Winter may be the season for the common cold and flu but we have got a cure to keep such illnesses away, and that is with smoothies.
Smoothies offer an amazing way to boost your immune system and replenish important vitamins. To make sure you get as many benefits from smoothies, you should not ignore vegetables.
It is easy to load up on fruit as it is sweet and delicious, but for variety and health reasons, you should not forget vegetables when making smoothies.
Things like baby spinach, beetroot, kale, and celery can all be added to smoothies and they add a whole lot of goodness to your diet as well. One other thing when making smoothies, you should always check the serving size of your smoothie.
Do not throw in two bananas, a whole mango, or a tub of yoghurt and then drink it all down. If you would not typically eat those large volumes of food in one sitting, you should not be drinking them, as your kilojoule count will be sky-high.
Measure out your quantities carefully, and use just enough ingredients in your smoothie to fill you up.
Below are recipes that you can try during this cold season. These recipes are filled with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants known to help boost your immune system and protect your body against illness.
The best of it all is that these benefits do not come in the form of injections or pills. Plus, they taste fantastic.
Green smoothie by Cathy Food Dairy
Ingredients
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup pineapple
½ cup kiwi
½ tsp lemon juice
1 slice ginger
1 cup Greek yoghurt
½ cup of coconut water
2 tsp honey
Method
Blend everything until smooth.
Immune-boosting smoothie by Aayah Khalaf
Ingredients
1 cup mixed frozen berries
½ cup baby spinach and Kale
1 orange
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp Camu Camu powder
2 drops of vitamin D
1 probiotic capsule opened
Method
Blend everything for about one minute or until smooth.
Watermelon smoothie by Indulge Food
Ingredients
1 cup watermelon
A handful of red grapes
A chunk of pineapple
2 fingers of banana
A scoop of mixed fruit syrup
1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1 tsp oats cereal blend
Method
Blend all together and enjoy it.
Vitamin C smoothie
Ingredients
250 ml of cold rosehip or hibiscus tea
2 peeled carrots
1 large orange
1 piece of fresh ginger (1 cm)
1 tsp cinnamon (ground)
1 tsp honey
1 tsp coconut oil (or another type of oil, eg olive oil)
Method
Peel the carrots and cut them into small pieces.
Peel the orange, remove the white skin completely, and cut it into small pieces.
Peel and grate ginger.
Put the ingredients together with cinnamon, honey, and oil in the blender jar.
Add the cold tea and blend well until the desired consistency is achieved.
Enjoy it warm.
Creamy date smoothie by Sara Shaikh
Ingredients
4-5 whole Medjool dates
1 cup almond or whole organic milk (preferably not homogenised)
A pinch of cinnamon
Method
Warm your milk, cinnamon, and dates in a pan.
Put in your blender and process until the dates are ground fine.
Serve warm in autumn and winter or at room temperature.
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