It’s been a tough cold winter with a lot of nasty bugs making their way around. In my experience, I’ve found drinking an abundance of fresh antoxidant-rich fruits and veges is the best way of keeping my immunity running on high, and all those nasty bugs away. My daughter and I drink a version of this juice most days — I’m rather addicted to the feeling it gives me, there is something incredibly refreshing and uplifting about the combination of citrus, carrot, ginger and turmeric.
If you live in Auckland, especially in the older suburbs, you’ll no doubt find plenty of citrus in the surrounding streets, which often goes to waste. This juice makes the most of that citrus with grapefruit, orange and lemon, so use what you can forage locally or grab from the farmers’ market — play around with the citrus used to make your own wellness creation.
Citrus and carrots are both incredibly rich sources of immune-boosting vitamin C, ginger helps to soothe digestion and muscle soreness, and turmeric is nature’s anti-inflammatory superhero — containing a compound called curcumin that has potent anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. The addition of a little black pepper increases your absorption of curcumin significantly.
Optional wellness extras
- A few drops of organic oregano oil — an all-round antibacterial.
- Pinch of cayenne pepper — good for clearing congestion and improving circulation on cold days.
- 1 tsp manuka honey — soothes tummies and boosts immunity. Ideally get a 10+ UMF for its immune boosting qualities.
- ½ tsp of bee pollen — anti-viral and immune-building.
- 1 clove of raw garlic — raw garlic is nature's antibiotic gold. Add this to your juice if you're desperate to beat a nasty winter bug (it doesn't taste great). If you don't want to ruin your juice, slice it up and make a fresh garlic tea, or finely chop and add to smashed avocado or a salad dressing. Make your grandma proud and try this effective home remedy.
Ingredients
| 2 medium | Carrots (Main) |
| 1 | Tangelo, or orange (Main) |
| 1 knob | Turmeric, about 3cm (Main) |
| 1 knob | Ginger, about 3cm |
| ½ | Lemons, or lime |
| 1 | Grapefruit (Main) |
| 1 pinch | Black pepper |
Directions
Wash and peel all the fruit and veges and chop to the size of your juicer shoot. Juice the fruits and veg in the order listed — it’s always good to put some of the harder veggies through first, and if it’s a bigger juice, alternate with something hard then juicy (this makes the juicer work better). When choosing the last thing to juice go for something big so that it washes through any last bits of goodness left in there from the other ingredients. Pour into 1-2 glasses and top with a pinch of black pepper.