I’ve been really into smoothies for the past few months. I’m not a fan of super sweet, all fruit smoothies and if you have a chronic illness like Lyme disease you really shouldn’t be drinking those types of smoothies too often. The sugar content of an all fruit smoothie is both inflammatory and will feed the Lyme bugs so I’ve had to find ways to make my smoothies nutrient packed but still tasty.

Although this smoothie takes a little bit more effort then throwing 3 ingredients into the blender, it is totally worth it! It contains both ginger and turmeric for anti-inflammatory effects and cilantro, lemon and lime juice, and greens to help detoxify.

Detoxifying Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/4 cup full fat canned coconut milk

1/4 cup almond milk (or replace with more coconut milk or non-dairy milk of choice)

1/2 cup cold filtered water

1/4 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root (can replace this with 1/4 tsp. ground ginger)

1 tsp. maca powder (optional)

1 scoop protein powder of choice (optional)

1 small handful (1/4-1/2 cup depending on how strong you want the flavor) fresh cilantro

1 large handful spinach

Juice from 1/2 a lime

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

1/2 frozen banana

1/4 cup frozen mango

It is easiest to prep all your ingredients. THEN throw them all in a high speed blender. The best order is to place the liquid first, then all the powders/spices and lemon/lime juice, then the spinach and cilantro, and finally the fruit. This allows everything to blend evenly. Turn blender on and let it whirl until all ingredients are mixed in and it is nice and smooth.

I top mine with local bee pollen which contains an amazing amount of nutrients, has natural antibiotic effects, and provides the body with sustainable energy. I’ve added it into my diet to help aid in healing from Lyme disease. Using local bee pollen can also help with allergies. So, even if you aren’t sick but you suffer from seasonal allergies, bee pollen can be a great natural way to boost your immune system to local allergens without using drugs or chemical filled allergy meds.