Anti-Inflammatory Brain Healthy Smoothie
As I continually educate myself on how to beat disease with food, I explore new ways to create fun foods that you all will enjoy - and that I enjoy!
I really came up with this because it includes a lot of things that I really only eat in the summer and as I scanned the grocery aisles I sometimes get my inspiration and today this is where it came from - stone fruits.
I’ve been reading about them in my Eat to Beat Disease book and I really wanted to incorporate them more into my diet so I thought I’d try them a few different ways.
Stone fruits are first of all - bursting with flavor. They are known for their pit in the center! You will recognize them as apricots, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, mangoes and even lychee!
They have a host of anti-angiogenic properties - or disease fighting!
Specifically they contain carotids which are shown to decrease the risk of esophageal cancer by 66 percent and decrease the risk of lung cancer by 18% with 2 medium sized fruits a day - according to the US National Cancer Institute of Illinois at Chicago.
Another carotenoid called Lutein found in apricots, prevents the formation of brain damaging fibrils that are linked to Alzheimer’s Disease! That’s a reason enough for me!
When choosing fruits, always choose fresh to avoid the sugar additives and also some of the bioactives are lost through the drying process.
In addition to these wonderful fruits, there are two of the most well-known and frankly effective forms of anti-inflammatory foods out there - turmeric and ginger. Again, here you want to try to always use fresh over other forms to get the highest concentration.
So, now that we know all the goodies inside, how excited are you to try this recipe?!?
Let’s start with the ingredients:
1 fresh apricot - remove skin (if desired) and pit
4 frozen peaches (slices)
2 ice cubes
1 ginger, turmeric & orange ice cube. I made these just by juicing the ginger and turmeric and orange in my vitamix then straining out the pulp. I froze these in ice cube trays.
1 tbsp cashew butter
1 scoop OWYN VANILLA PLANT PROTEIN
Directions:
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Top with sliced apricots and unsweetened coconut flakes for added crunch!
I hope you enjoy! I’d love to see your recipes! If you try it us the hastag #SUMMERBRAINSMOOTHIE and tag me on Instagram @AngieReneeFitLife