Anti-Inflammatory Power Mango Smoothie

This smoothie came about last week when I realized I hadn’t followed my own grocery list to the “T.” I was going to make the Tropical Turmeric Cleanser, and I had failed to pick up frozen pineapple. I was also in the throes of sugar detox, and it is advised the best thing to help combat that awful feeling of seasickness, is with lots of protein. So I let that smoothie be the template for this one, and made some minor major tweaks to make it suit my own tastes and needs. I added in hemp seeds, a powerful complete protein that would ensure I got a much needed extra dose of the stuff. Hemp seeds are one of the widely hailed “superfoods” and while I won’t make wild and powerful claims of its healing properties, I do know that in a smoothie, the taste is well-hidden, but topped on salads and oatmeal, it adds a nice and subtle mild crunch. I also subbed spinach for kale because I notice that kale in my smoothies, but not in my juices, has a tendency to give me an upset stomach. I did make sure to leave in the turmeric, because we could all use more turmeric in our lives. The bright orange root looks very similar to ginger, and can be found in most grocery store produce sections. If you can’t find it though, go ahead and sub in powdered turmeric, but only use about ½-1 tsp, as its powerful stuff.  You’ll notice that the inclusion of both the ginger and turmeric in this smoothie gives a subtle dose of spice, and nicely offsets the sweet frozen mango flavor. Turmeric is widely known as being a powerful anti-inflammatory food, and is often prescribed by both holistic and traditional western medicine doctors as a way to help combat a whole host of symptoms. I’m using it almost daily to help with my backaches. By the way, if you are using fresh mango, go ahead and use more ice. Combine all the ingredients in a powerful blender and blend up. I have this Vitamix Professional Series model and I have not been disappointed with its performance. This makes 2 smaller servings or 1 very large and generous serving. I find it easily feeds myself and my trusty sidekick Hayden, who’s always around and ready to gulp down any smoothie or green juice I make.