Tropical Mango Turmeric Smoothie

Hannah Sunderani
Sep 10, 2016
3 min read

I don't know whether it's the new fad food, or if I'm just more aware of it now, but everywhere I look I see turmeric! This mighty little root seems to be finding its way into all sorts of recipes - and not just traditional Indian dishes. Nope, I'm seeing it added to juices, granola, and even lattes! And so it got me thinking, "is turmeric the new fad food?"

I'm always a bit hesitant to jump on the fad-food bandwagon just because it's flooding my Instagram feed, but turmeric was a whole different ball-game for me. Stumbling upon these recipes and looking at the brightly coloured yellow hues had me hooked in an instant. And it's all thanks to Dr. Michael Greger. As you might know I was I recently reading his book "How Not to Die" on my honeymoon. Turmeric was a constant point of discussion throughout his book, and after about the seventh or eighth time hearing "turmeric" or "curcuma" it started to settle into my long term memory. I heard the T-word so often that every moment I WASN'T ingesting turmeric I felt like I was getting less healthy! Dr. Greger talked about how turmeric is beta-carotene rich, anti-inflammatory, and packed with anti-oxidants. He talked about its healing properties, and how it aids in improving so many chronic diseases like cancer, arthritis and Alzheimers. He even mentioned that ingesting a teaspoon a day can provide the same health benefits as exercising for 30 to 60 minutes! Suddenly, I had a strong urge to be injecting turmeric into my veins!

But actually turmeric is not entirely a foreign spice to me. I've been enjoying it for a long time in traditional Indian inspired dishes. I particularly love using it on chickpeas! My Pan-Fried Spiced Chickpea recipe for example is one of my favourite ways to enjoy the wonderful root. But, now that I knew just how healthy turmeric was I was eager to incorporate it into my diet in additional ways. And actually, this proved much easier than it sounds! When you think of turmeric your mind automatically goes to indian spiced dishes. Looking at its bright orange hue you'd imagine the flavour would be very bold and spicy, like paprika or cayenne. But actually I find that turmeric has a surprisingly subtle and mild taste. This root comes from the same family as ginger, and personally, I find it less pungent and spicy. Ginger is all too popular in my kitchen. I use it A LOT, in smoothies, baking, cooking - you name it. I love it's spice and sharp flavour. So the thought of adding turmeric to something like smoothies seemed a genius idea! Turns out, it was! It tasted so delish! Especially in tropical smoothies like this Tropical Mango Turmeric Smoothie.

The mango and turmeric combined in this smoothie pairs perfectly, and makes for a gorgeous golden hue! So you feel like you're glowing from the inside out when drinking this bright beauty. I've also added a few other antioxidant packed essentials, or as I like to call them, the "A-team"; ginger, cinnamon, honey and lime! Add coconut milk for the base, and top with chopped mango and you've got a gorgeous sunset smoothie that excused tropical euphoria!

I hope you enjoy this Tropical Mango Turmeric smoothie, and the sunny glow it will give you from the inside out