumin. When handling fresh turmeric, you may want to wear gloves when peeling and slicing the root because it’s known to stain surfaces and clothing.

However, it’s important to note that if you cannot find fresh turmeric, powdered turmeric is a good substitute to get any beneficial nutrients.

How to create your own anti-inflammatory smoothies

anti inflammatory turmeric ginger smoothie

You want to steer clear from making smoothies with ONLY fruit because adding too much sugar, even if it comes in a natural state like fruit, can spike up your blood sugar levels. When creating your own anti-inflammatory smoothies, like other healthy frozen smoothie packs, you want to include a variety and balance of vegetables, fruit, protein, and liquid.

Since some natural ingredients for anti-inflammation can have a strong flavor to them, like ginger, I like to pair the spiciness with sweet and tangy fruits like pineapple or mangoes. If you want a caffeine booster with your morning drink, you can also try our healthy coffee protein shake too.