Try This Tasty Turmeric Smoothie for a Quick Mood Boost! | Mental Health Recipes

Since living in Mexico, I’ve been loving a bit of spice in basically everything. From chocolate to drinks, a little kick has quickly become my jam. While turmeric isn’t necessarily a common Mexican spice, it definitely adds a little something-something, even in small amounts. Recently, I’ve been enjoying all kinds of juices and smoothies with this well-known health-boosting spice!

Often used in Indian and Asian dishes, turmeric is well-studied for its physical and mental health benefits. Combined with fruit, you get a powerful antioxidant blend that can improve immune function, enhance mood, and even lower overall inflammation. So, let’s get blending! How can you make this spicy smoothie?

An Easy & Tasty Turmeric Smoothie for Chasing the Blues Away

Smoothies offer a super-easy go-to for breakfasts, lunches, or even a snack to tide over your appetite until the next meal. I love them, partially, because they are really easy to add protein or collagen powder to, making them the perfect balanced snack.

Plus, they provide pretty quick energy, which can help beat that afternoon slump.

How Does This Turmeric Smoothie Improve Mental Wellness?

This mental health recipe has loads of goodness. The turmeric spice is the star of the show, but the supporting actors also have some pretty cool benefits for overall health and wellness. So, let’s dig in. Why bother with this spicy smoothie?

1. Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

Turmeric contains the active ingredient curcumin.

In fact, likely because of this compound, this spice has historically been used in the Ayurvedic medicinal system for hundreds (if not thousands!) of years. Traditionally, it was used to treat skin issues, joint pain, digestive problems, and upper respiratory tract infections.

Most recently, turmeric has been studied for helping with arthritic symptoms, digestion issues, respiratory infections, liver disease, allergies, insulin resistance, stress—and even depression and anxiety! Many research studies indicate how curcumin can produce antidepressant activity.

It’s thought the mechanism of action is through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, as well as its ability to potentially increase BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor).

BDNF helps strength neural connections and form new ones, which is associated with improved brain health and good mental health.

It’s even further thought that curcumin (turmeric) may have a role in treating or preventing Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia. Since curcumin can cross the blood-brain barrier, it can extend its powerful anti-inflammatory effects across the brain, potentially preventing the build-up of plaque associated with neurodegeneration.

Another study even showed how curcumin had similar effects to Prozac, with the participants who took both seeing the most amount of improvements overall. 

2. Bananas provide ample potassium content.

One banana can provide around 11% of our daily potassium intake. Low potassium is actually associated with mental fatigue, depression, and mood swings. Thus, getting enough is key to improved mental wellness.

So, how does potassium do this? Well, most experts seem to agree that it comes down to improved blood flow and getting a better night’s sleep! Potassium plays a key role in fluid balance in the body, which is essential for proper functioning of the sleep processes and for adequate blood flow throughout the body and brain.

3. Pineapples bring the tryptophan!

Tryptophan is largely associated with improved mental wellness due to its role in sleep, neurotransmitters, cognitive function, and hormone function.

As an amino acid, we need tryptophan for a variety of processes that contribute to our mood and energy, which can help prevent depression or anxiety from getting the best of us.

4. Milk offers plenty of benefits too.

This may depend on the type of milk. But if you opt for regular ol’ dairy milk, you get calcium, vitamin D, and protein, all of which can help keep our minds and moods balanced. 

5. Protein powder helps balance blood sugar.

This is highly recommended to add to your smoothie (but completely optional!). Protein or collagen powder offers a bit more protein into the mix, which can prevent energy highs and lows (including crashes that can significantly impact how we feel!). 

Plus, protein and collagen are great for our joints, skin, nails, hair, digestion, hormone health, and more. Amino acids are the building blocks of the body, and, unfortunately, many people don’t get enough protein due to our highly processed diets.

But by adding a bit of collagen or protein powder, you can get a little more and amp up your overall health and wellness!

Related Article: Have You Ever Wondered How Much Your Diet Affects Your Mental Health?