It’s time for another installment of mood boosting food. In case you missed it, last time I shared the first post of my new series, Good Mood Food, where I’ll be discussing foods that nourish the body and mind. Last week, we talked about my favorite fermented food, kimchi, and whipped it up into a cold noodle salad, try the recipe here. This week, I’m moving on to my favorite spice, turmeric.
Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family. It is native to India and frequently used in Indian cuisine, where it is a common ingredient in curry. You can buy it fresh, or dried and ground into a powder, the latter being easier to find. It has an earthy, almost gingery flavor. 
Although all herbs and spices have some health benefit, turmeric really leads the way! Most of the health benefits stem from curcumin, the compound in turmeric that gives it a bright yellow hue. It’s powerfully anti-inflammatory and has been show to reduce risk of heart attack, diabetes, and cancer and may also be beneficial for arthritis pain.
It’s powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect extends to the brain. It also increases serotonin, the happy hormone, and modulates cortisol, a stress hormone. Another compound in turmeric, turmerone, boosts the regeneration of brain stem cells. It also inhibits monoamine oxidase, a enzyme that is linked to depression if found in high levels.
The flavor of turmeric isn’t overpowering, and you’ll find you can work it into a lot more things than curry. I mix it into tomato sauce and other creamy pasta sauces, soups, blend fresh turmeric juice, and even hide it in my ultra-creamy, quick vegan yogurt. But if you want to include it on the reg, I suggest whipping it into your morning smoothie.
One last thing – an odd ingredient you’ll see on this list is black pepper. Piperine, the substance in pepper that makes it, well, taste like pepper, actually helps you absorb the curcumin in turmeric. It’s just a little bit and you hardly taste it, so even if you’re a little weirded out, keep in it there!
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Dairy-Free Mango and Coconut Smoothie with Turmeric
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 smoothies 1x
Description
Wake up to a bright, mood-boosting turmeric smoothie with mango, coconut and ginger. Coconut water and frozen mango gives it a delicious consistency.
Ingredients
- 2 mangos, peeled and chopped, preferably frozen
- 1 orange, peeled
- 1 raw carrot, chopped or shredded if your blender isn't a fancy-schmancy high speed one
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) cashews, soaked at least an hour or overnight
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) coconut water
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- A couple grinds of freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Notes
- If you don’t have a chance to freeze the mangos, just throw a few ice cubes in.
- Adapted from Green Kitchen Stories.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 smoothie
- Calories: 270
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this recipe include black pepper — it seems like an unusual smoothie ingredient?
The article specifically addresses this: piperine, the compound in black pepper that gives it its heat, significantly increases the body’s absorption of curcumin — the active compound in turmeric. The recipe uses just a couple of grinds, and the article says you’ll barely taste it, so the author recommends keeping it in even if it seems strange.
Why do the cashews need to be soaked first?
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of cashews soaked for at least an hour, or overnight. Soaking softens the cashews so they blend into a smooth, creamy texture rather than leaving small gritty pieces — especially important if your blender isn’t a high-powered model.
Do the mangoes need to be frozen, or can I use fresh?
Frozen mangoes are preferred because they give the smoothie a thick, cold consistency. The notes say if you don’t have time to freeze the mangoes, just add a few ice cubes instead to achieve a similar texture.
ooh!! i use turmeric as a spice concentrating of the color it gives my soup but i din’t know that turmeric is a powerfully anti-inflammatory and that is has been shown to reduce risk of heart attack, diabetes, and cancer and may also be beneficial for arthritis pain.now i know.