Aranka Jones • Virtual Naturopath Serving Ontario

Do you like piña coladas?

This time of year there’s nothing like a vacation to help you hit the reset button. Time away to decompress has got to be my favourite form of self care! Months of stress washed away with a few dips in the ocean, and maybe a few fruity cocktails..

If you can’t get away somewhere sunny and to bury your toes in the sand and your nose in a book, you can enjoy a taste of the tropics with this juicy smoothie that tastes like sunshine. Total bonus: it’s anti-inflammatory and super healthy!

Pineapple, ginger and turmeric are some of nature’s star anti-inflammatory botanicals and can be helpful for people with arthritis. Flaxseed oil and chia seeds supply omega-3 fatty acids to further modulate inflammation to keep your joints, heart and brain healthy.

Omega Colada Smoothie

*This recipe serves two people. If you’re blending for one, cut the ingredients in half.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh or frozen pineapple chunks or roughly half a pineapple, peeled, cored and cubed
1 frozen, peeled banana (or fresh but frozen is yummier)
1 Tbsp peeled & finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground true or Ceylon cinnamon*
2 scoops protein powder of choice (about 15-25g per person)
2 tsp flaxseed oil
2 tsp white chia seeds
2+ cups unsweetened coconut milk
juice of one lemon, freshly squeezed

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth adding more milk/water/ice to reached desired consistency.
3. Book a sunny vacation.

*If you consume cinnamon at a high daily dose of 1/2 tsp per day to combat dysglycemia, pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome or type two diabetes, be sure to choose “true” cinnamon a.k.a. Ceylon cinnamon. The other form of cinnamon is called Cassia or Chinese cinnamon. While it also improves insulin sensitivity, it contains other compounds that are toxic at this dose if consumed for months at a time.