Morning Boost #4: Ginger Turmeric Kefir Lassi

This smoothie is the perfect combination of sweet, spicy, and healthy to kick-start your fabulous day! 

What is this amazing sounding drink you ask?

As I said, this one is sweet from the honey and pineapple, spicy from the ginger, and contains a hint of sourness from the lemon. Aside from those different tastes, it is also creamy from Kefir… Sounding delicious yet? Kefir, if you haven’t heard of it yet, is a type of probiotic yogurt drink.

This is a great one when you are feeling a bit sick, with nausea or simply under the weather. It contains ingredients such as probiotic yogurt which is great for healing and strengthening intestines, as well as ginger, which is helpful for unsettled stomachs, menstrual pain, and fighting cases of flu and common colds (HealthLine 2017). This smoothie also contains honey, which is a natural antibiotic according to Medical News Today and can also be used as a cold relief.

Benefits of Turmeric

I myself had not heard about all the benefits of turmeric before making this smoothie with my mom. I feel that knowing what good you are actually doing with the food you put into your body always gives me a positive mindset. If I feel like I am putting kick-ass nutrients into my body, then I feel so much better. Therefore, I like to know the benefits of the natural spices, oils, and whatever else it may be that I am using for my body.

Turmeric is a spice grown in many Asian countries and belongs to the ginger family, so it has a bit of a similar “bite” tastes!

Benefits Include:

• Cancer preventing elements: According to Cancer Research UK, the main ingredient in Turmeric is “curcumin” (scientifically known as diferuloyl methane), which has shown to have anticancer effects on cancer cells.
• The Curcumin acts as an anti-oxidant and is also known for its powerful anti-inflammatory. Therefore, it can act as a natural pain killer (HealthLine 2017). 
• Can slow the growth of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's: According to Health Line, Turmeric is known to boost the level of a growth hormone in the brain (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)), which is linked to improved brain function. Alzheimer's, for example, is linked to the decrease of this hormone in the brain. Therefore, it could be a factor in preventing Alzheimer's. 

 Ingredients 

Side Note: This recipe has been adapted from my amazing mom, and she adapted it from the wonderful smoothie book Delicious Probiotic Drinks by Julia Mueller, where the information and benefits on all the ingredients and more healthy recipes if you're interested.

Ingredient Information

• Kefir can also be substituted for plain probiotic yogurt
• It is optional to add coconut water (approx. 1/4 cup to liquify the smoothie a bit and add the coconut taste, which can be really nice as it evens out all the strong tastes (just like the Kefir does as well)).

Single Step: Blend Well! 
Again, as most of my recipes go, you simply put it all in a blender and mix it together!
Pour into a glass and it is optional to garnish the drink with extra turmeric.

Servings
When I made this recipe originally (and for this post), it served about three people, but the amounts given will also work for two. To make this for one person, half this recipe. In that case, the recipe will make one good glass with a little left over to refill… you'll be wanting that extra bit.

And then you are left with a delicious morning smoothie boost with numerous healthy ingredients! Drink up!

Feeling too busy for healthy foods? Get rid of that excuse... here are some prep ideas:

This is a pretty easy recipe to prep for ahead of time. For example, if you don't have time to be cutting up pineapple in the morning, cut it up the night before and put it in a tupperware or in the freezer if you know you won't finish it this week anymore. Chop up the ginger and have a full jar at hand! Ginder is great to throw in with your tea or water, so you can never really have too much.

Start the morning and continue your day feeling full, healthy, and energized!