Pumpkin and Turmeric Smoothie

Is there anything nicer than pumpkin during the cooler months? It's actually not as popular in the UK (where I live) compared to America, but from October onwards, it's usually possible to purchase tinned pumpkin in the supermarket. And I discovered this actually makes a soothing smoothie staple!

When my dog was sick, I was told mashed cooked pumpkin can settle their stomach. So I thought if it worked for them, why not my belly?

Eating fruits and veggies with Crohn's and UC

I try to make smoothies often, as it's a great way to get fruit and vegetables. It's blended, so it's much softer and gentler to digest than eating vegetables whole. Although having a smoothie blends and breaks the fiber down, they can still be high in fiber, so choose your vegetables wisely.

Pumpkin is particularly great as a vegetable, as not only is tinned pumpkin really soft and smooth, but it contains plenty of soluble fiber. I have found I am much better at tolerating soluble fiber than vegetables high in insoluble fiber (like spinach).

Makes 1 smoothie

Pumpkin turmeric smoothie ingredients

• 1/4 cup of tinned pumpkin
• 1 banana
• 1 cup of almond milk or other dairy-free alternatives
• 1 teaspoon of nut butter (I used walnut)
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric

Notes on recipe ingredients

Nut butter is actually one of my staple go-to ingredients for smoothies. I know many of you reading this might equate nuts as the enemy, but nut butter is blended smooth so they're much kinder than whole nuts. However, nut butters are still high in fat so I can only tolerate it in small doses. I personally find adding a teaspoon or 2 of nut butter to a smoothie is a good way of getting some healthy fats into my diet. However, if you can't tolerate them, this smoothie tastes just as fantastic without!

However, turmeric absorbs better in our body when it is combined with fat and black pepper. So if you don't use the peanut butter, it could be worth trying to add another source of fats to your smoothie instead. Examples include avocado or coconut oil.

Pumpkin turmeric smoothie directions

This one is really simple to make:

1. Simply chop up your banana and add to your blender, along with the pumpkin, dairy-free milk, nut butter, cinnamon, and turmeric.
2. Blend until smooth!

Want to use a whole tin of pumpkin? Why not batch these and freeze? You can even pop them in ice lolly moulds for the summer months!

Crohn's and ulcerative colitis recipes

When it comes to cooking with IBD, we're all working from a different set of ingredients. Food sensitivities and dietary restrictions vary greatly from person to person, and there is no one diet recommended for Crohn's or ulcerative colitis. Check out our full list of recipes for more ideas – all from people who cook, eat, and live with IBD!