5 Immunity-Boosting Smoothies for Better Health

The pandemic made all of us realize the importance of a healthy diet and a strong immunity. Even though many of us have revamped the items on our kitchen shelves, a diet can't change overnight.

But we have some good news for you. The easiest way to welcome new ingredients into your diet is by blending it all in a smoothie. Scroll down to learn the recipes of 6 best smoothies to build your immunity.

1. The 5-minute Fruit and Veggie Combo Smoothie

When you're looking to boost your greens and vitamin intake, this fruit and veggie combo is perfect and can be prepared in the shortest possible time.

All you need is a blender, water, a handful of spinach, cucumber, banana and pineapple. Dice these vegetables and fruits and blend them all. Pour the smoothie in a glass, and that’s it!

Benefits: This fruit and veggie combo smoothie has an abundance of vitamin C, vitamin K, prebiotic fibre, flavonoids, polyphenol antioxidants, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Spinach and cucumber are rich in antioxidants and help prevent diseases. Bananas and pineapples suppress inflammation, aid in digestion and are known to reverse the effects of cancer.

2. Orange Berry Kiwi Smoothie: The Vitamin-C Supplement

We all have vitamin-C tablets as our go-to supplement to strengthen our immunity. It not only prevents illness but also helps one get better. This smoothie has our citrus friend, orange, as its main base, making it a vitamin C-rich blend.

To make this wonderful drink, dice two kiwis and three strawberries and then blend it with 8 ounces of plain low or nonfat yogurt and 4 ounces of all-natural orange juice. Add a few ice cubes in a glass and have yourself an amazing orange berry kiwi smoothie.

Benefits: Yogurt and kiwi are known to be super rich in terms of their health benefits- not only do they amp up your white blood cell activity, but they keep your hydration level high as well.

3. The Rainbow Smoothie

If you've read the bestseller Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia, you might be aware of how the Japanese live a full life by decorating a rainbow buffet for their everyday meals.

The thought is simple- the more diverse colours on your plate- the healthier and rich your food is. This smoothie follows the same Japanese principle by mixing colourful fruits, vegetables, yogurt, spices and bee pollen, all in a go.

• half frozen banana
• one orange (peeled)
• 1/2 cup mango
• 1/2 cup frozen cauliflower (rice or florets)
• 1 inch of ginger
• 1 inch of turmeric
• a dash of black pepper (required for turmeric absorption)
• half a lemon (peeled)
• 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
• up to (1 1/2 cups unsweetened liquid of choice)
• 1 teaspoon bee pollen

Blend all these ingredients (except the bee pollen) thoroughly in a high-speed blender. Finish by pouring into a glass and sprinkling with bee pollen, and enjoy your rainbow smoothie.

Benefits: The king of fruits, mango is a nutrient-rich fruit endowed with a high quantity of vitamin C. Cauliflower contains a lot of fibre and is low in sugar. It is rich in glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that helps fight infection. Adding ginger and pepper promotes digestion. Greek yogurt provides probiotics, which can help prevent "bad" bacteria from taking over and helps to eliminate the infection from your body. The last ingredient, bee pollen, is a powerful antioxidant and also has antimicrobial properties.

4. The Immunity-Boosting Greenie

Listen to your mom and "eat your greens" with this immunity-boosting greenie. It is extremely healthy, tasty and gorgeous to look at. You can have it first thing in the morning and watch it do wonders to your body.  

Combine some spinach, kale, kiwi, pineapple, 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds, coconut water, and 1 knob of ginger in your blender. Blend your greens and liquids first, and then add the rest of the fruits. Keep blending until it turns smooth. Garnish with a slice of kiwi and enjoy.

Benefits: Spinach and kale are both rich in vitamin C, folate, and iron which all help boost immunity. Also, kiwi and lemon are a great source of vitamin C. Even pineapple has vitamin C and vitamin B that retains energy in your body. Hemp seeds contain healthy fats that will keep you full and omega-3s to promote a healthy heart and brain and skin smooth. Coconut water adds the electrolytes that help your muscles function well and prevents dehydration, thus building overall immunity.

5. The Energy-Rich Booster

If you ever need an instant mid-day boost of energy, this smoothie is the one to choose. Bananas, almond milk and coconut milk give you that immediate burst.

You need ¾ cup coconut milk, ¾ cup almond milk,1 large banana,½ cup strawberries,1 Tbsp coconut oil and 1 tsp cinnamon. Throw all ingredients in a blender and blend until you get the desired smooth and creamy texture.

Drink, enjoy and feel energized!

The best thing about smoothies is that they are healthy as well as delicious. Once you get the hang of the taste, you would want to have more of them. Feed your body with a dose of all the essentials in one go.

Let us know which smoothie you relished the most. You can also mention your suggestions in the comments below.