Cold and flu season is in full swing and I feel like I’m dodging it left and right. So far I haven’t been sick any time this winter, and I have an sneaking suspicion it’s not pure luck. The last few months I’ve really focused on putting my needs first. While it certainly doesn’t go perfectly every day, I’ve noticed a big change in my immune system. I feel strong and energized. The focus is to just, plain and simple, make myself a priority.
Want to join me? A few easy ways to take great care of yourself, and in turn boost your immune system, are:
- Eating extra fresh fruit and vegetables (bring extra in your bag to snack on throughout the day)
- Getting physical exercise daily (5 times a week or more)
- Keeping stress levels down (try deep breathing, meditating, and/or keeping a gratitude list)
- Consuming nutrition-packed superfoods every day (try adding them to a smoothie or juice in the a.m.)
- Extra sleep, glorious sleep (my favorite tip and the hardest one for me to follow!)
I get two of these tips in every morning by making a fruit/vegetable and super food smoothie or juice for breakfast. Here’s a new turmeric juice recipe I made that should help you avoid getting sick and recover quickly if you’re already there.
Everything in this juice has powerful healthy benefits to the body, especially the magical root turmeric. Turmeric is a bright yellow spice (typically found in curry powder) that is growing in popularity for its diverse health benefits including suppressing inflammation, potentially preventing cancer, healing wounds, boosting the immune system, and more. For more information, check out CNN’s Report on The 10 Health Benefits of Eating Turmeric.
I made a big batch recipe of the following juice so you can have enough to drink throughout 1-2 days, or to share with a friend!
Healing Turmeric Juice (makes 6-7 cups juice)
2 lemons
1 heaping tbsp. turmeric
1 heaping tbsp. maca powder
2 cups frozen mango chunks
1 tbsp. size piece of fresh ginger
4 cups water
1/8 tsp. sea salt
Cut the skin off the lemons and place them in a blender (I like to cut the lemons in wedges first, remove excess seeds, use a knife to quickly cut away the skin from each wedge, and squeeze any extra juice from the skin into the blender before discarding it).
Cut or peel the skin off the ginger and grate it into a pulp using a grater. Add the ginger to the blender with the lemons.
Add in the turmeric, maca, mango, water, and sea salt to the blender. Blend on high for about 30 seconds. Serve chilled and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days. Stir well before pouring a glass.
Tips:
- If you have a high powered blender such as a VitaMix, you probably won’t need to grate the ginger, just peel and drop it in.
- Always use best citrus juicers.
- Store leftovers in a glass container. Turmeric can stain plastic or silicone containers.
