Spiced Orange Creamsicle This drink is SOOOO delicious and even more nutritious! Ingredients:

One Whole Organic Orange. - Choose the juiciest type of orange you can find. It needs to be organic since you will be using the entire orange, peel, seeds and all.

Ginger Root 1-inch piece - If you can find organic you can keep the skin on, if not then peel the root first.

Organic Apple - 1/2 of whole apple. It is important to use organic apples because again you will using the whole fruit minus the stem.

Kefir - 1 1/2 Cups Preferably homemade (see my recipe here ) or store bought plain.

Medjool Dates - 2-4 pitted depending on sweetness preference

Ice - about 1 Cup

Why I chose this combination of ingredients. I love using prebiotics (food for the beneficial bacteria) and probiotics together. Getting a daily does of probiotics is important any time of the year but even more crucial during the cold and flu season. The more vitamin C and anti-viral spices, the better. Also, the sweetness from this smoothie is derived solely from whole food sources.

Directions:

Wash orange, apple and ginger root. Chop orange (including the peel) into manageable pieces. Cut the apple in half then into smaller pieces for the blender. Discard the stem. Add half of the chopped apple with the core and seeds into blender. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Drink and feel the energy being poured into your cells!

Oranges - We all know oranges contain large amounts of vitamin C but they also contain an important infection fighter, vitamin A. Oranges are known to benefit cardiovascular health, kidney health, and are a great immune system booster so they help protect you against colds and flus. Since we are adding the orange in a smoothie it is easy to use the whole thing, including the peels and seeds which surprisingly you won’t notice in your smoothie as long as you blend it really well. As with some other fruits and vegetables, most of the vitamin, mineral and bacterial varieties are most abundant in the peel.

Ginger - Labeled a bonafide superfood, ginger has so many health benefits. It is good for treating nausea, can help fight cold and flus and has anti-inflammatory properties due to its main bioactive ingredient gingerol. One thing I recently learned about ginger that makes it even more important during the cold and flu season is its ability to lower the body’s blood sugar levels. This is a really important factor in your body’s ability to fight off pathogens because high sugar levels in the body can compromise the immune system. (See my blog about the effects sugar on vitamin C levels in the body). Ginger is also what gives this smoothie slightly spicy taste.

Apples - You’ve heard the old saying about an apple a day.. Apples are a powerhouse of nutrition by themselves. Smoothies are a great way to add the whole apple. Up to 90% of an apples’ nutrients and beneficial microbes are found in the skin and the core. The flesh only contains about 10% of its nutrients. After learning this fact, I make it a point to always eat the whole apple, but if you don’t want to do that, at least add the whole thing to the blender. You won’t even notice the core is in there.

Kefir - I have many articles on my blog about homemade kefir and why it should be a daily addition to everyone’s diet.

Dates - Dates are a natural and nutritious way to add sweetness to your smoothies. Because dates are high in potassium, they help regulate heart rate and blood pressure. This can help protect you against strokes and heart disease. You are not going to get that kind of benefit from any other type of sweetener. If you have never added dates to a smoothie before I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the way they taste. Just take out the pit and throw them in your smoothie.