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Fight a Cold Smoothie

Fight a Cold Smoothie - A healthy smoothie full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to help fight the common cold. A delicious fruity drink with a bit of a kick from the ginger and turmeric.


My husband Graham has been suffering from man flu this week. Really, really bad man flu.  To be fair he's been suffering with a really bad cold, but to him it was much worse.

I couldn't stand it any longer! I had to do something about it, so I started with this smoothie. I made him drink two glasses of it as soon as I whizzed it up, then I made chilli for dinner and after dinner I made him drink water, take his vitamins, drink more smoothie and eat some fresh pineapple.

The result? He got up the next day and was feeling much better. It wasn't gone, but a vast improvement. I put it down to the combination of fresh cold-fighting ingredients in the smoothie, the spice in the chilli, the vitamins and keeping himself hydrated.  That last point is so important, people don't drink enough water.




Fight a Cold Smoothie - A healthy smoothie full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to help fight the common cold. A delicious fruity drink with a bit of a kick from the ginger and turmeric.

So what were the ingredients in my smoothie and why are they cold-fighting heroes?

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which converts into Vitamin A and helps support our immune system, which in turn helps to fight colds.

Oranges are high in Vitamin C. It won't cure your cold, but it can help to reduce how long it lasts as it also boots your immune system.

Fresh Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It fights the cold bug and helps clear sinuses as well as improving the absorption of nutrients.

Turmeric is my secret ingredient and one everyone is excited about just now. It's also a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory effects and is high in iron, potassium, zinc, vitamin B6, A and C.  Fresh turmeric is becoming more available, but if you can't use it, use a good quality ground turmeric.

Baobab Powder is high in Vitamin C, fibre and has more antioxidants than any fruit. It's an African superfood, a pod from the baobab tree.


Fight a Cold Smoothie - A healthy smoothie full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to help fight the common cold. A delicious fruity drink with a bit of a kick from the ginger and turmeric.


I made my smoothie in my Optimum G2.1 blender. It has six function buttons including a fruit function. I just threw everything in including the ice, then topped it up with some water and hit the fruit button. 




Optimum G2.1 Blender
Optimum G2.1
Tips:
  1. Don't make the mistake of making a smoothie without adding water or freshly squeezed juice, you'll be left with a thick sludge rather than a delicious drink.
  2. If you don't have a power blender don't add ice to your blender. There's a good chance it will burn out the motor.
  3. If you have a basic blender, chop the ingredients into chucks before blending them.


If you don't have a power blender or can't afford one yet, be careful when blending and take note of my tips so your current blender will last longer. 



print recipe
Fight a Cold Smoothie - A healthy smoothie full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to help fight the common cold. A delicious fruity drink with a bit of a kick from the ginger and turmeric.
Fight a Cold Smoothie
A healthy smoothie full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to help fight the common cold. A delicious fruity drink with a bit of a kick from the ginger and turmeric.
Ingredients
  • 4 large carrots
  • 3 large oranges
  • 5-10 cm piece fresh ginger (root)
  • 2 tsp baobab
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 100ml water
  • a good handful of ice cubes
Instructions
1. Peel the oranges, carrots and ginger (cut them into chunks if you have a basic blender).2. Throw all of your ingredients into a blender and whizz until smooth. Skip the ice if you don't have a power blender.3. Pour and enjoy!
Details
Total time:
Yield: Makes 4-6 glasses



I've tried a few low cost blenders, a Kenwood, a Vitamix and all of the Optimum blender range. My personal favourites are the Optimum 9400 (I love the dial that lets you have full control) and the Optimum G2.1 (which has a digital panel and preset buttons so you can just hit a button and walk away).


Disclosure: I work with Froothie. I joined the team after falling in love with their blenders. They don't expect me to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own.

27 comments

  1. O delish!! Great way to pack in the nutrition!

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  2. Sounds so good! I love that you added carrots too!

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    Replies
    1. Carrots are great in smoothies Jenn, such a great colour.

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  3. The food we eat is so important to our health and wellbeing. I make something very similar whenever I feel the first signs of a cold and haven't been sick for over 2 years now. All those vitamins and minerals work wonders!

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  4. Turmeric is great at soothing and healing a sore throat. But we generally drink it in warm milk. I am yet to try adding it to a cold smoothie..but the oranges and carrots are my favorite combination here :)

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    1. I'll have to try that too Pragati, good tip :)

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  5. Guess who's blender arrived yesterday? And guess who has baobab powder in her pantry? I might have to try this out!

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    Replies
    1. YAY! You will love it Aimee! Hope you don't have a cold you need to get rid of though.

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  6. WoW, love the color of the smoothie and you have all the ingredients that I love :) Fab Recipe.

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  7. Anjali @ Vegetarian GastronomySaturday, 07 May, 2016

    I love all the ingredients of this smoothie...definitly something i'd crave and want when I'm fighting a cold, although I've never heard of baobob powder before. Need to check it out!

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    1. It's an African superfood Anjali and perfect for adding to smoothies, although I throw it in baking and cooking too. Very nutritious.

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  8. I've never heard of baobab powder. Interesting! All of the antioxidants and powers of the ingredients in the smoothie, plus the spices in the chili, were bound to make your hubby feel better.

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  9. What a lovely recipe! I like all the ingredients here!

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  10. Just what I need today as I'm also suffering from man-flu. Hope hubby gets better soon! H x

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    1. Oh no, well definitely try this or you will be the one suffering most, haha. Aww what a shame.

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  11. Great extra tips! I made the mistake of adding ice cubes to my cheapo blender once ;-)
    This smoothie looks awesome by the way!

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    1. Haha yes it's a beginners mistake. General blenders just don't have strong enough motors. You soon find that out.

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  12. Ooh yum, this sounds like the perfect way to fight a cold! Haha your hubby sounds just as bad as mine when the man flu hits :) glad he is feeling better!

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    Replies
    1. Oh yes, he is, although don't tell him I said that ;)

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  13. Cold or not... this smoothie looks like a total mood booster on a rainy day like today!

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x