I just realized that I promised to share my anti-inflammatory diet-friendly rosacea smoothie if anyone showed interest.  I received lots of requests and then didn’t do anything about it!  Oopsie!  Sorry about that.

Without further adieu, here is my rosacea smoothie recipe.

• 1 banana
• 5-10 cranberries (alternately or additionally, 10-20 blueberries)
• 3/4 cup almond milk (alternately, 3/4 cup green tea, though it gives it a swampy colour)
• 1/2 cup Balkan or Greek yogurt, plain (yogurt causes flare-ups in many rosacea sufferers.  If this is the case for you, leave this ingredient out and use less almond milk so the smoothie won’t end up being too runny)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (choose a kind with “mother apple” in it. That may or may not be written on the label, but you can tell because you should be able to see a bit of pulpy stuff in the bottom that needs to be shaken into it. Also, if you aren’t used to the flavour of apple cider vinegar, start with half the amount and build up over time. It has a strong flavour and if you’re not used to it, it spoils the whole thing. It doesn’t take long to get used to it.)
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric (like the apple cider vinegar, if you’re not used to this flavour, you might not like it in large amounts.  Start small and work up).
• 1 good dash of ground black pepper (this isn’t as much for flavour as it is for making sure that you get the awesome anti-inflammatory and other benefits of the turmeric.  Black pepper boosts bioavailability because turmeric doesn’t absorb well without it).

Toss all these ingredients into a blender (I use a Magic Bullet but I’m sure a Nutribullet or regular blender would do fine) and blend.  Enjoy!

If you find that this needs to be sweeter, a very small amount (1 teaspoon-ish) of raw honey (unpasteurized) can do the trick.  It has great anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.  Just be careful how much you use as it is a sugar.

If you want to have a “thicker” smoothie, add slightly more almond milk and then add a tablespoon of chia seeds.  Wait around 5-10 minutes so they can absorb the liquid and gel a little, then blend.

To be honest, I have no idea if this helps to heal rosacea or if it prevents flare-ups.  I just call it a rosacea smoothie because it fits in with my anti-inflammatory diet and it doesn’t contain anything that causes flare-ups in my skin. Either way, it’s nutritionally dense, very filling and high in antioxidants and other good-for-yous.

That said, please don’t consider this some kind of cure or even a treatment for rosacea or any other health condition.  It’s just my idea of a great smoothie and it suits my personal, non-expert strategy to take care of my own skin.

I have this smoothie about 5 times per week with my breakfast.  Along with the smoothie, I normally have a small bowl of steal cut oats or low-sugar, low-sodium granola with chia seeds mixed into it (which is why I don’t put the chia seeds into my smoothie).

If you have your own anti-inflammatory/rosacea smoothie that you love, please share in the comments!  Also, if you try this recipe out, please feel free to share your thoughts about whether or not you liked it or how you would improve it or change it up. 🙂

Enjoy!  See you again soon!