Anti-inflammatory drinks (healthy + refreshing!) 🍹

Herbs are extra potent in their health-promoting compounds. Compounds? A little bit when it comes to herbs goes a long way. So we recently did a video on anti-inflammatory foods. If you haven't seen it, I'll link it for you here. But today I just kind of wanted to put into practice some of the things that we chatted about in that video. It's getting really warm outside, at least here in the Netherlands. And I thought, you know, why not just make some like really refreshing summer drinks that have very strong anti-inflammatory properties? Let's get started. For the first recipe, we'll be making this blackberry and ginger iced tea. So we'll start with steeping four green tea bags in a liter of water that's steaming, but not quite boiling. So about 75 degrees Celsius or 165 Fahrenheit should do. Then we're gonna let this sit to cool. So as a reminder, antioxidants are compounds that are naturally found in plant foods, and these help to protect our bodies from damage and they help to reduce inflammation. Of all of the different types of teas, green tea in particular is very high in antioxidants, such as catechins, which are known for their strong anti-inflammatory properties. Once the tea has cooled, we can remove the tea bags from it. And then moving over to a blender, we're gonna add in two cups of blackberries. Berries are well known for being a great source of a variety of different antioxidants, but blackberries are thought to be one of the richest sources. And you can tell this from its deep purple color, which it gets from the antioxidant anthocyanin. Next into the blender, we're gonna add three quarters of a cup of frozen pineapple chunks. Have you ever noticed that after you eat pineapple, sometimes you get this little bit of a tingling sensation on your tongue? That's because of a group of enzymes that are in the pineapple called bromelain, and these help to break down proteins, they help to support digestion, and they're known for their powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Then we can add in the juice from half a lime, a small chunk of fresh ginger, and I'm also gonna add a tablespoon of maple syrup, but you can always add more or less to taste. Then we can blend this all up. Once it's blended, I like to strain the blackberry mixture, just to remove the seeds, which can be a little bit gritty. And now we can start to assemble. To our serving cups, we're gonna add some of the blackberry puree, and then follow it up with some mint leaves and lime slices if you'd like, before topping it with a bunch of ice. Finally, we're gonna pour over the cooled green tea. Give it a stir, and feel free to add more sweetener to taste, and then this antioxidant-rich iced tea is ready to enjoy. For this next recipe, we're making a watermelon rosemary slushy. To a blender, we're gonna add about 700 grams or 25 ounces of frozen watermelon. Watermelon is one of the richest fruit sources of the antioxidant that's called lycopene, and that's what gives watermelon its beautiful red color. Lycopene has been shown to protect the body from inflammation and disease. Then we're gonna add in two frozen bananas, one cup of orange juice, one cup of coconut water, the juice from one lime, and finally, one tablespoon of fresh rosemary. Herbs are extra potent in their health-promoting compounds, like rosemary, for example. This contains the antioxidant called caffeic acid, which has antimicrobial properties and is also important for skin health. When it comes to using herbs, using just a little bit goes a long way. Once everything is added to the blender, we can now blend this up. The mixture is pretty thick, so you're gonna need to use a tamper or stop to stir it every so often. Whenever ready, spoon the slushie into your serving cups, and then you want to enjoy it right away if you can, because it does start to melt pretty quickly. It's super refreshing, surprisingly creamy, pleasantly sweet, and absolutely perfect for the summer. Ooh. For the next recipe, we'll be making my new favorite drink, a refreshing passion fruit and kombucha spritz. So grapefruits and passion fruit, these are both rich in the antioxidant vitamin C. Let's start first with freshly squeezing the juice from some grapefruits. Next, we're gonna scoop the pulp out of a passion fruit and add it to a cup. To the passion fruit pulp, I like to add some mint or basil leaves and some lime slices, and then use a tamper to lightly mash them just to extract their flavors. Then we can fill the cup to the top with some ice, and then pour in equal parts of grapefruit juice and kombucha. Kombucha is a type of fermented tea, and as we discussed, teas can be a great source of antioxidants, but kombucha also provides probiotics, which are live bacteria, and this helps to support the beneficial colony of bacteria that's in our colon, and that's important for not only gut health, but also for immune benefits. In case you're interested, we do have a recipe for making your own kombucha at home. I'll link that for you below, but if you want to, actually what we're even doing here is using store-bought kombucha, and that's obviously a lot faster. This drink looks as beautiful as it tastes delicious, and it just feels like summer in a glass. It's my favorite drink of the whole bunch. I definitely recommend trying it out. Cheers. Oh, I love this one. For the next recipe, we'll be making a lassi-inspired drink, which is a yogurt-based drink that's enjoyed in India. So to a blender, we're gonna add two soft medjool dates for natural sweetness and then add in two and a half cups of frozen mango chunks. The vibrant yellow-orange color that you see in mangoes is in part thanks to the antioxidant called beta-carotene, and this helps to enhance our immune system, but it's also really important in our eye functioning. It even actually helps us see a little bit better at night. Next, add in two cups of your favorite plant-based yogurt, three quarters of a cup of plant-based milk, and half of a tablespoon of fresh ginger. So adding ginger here is definitely optional, but if you do decide to add it, you'll be adding a powerful antioxidant called gingerol, which helps to fight off disease-promoting bacteria and viruses. Next, I'm gonna add in the juice from about a quarter of a lemon, followed by half of a teaspoon of ground turmeric, and then we can add in a little bit of ground black pepper. The beautiful golden color that you see in turmeric comes from a compound called curcumin, and that's a really powerful antioxidant that helps to protect our cells from injury and stress. And then in black pepper, there's a compound called peperin, and this increases our body's absorption of curcumin by 2,000%. And adding just a little bit of black pepper, it already goes a really long way, and you won't even taste it. Once you pop the lid onto the blender, you can then blend this up until it's smooth. And now it's time to taste test. Traditionally, lassies are quite sweet, so feel free to add more dates or another sweetener to taste, and if you'd prefer a thinner consistency, just add a little bit more plant milk. It's a creamy and nourishing drink that's perfect for anyone who loves mangoes. For the final recipe, we're making this delicious coconut and citrus green smoothie. So we're gonna start with peeling two oranges, and then we can add them to a blender. So I think we all know that oranges are really high in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant in and of itself, but oranges are also very high in something called flavonoids, and these help to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases, like neurological disorders or cardiovascular disease, for example. Next, we're gonna add in two dates with the seeds removed, one frozen banana. We can scoop out one avocado and add it to the blender as well, along with half of a cup each of light canned coconut milk, coconut yogurt, and oat milk or any other plant milk that you like, along with one and a half cups of spinach and about five optional mint leaves. So you might already know that leafy greens get their green color from an antioxidant called chlorophyll, but spinach in particular is also rich in two other antioxidants. One is called lutein, the other one is zeaxanthin, and these are really important in eye health. And these two antioxidants are better absorbed when there's a fat present, which we're getting from the avocado. Once you've popped the lid onto the blender, you can then blend this all up. And now prepare yourself, because this just might be your new favorite green smoothie. You can pour it into a tall glass or add it to a bowl and top it with some granola, if you'd like. Smoothies are a brilliant way to sneak in extra fruits and veggies, especially leafy greens, which are packed with so many health-promoting nutrients. So while making these recipes, you heard me name drop a whole bunch of different compounds that have anti-inflammatory properties, but this is not something that you need to focus on. Essentially, if we enjoy eating or drinking the rainbow, we welcome a whole bunch of different health-promoting nutrients into our bodies. But if you do wanna geek out and if you wanna learn more about foods that fight inflammation, we've written an article about it. I'll link that for you below. Or if you're interested in even more drink recipes, we've got smoothie recipes, we've got summer drink recipes. I'll link one such video for you here. I'll link even more for you in the description box below. But I think that's it for today, friends. I hope you enjoyed the video. If you did, feel free to give it a thumbs up. It always means a lot. And Pick Up Limes, signing off. We'll see you in the next video. So satisfying. When there's a fat present, which we're getting from the avocado. Oh, I nailed that on the first go. Herbs are extra. Is it herbs or herbs? Wait for it. Herbs are...