Wellness Shots: Ginger Turmeric Lemon Potion Made in Your Blender!

Wellness Shot

Have you ever wondered about those Wellness Shots offered at smoothies and juice bars?

Three things led me to creating my own DIY Wellness Shot:

1) Saving Money: Wellness Shots are very expensive at smoothie or juice bars, whether it is bottled or added to a drink, sometimes costing $8-10 per shot!

2) Maximizing Health: If there’s a way to increase my immunity and get added health benefits into my diet, I want to try that!

3) Testing Out the Buzz: A friend told me she makes Wellness Shot concoctions all the time, stores a batch in the fridge for a few days and loves it (Thank you, Suki, for the inspiration!)

After doing some digging to discover the hows, whats and whys, I decided that it was time to test it out. The only obstacle was that I don’t have a high-powered juicer, so I needed to experiment with producing a fine, smooth liquid with just a blender. The good news is that it’s very easy! So do not allow the lack of a Vitamix, Blendtec or Breville Juicer to discourage you–a juicer is not necessary. A blender and a strainer will do just as well!

NO JUICER? NO PROBLEM!

Wellness Shot Ingredients

Wellness Shot (Ginger, Turmeric, Lemon Juice, Black Pepper, Cinnamon)

–Ellen Francis, Vegan American Princess

Ingredients

2 inch piece of fresh ginger root
1 inch piece of fresh turmeric root
juice of 1 fresh lemon
half teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
half teaspoon ground cinnamon
tools: blender, strainer, cutting board, knife, vegetable peeler, glass jar for storage

Directions Using a Blender

Be forwarned: fresh turmeric root is a gorgeous golden color but it stains your nails, fingers, counters, cutting boards—pretty much everything. I used an old cutting board that I didn’t really care about staining. I also now wear rubber gloves when I handle it.
Peel and trim the ginger and the turmeric. Cut each into thin slices or chunks, no need to measure. Put all the pieces into your blender. I use my Magic Bullet to make this Wellness Shot.
Add the the juice of a whole lemon into the blender.
Add the black pepper and the cinnamon.
Blend all the ingredients for a minute or when you see that a liquid has formed. At this point, it will still have a lot of fiber so it may appear chunky and fibrous.
Set up a strainer over a bowl or large measuring cup. Carefully pour half of the liquid from the blender over the strainer into the bowl underneath. The fiber that is left in the strainer has a lot of liquid in it that we want to keep, so press it down with the back of a spoon to release more liquid. Then squeeze this pulpy fiber with your (gloved?) fingers to squeeze out the last drops. Throw away the fiber.
Repeat with the other half of the liquid.
You will have about 3/4 cup of Wellness Shot depending on how much the ingredients yield.
Store in the refrigerator in a covered glass jar for about a week. Shake before using.

Notes:

1. This Wellness Shot is strong and bracing and a little addicting! A 1 oz. shot glassful is generally too much for me, so I fill it halfway. If you prefer, a teaspoon or tablespoon might be enough for you. If the yield of your recipe seems small, a bit of water or more lemon juice may be needed.

2. If you do have a high powered juicer, then putting all the ingredients in should yield your Wellness Shot liquid very easily and efficiently.

HEALTH BENEFITS of the WELLNESS SHOT

Now that you have the “How” you may be wondering about the “Why.” The ingredients of this little potion are all quite packed with nutrients that can help nip a cold in the bud or keep your daily immunity in fighting form.

Ginger: anti-nausea, anti morning sickness, reduces muscle pain and soreness, anti-inflammatory for joints and osteoarthritis, lowers blood sugars, improves heart disease risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes, can help with chronic indigestion, reduces menstrual pain, lower most cholesterol markers including total, LDL an triglyceride levels, may protect against against certain cancers, enhances brain function, can help lower the risk of infections

Turmeric: contains curcumin which is an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, improves brain function, lowers risk of brain diseases, improves factors to prevent heart disease, can reduce the growth of cancerous cells, useful in preventing and treating Alzheimer’s, helps with arthritis, can boost brain neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine alleviating depression, may delay age-related chronic disease

Lemon: supports heart health, may promote weight loss, may prevent kidney stones, helps improve absorption of iron from plant foods, source of Vitamin C

Black Pepper: contains piperine, a natural substance than enhances the absorption of curcumin from turmeric by 2000%

Cinnamon: antioxidants and polyphenols, anti-inflammatory, may cut risk of heart disease, reduces total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides, increases sensitivity to insulin, lowers blood sugar levels, anti-diabetic, may prevent neurodegenerative diseases, may protect against cancer, helps fight bacterial and fungal infections, may help fight HIV virus

Check out more great links to wonderful stories on Vegan American Princess:

Enjoy And Be Well!

xox Ellen

Ellen Francis

Comments

Rhianon says:

September 6, 2016 at 6:05 pm

Wow, what a great recipe, thanks so much for sharing! I’ve really been getting into fermented foods lately- they’re so easy to make and taste so good, especially when you make them yourself! Check out some other really easy recipes that utilize fermented foods here: http://spoiledtoperfection.com/recipes.php
www.smpcreative.net says:

September 22, 2016 at 6:36 pm

This actually answered my downside, thanks!