Cold-Busting Super Juice Recipe

I woke up feeling pretty sickly this morning. I also knew that I needed to get back on the smoothie wagon, as I spent most of my Thanksgiving break leaping off of said wagon. So, I did what I often do: I started looking for smoothie recipes.

The following recipe is one I created and it is inspired by many I found in my searches. True to my mad scientist nature, it contains whatever I coud find in my kitchen. Let's get started.

Ingredients
1 cup kale
1 cup lemon ginger tea (cooled)
1/3 cup frozen berries
1/3 cup orange juice
1 container strawberry Greek yogurt
1/8 cup chia seeds
1-2 tbsp honey

Instructions
Blend to your heart's desire. Or for about 45 seconds so everything is evenly blended.

Modifications
I got lucky this morning finding the last bag of lemon ginger tea in our tea cabinet, but if you are not as lucky, you can always use regular ginger tea and lemon juice. PAY ATTENTION TO THE STEEPING INSTRUCTIONS. I cannot stress that enough. If you make your tea too strong, it will taint the rest of the juice by making it too strong or bitter. (This is especially true when using green tea in a juice or smoothie.)
Many people also like to cut up a small piece of ginger root and put that in their immune-boosting juices. If you have ginger root on hand, go for it.

Reap Some 'Ledge
All of these ingredients contribute wonderfully to your immune system. For starters, kale, ginger, berries, and chia seeds all contain serious antioxidants which boost your immune system by decreasing inflammation in the body. (Regular intake of antioxidants also decreases your chances of developing cancer, a major cause of which is inflammation.) Ginger particularly targets inflammation of the joints, joint cartilage, and immune cells! It is often used in recipes for detox juices and smoothies because it causes healthy sweating, allowing your body to secrete the toxins it is fighting. Ginger is also very good for your digestive tract which contributes to a healthy immune system and and allover happier you.

Lemon, orange, and strawberry all contain generous helpings of Vitamin C which, as you probably know, is ideal for boosting the immune system (especially when you feel a cold coming on).

Give Bees a Standing Ovation
Not enough good things can be said about honey. It has so many health benefits, it is one of the most super superfoods. Plus, it never goes bad - brilliant! Not only does it promote healthy antioxidant levels in the blood when consumed regularly, it has also been found to be a superior cough supressant and it may improve blood sugar control. It also contains a large amount of "friendly" bacteria (the bacteria found in probiotics) which are good for digestive health and for the immune system. But most importantly, raw honey is considered an excellent anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal due to a combination of plant resins and secretions produced by bees. Because bees are awesome, they create this substance to seal and protect their hives from pathogens, thus protecting honey-consumers from pathogens! I know many people are afraid of bees, but honestly, we'd probably all be dead without them.

Please feel free to comment on this post about anything mentioned herein. I am always open to corrections and constructive criticism. Happy mixing!

Sources:
World's Healthiest Foods: whfoods.org