Medically reviewed by
Dr. Katie Rothwell, ND, a licensed Naturopathic Doctor with clinical focus in thyroid conditions and Hashimoto's disease through The College of Naturopaths of Ontario, Canada.
Choosing the right ingredients in your food and drinks can go a long way in supporting your thyroid health. Here are five anti-inflammatory drink recipes that can boost your thyroid health.
A great way to support your thyroid health is to consume anti-inflammatory compounds in your food and drink.
Ingredients like turmeric, berries, and leafy greens can go a long way in promoting nutrient absorption, reducing cellular damage from inflammation as well as improving symptoms of your thyroid condition like brain fog and body pain.
This article offers five anti-inflammatory drink recipes that have you covered from your morning tea to your happy hour beverage!
5 Anti-Inflammatory Drink Recipes
Golden Milk
Originally from India, golden milk is a classic anti-inflammatory beverage that boasts turmeric and ginger among its immunity-supporting ingredients. It is a warm and comforting beverage for the wintertime which can be prepared in advance and stored in your fridge.
This recipe shows you how you can make the drink to your tastes, with an option to prepare a vegan version depending on your dietary choices.
Recipe
Adapted from Foolproof Living
This recipe makes around 2 cups.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk or whole cows’ milk (your preference)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric spice
- 1 inch fresh ginger sliced or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch black pepper
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey (for taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional – for taste)
Steps:
- In a saucepan on low to medium heat, warm up your milk, ginger, coconut oil, and black pepper and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Do not bring to a boil.
- Add maple syrup, honey, and/or vanilla extract for taste to sweeten your drink.
- Strain if you’ve used sliced ginger to remove large chunks.
- Sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top as a garnish before serving.
You can store your leftover turmeric milk in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-5 days. Reheat your drink with a saucepan on the stove. Do not boil it for long to avoid a thick film from forming over top.
Here are just a few factors that make this drink so healthy and versatile:
- Turmeric → Generally known for its role in giving curries their distinctive yellow color, turmeric also serves as a potent anti-inflammatory compound. Its main component is curcumin, which has been shown to combat high cholesterol levels, gastrointestinal issues as well as pain associated with arthritis.
- Black pepper → Curcumin, on its own, is not very active within our bodies. To encourage its absorption, it is best to pair it with some black pepper – its piperine compound significantly increases curcumin’s bioavailability and enhances its therapeutic effects.
- Oil → Because curcumin is fat-soluble, another way to improve its activity in your golden milk is to add a little bit of oil. Traditionally, this is accomp-lished by adding a small amount of ghee to your golden milk, but you can also use coconut or another neutral oil.
- Milk of your choice → Most traditional golden milk recipes call for full-fat dairy milk. However, if you follow a dairy-free diet, you can substitute any plant-based milk of your choice.
Sweetener → Although you can choose any sweetener you like, it is advised that you avoid overly processed choices like refined white sugar as it has been shown to exacerbate inflammatory diseases like thyroiditis and arthritis, as well as increasing cardiovascular stress.
Turmeric Tea
Start your morning off on the right note by sipping on a cup of vibrant yet soothing turmeric tea. This recipe provides an easy-to-follow guide on how you can incorporate turmeric into your daily routine.
Recipe
Adapted from Downshiftology and CookieandKate
This recipe makes around 2 cups.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, thinly sliced ginger, or 2-3 sprigs of fresh mint (optional flavoring)
- 2 teaspoons honey, agave, or maple syrup (optional sweetener)
- Sliced oranges or lemon as garnish
Steps:
- In a small pot, boil 2 cups of water. Alternatively, you can use a kettle and add your ingredients in a teapot or heat-resistant jug.
- Add turmeric, lemon juice, black pepper, and optional flavoring (cinnamon, ginger, or mint) to the pot.
- Bring to a rolling boil, then lower the heat to low-medium and simmer.
- Add your choice of sweetener.
- Strain your tea before serving to remove undissolved black pepper, sliced ginger, cinnamon, etc.
- Serve with a lemon or orange slice garnish and enjoy!
You can also easily customize this drink to suit your tastes:
- Add your favorite tea bag → Changing your entire morning routine can be difficult so if you already have a morning tea that you enjoy drinking like orange pekoe or chamomile, you can go ahead and add it to the recipe. Rosehip tea is high in Vitamin C and has antioxidative properties which make it a great addition to this recipe.
- Add in some spices of your choice → If you are up to it, you can add a pinch of cinnamon, or even some freshly grated ginger. Studies show that ginger not only has antibacterial and antioxidant properties, but that it can also alleviate some symptoms of inflammatory diseases.
- Have it iced → Hot beverages aren’t everyone’s cup of tea so if you prefer a cold beverage, feel free to add some ice cubes and a little bit of sweetener for a refreshing alternative. A great tip is to freeze a tray of the water with lemon chunks and mint leaves so your drink doesn’t get too watered down as it cools.
Elderberry Elixir Mocktail
If you enjoy fruity cocktails, you will likely enjoy this elderberry mocktail recipe from EatingWell. Though it may be alcohol-free, it features flashes of fresh orange juice and sweet elderberry syrup that make it a fun choice for any cocktail hour.
Elderberry is another highly antioxidative fruit – research shows that its extract has protective effects against reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can be damaging to cells and lead to premature cell death as well as tumor formation.
Additionally, elderberry significantly boosts our immune systems and is an impressive at-home remedy if you are experiencing any congestion or flu-like symptoms.
As elderberry syrup is not very common, it can be difficult and expensive to source. To get around this, you can make some at home. This easy-to-follow recipe walks you through the process so you can save your money!
Recipe
Adapted from Happy Healthy Mama
This recipe makes around 6 servings
Ingredients:
- ¾ to 1 cup dried elderberries
- 3 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick (you can also use 1 teaspoon of dried cinnamon)
- 3 whole cloves, or 1 teaspoon dried cloves
- 1 teaspoon dried ginger, or 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
- 1 cup honey, agave nectar, or simple syrup
Steps:
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine your water, elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat until your syrup is simmering.
- Simmer for 40-45 minutes. The liquid should be reduced to half the original liquid and the syrup will begin to thicken slightly.
- Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and compost the pulp. Make sure to use a spoon to push out all the liquid in the pulp.
- Cool before adding your sweetener of choice and whisk well.
You can store your syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months.
Berry Turmeric Smoothie
This smoothie recipe is a fresh, nutritious and delicious drink that is a great breakfast option. Made with spinach and mixed berries, this smoothie is a rich source of Vitamin A and antioxidants.
Additionally, this smoothie contains rolled oats, which are full of protein and fiber. Not only can this improve your bowel movements, but it also has protective effects against inflammation and other chronic health conditions like heart disease.
The recipe also calls for nonfat yogurt, which gives the smoothie a smooth and creamy texture whilst avoiding the excess fat, sugar, and cholesterol that comes with artificially flavored, higher fat alternatives.
You can also add a protein powder or pre-workout mix to your smoothie, which makes it an excellent pre- and post-workout snack.
Recipe
Adapted from Well Plated and FoolProofLiving
This recipe makes around 2 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk or milk of choice
- 2 cups baby spinach or kale
- 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt or dairy-free yogurt of choice
- 3 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries (oranges, blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or ½ teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
- 2-3 teaspoons honey, agave or maple syrup (sweetener of choice)
- Pinch of black pepper
- ½ teaspoon coconut oil
Steps:
- In a blender, combine all your ingredients until smooth.
- Taste your smoothie and adjust sweetness with honey, agave, or maple syrup.
- Serve immediately.
You can add a cup of ice to your smoothie for a refreshing cold beverage!
Ginger-Turmeric-Carrot Wellness Shots
Wellness shots are a quick and easy way to hit your vitamin and supplement targets for the day. By incorporating them into your morning routine, you can ensure you start your day off right by supporting your immune and thyroid health.
Carrots, which are one of this recipe’s main ingredients, are a great source of Vitamin A, which can reduce autoimmune inflammation, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
That being said, studies have shown that carrots can also elevate the production of serum thyroid levels, which is an unfavorable outcome for individuals with hyperthyroidism who already have overactive thyroids. Therefore, it is important to consult with your primary care physician or endocrinologist before making changes to your diet.
Recipe
Adapted from EatingWell and GlutenFreeandMore
This recipe makes around 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 medium carrots, very coarsely chopped
- 1 orange or lemon, peeled
- 2 tablespoons of coarsely chopped fresh turmeric root
- 3 tablespoons of coarsely chopped fresh ginger
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon honey, agave or maple syrup (sweetener of choice)
Steps:
- Roughly chop up your carrot, ginger and citrus.
- In a blender, combine your carrot, ginger, citrus, turmeric, and coconut water until smooth.
- Add in sweetener to your preferred sweetness.
- Add in a pinch of salt.
- Once combined, strain mixture into a container using a fine mesh strainer.
- Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
You can store your drink in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Key Takeaways
- A great way to support your thyroid health is to consume anti-inflammatory compounds in your food and drink.
- Ingredients like turmeric, berries and leafy greens can go a long way in promoting nutrient absorption, reducing cellular damage from inflammation as well as improving symptoms of your thyroid condition like brain fog and body pain.
- Turmeric serves as a potent anti-inflammatory compound. Its main component is curcumin, which has been shown to combat high cholesterol levels, gastrointestinal issues as well as pain associated with arthritis.
- Ginger not only has antibacterial and antioxidant properties, but that it can also alleviate some symptoms of inflammatory diseases.
- Elderberry is another highly antioxidative fruit – research shows that its extract has protective effects against reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can be damaging to cells and lead to premature cell death as well as tumor formation.
- Oatmeal is full of protein and fiber. Not only can it improve your bowel movements, but it also has protective effects against inflammation and other chronic health conditions like heart disease.
- Studies have shown that carrots can also elevate the production of serum thyroid levels, which is an unfavorable outcome for individuals with hyperthyroidism who already have overactive thyroids.
You can get thyroid condition information, healthy recipes as well as lifestyle advice on the ThyForLife website, and track how any changes affect any thyroid-related symptoms using the ThyForLife app.
