Immune-Support Smoothie

These days, we really should be thinking about ways to support and grow our immunity. And it dawned on me that I hadn't done an immune-boosting smoothie yet.

You CAN nurture immunity with food ... or lack of it. I prefer to nurture mine by avoiding gluten (actually wheat) and dairy as much as I can.

In other words, I'm taking foods out of by diet that may cause leaky gut and inflammation. Which may compromise my immune system.

But there are foods (and herbs and spices) that can actually feed your immune system. Here are some in a smoothie from ambitiouskitchen.com.

I love my Nutri Ninja. I've burned out two NutriBullets and countless blenders (probably because of the frozen fruit). And this blended up fine ... even the roots. 

And here are the immune benefits of each ingredient:

Banana: Bananas not only add thick-shake texture to smoothies ...  they're packed with potassium.

Pineapple: Pineapple contains a natural enzyme called bromelain ... great for digestion and putting the kebosh on inflammation. A good substitute ... papaya ... which also has a natural enzyme ... papain.

Spinach: I didn't believe that you couldn't taste the spinach in this smoothie. But they were right! I'm always leery of spinach because of the oxalates. So you might want to substitute other greens like baby kale or watercress.

Ginger root: Not only flavorful but also good for digestion, reducing inflammation and nausea.

Fresh turmeric root: Turmeric has been used for thousands of years as a medicinal herb. Its active ingredient ... curcumin ... has powerful anti-inflammatory and immune-support properties.

My advice ... SLOWLY INCREASE IT! When I drank this for the first time, this taste overpowered every other ... and was beaucoup-spicy to boot. Or add some Stevia and cacao powder (has flavonols that are also immune-supporting) for sweetness.

Black pepper: I didn't know until I found this recipe that black pepper helps your body absorb turmeric. I just gave it a few grinds from my mill. And  ... no ... you can't taste it.

Manuka or raw honey: Raw honey is so high in antioxidants that I like to take a teaspoon in the morning along with my supplements. It's also great for soothing sore throats.

Coconut milk or almond milk: You need some liquid for blending ... and I use coconut milk almost exclusively as its higher fat content makes GREAT white sauce. But either will do ... or my new best friend ... Milkadamia.