As I glance out the window the sun is in full glory, with spring blossoms in the air. It reminds me how important it is to take some time out of your day to prepare some foods that honour the amazing eco-system within. You can pre-chop all the ingredients for our top 5 immune boosting smoothies and freeze them for mixing at a later date to make it really easy. They are a great way to nutrients right to the source and start to feel the benefits straight away!

They’re are so many delicious smoothie recipes on the internet but some are definitely better for your health than others. Especially when it comes to strengthening your immune system. You want to make a smoothie that is high in vitamins A, B2, B6, C, D, and E, and the minerals selenium and zinc. You also want to have a mixture of fruits and leafy greens and use organic ingredients whenever possible. Also, take in some sun if you can, vitamin D is essential for our happiness and mental health, some yoga or meditation in the garden is the best in these lighter, spring days, even at 1 meter distance apart!

Ok, let’s get on with it! The best thing about smoothies is that the methods are all the same… BLEND AND POUR! It could'n’t be simpler!

1. PREBIOTIC SMOOTHIE BY VICTORIA ADAMS

2. IMMUNITY SQUASH BY HOLLY MYERS @ THE HEALTH QUEST

Ingredients

Chunky thumb of fresh ginger (skin removed)

2 Lemons (skin and pips removed)

200ml Water

3 tbs Raw local honey

1 tsp Coconut oil

Method

Blend and decanter into a bottle, make up a squash with warm water or drink a shot of it neat!

‘I love this drink so much, I keep it in the fridge for a quick shot for a pick me up or make it long with warm (not boiling) water if I need that warmth to my body. I make it with a little extra honey if I fancy a treat.’ Holly Myers, CHEK practitioner and Women’s Health Specialist @The Health Quest

3. IMMUNE MAGIC BY ANN @ FOUNTAIN AVENUE KITCHEN

This smoothie is like the easiest one… ever! Immunity boosting citrus fruits are known to be high in Vitamin C, but strawberries, pineapple, and mango are loaded with it, too, and they taste delicious in a smoothie. The power of Vitamin C, by the way, lies in its ability to increase the production of white blood cells, which are key to fighting infections. If you are going down with a cold yourself, this is easy enough to make for you and your loved ones.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup milk of choice* (I like coconut, oat or almond; may substitute plain or vanilla yogurt)

1/2 lightly rounded cups EACH frozen strawberries, mango, and pineapple**

1 teaspoon freshly minced ginger (or more to taste)

Optional: 1-2 teaspoons raw honey; a handful or two of fresh baby spinach; 1-2 tablespoons almond butter

Method

Blend and Pour!

‘Christian (my youngest son) loves smoothies, and when he’s sick they seem to taste especially good to him. In order to hydrate and fend off the germs simultaneously, I fill the sick-day smoothies with immune boosting Vitamin C and a few other choice ingredients.’ Ann @ Fountain Avenue Kitchen

4. CHILD FRIENDLY GREEN SMOOTHIE BY SARAH MILLER

So here is the recipe for the best child friendly green smoothie that I have come across and it is courtesy of my friend Jenny who runs and manages an amazing holistic health store called Energetic Health in Cobham, Surrey (highly recommend) and she is also an incredible & inspiring homeopath… good creds for great smoothie!

Ingredients

6-8 ice cubes

a small handful of frozen pineapple (don’t handle it though, it’s cold!)

an apple chopped into pieces

a banana

approx a quarter of a cucumber chopped into pieces

fresh lime (squeezed)

a big handful of spinach

Method

Blend and pour! - add some water if it is too thick.

‘It’s all about leading by example and it really is tasty enough & sweet enough for them to enjoy. For me it feels like a massive win if they have drunk this before they head off to school and I don’t feel so anxious about what they eat for the rest of the day because I know that they have had a good portion of goodness.’ Sarah Miller, The Conscious Lifestylist

5. WINTER CITRUS BY TIEGHAN @ HALF BAKED HARVEST

This one is so pretty, I had to share, plus it has Oranges galore, which in my mini psychic note taking… (I found a note I wrote over a year ago which simply said ‘Corona’ and above that the word ‘Oranges’) which totally spooked me out as the virus came along, so we all started eating/drinking a lot of oranges!

Ingredients

1 cup frozen mango chunks

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger

1 small raw red beet, chopped

1 cup frozen raspberries

1 cirus orange, blood orange, or grapefruit, peeled and segmented

1/2 cup pomegranate juice or cranberry if getting too expensive

Raw local honey to taste (optional)

Method

Blend and Pour… separately to look pretty!

1. In a blender, combine the mango, lemon juice, turmeric, cayenne, ginger, and orange juice. Blend until completely smooth, adding more honey if needed to sweeten. Pour into a tall glass

2. Rinse the blender out. Combine the beets, raspberries, orange, and pomegranate juice. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding more pomegranate juice if needed to reach your desired consistency. Pour over the mango mixture and stir gently to swirl. Top with seeds, if desired. Enjoy!

‘A vibrant healer for these brutal winter months; and a truly delicious way to improve one’s immune system. Together we will get through these stranger days, I really pray everyday that people go inwards, remember the essence of life and what it is like to slow things down. Enjoy your family, your time to reset and if you are lonely, we are online. Remember to move and listen to your body and respect your health, nutrition and immunity’ Kati, Founder of Kati Kaia.