Inside: Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie to add to your daily routine, to combat inflammation which increases chronic disease.

Inflammation is the root cause of a majority of chronic diseases. Diet plays an important role in causing as well as controlling inflammation in our body. Some foods are pro-inflammatory foods and some foods help us reduce inflammation in our body. Our modern-day lifestyle is pro-inflammatory with exposure to toxins, pro-inflammatory foods, stress, EMF exposure and so on. 

But by incorporating some foods in our diet in regular basis we can fight off this inflammation and help prevent chronic diseases. Several anti-inflammatory diets have been made and there are some foods which are consistently part of all these anti-inflammatory diets. 

However a lot of times my patients have trouble eating these foods consistently in their daily life and were maybe able to do one food or the other, so I decided to make a smoothie which everyone can drink during the day and can get all their anti-inflammatory foods in one smoothie. 

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Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

Here are the anti-inflammatory foods which I include in my anti-inflammatory smoothie —

1. Turmeric 
2. Ginger 
3. Blueberries 
4. Almond milk / coconut milk
5. Protein powder with flavor
6. Chia seeds
7. Green tea powder 

1. Turmeric: Turmeric is an Indian spice used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years for so many benefits. One of the benefits of turmeric is that it is very potent anti-inflammatory compounds, there are more than 5000 research papers published on turmeric. Studies have consistently shown that turmeric lowers inflammatory markers in patients with autoimmune conditions. It has shown to reduce the pain and inflammation, arthritis patients. 

You can get fresh turmeric from grocery store (usually found near fresh ginger root) OR Try this is the turmeric powder, which I use in my kitchen!

Related Read: Turmeric for Rheumatoid Arthritis

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2. Ginger: Ginger again is a very potent anti-inflammatory food. It has so many great benefits, it is good for the gut, improves nausea, and also helps fight inflammation. Studies have shown beneficial effects of ginger in reducing inflammation in Diabetics, arthritis and cancer patients. It works on NK kappa B receptors, and also works on COX pathways similar to the ibuprofen medicine. 

I recommend fresh ginger root; but you can also keep this ginger powder in your pantry for times when you don’t have fresh ginger root, or if you don’t like taste of fresh ginger.

3. Blueberries: Blueberries are a superfood for me, they are low glycemic index fruit and have anthocyanin, a potent anti oxidizer. They are also very potent inflammatory foods as they reduce inflammation at different levels. They promote NK cells in your body which are an important part of your immune system. They are especially important for reducing inflammation in our brain and improving memory and prevent dementia. 

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 4. Chia seeds: Chia seeds are a good source of fiber, nutrients, protein and also good vegetarian source for Omega3. Although the majority of the omega in chia seeds are in the form of ALA which needs to be converted to actual Omega3 ( EPA and DHA), but still can be a decent source. These here are very economic and good quality Chia Seeds I recommend.

5. Coconut milk or Almond milk: Both coconut milk and almond milk have good anti-inflammatory properties. These are nut-milks that have so many good nutrients that collectively they help to keep your body in good shape. And they are very good alternatives to regular dairy which is definitely very pro-inflammatory, so instead of regular milk try these milk alternatives which are full of good benefits. 

6. Protein powder: Protein is such an important part of daily health. Proteins not only help to build our muscles but our vital part of our immune system and help us repair and regenerate our body. There are several protein powders all of them have their own benefits. I like plant-based protein powders from Pea protein, hemp, chia, brown rice. Get one with chocolate or vanilla flavor so make this shake a treat for you also. I use Oragin Protein Powder in my smoothies and my entire family likes it!

7. Green Tea Powder: Green tea has long been known to have several benefits including helping with weight management, detox and reducing inflammation. Now you can get green tea powder so you can add that easily to your shake to be done with it. You can use Matcha Green Tea Powder, but if you don’t like the taste of it. I sometimes just tear open and empty a regular green tea bag in my smoothie; it doesn’t add any taste to it.

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Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie Recipe

Now comes the main part of this post, about how to blend all these ingredients into a shake that can give you the beneficial properties of all these great foods. 

Recipe:

1 cup of fresh blueberries

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 inch of ginger root fresh /1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp chia seeds 

Coconut / almond milk as per consistency of your shake 

1 scoop Protein powder

1 tsp green tea powder

Ice 

How to make the smoothie? Simple. Take all the above ingredients and blend it in a blender at high speed for some time. So that all of these ingredients can churn and mix well.

Caution: The blueberries and the protein powder should add enough sweetness to the smoothie, and I don’t recommend adding too much sugar or maple syrup or honey to it, since sugary stuff also increases inflammation a lot. If you must add some sweetness — try some of this monk fruit sweetener, it has a very natural taste just like sugar.

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Related Read:

Prebiotics for Gut Health – The Overlooked Supplement.

Can Tomatoes trigger IBS

GERD Diet Plan