This Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie has pear, spinach and ginger, making it the perfect light and refreshing green smoothie. Packed with pain-fighting ingredients, readers swear it helps with migraine attacks, headaches, and nausea. Hemp seeds add protein and oat milk provides a little extra creaminess!
Best Smoothie for Inflammation
When I originally developed this anti-inflammatory smoothie recipe for the really bad migraine days, I knew it had to pack a lot of pain- fighting power. Often when I deal with a vestibular migraine, I want a meal that's easy, fast, and not too crazy with ingredients.
It's important to not use high sugar ingredients that would cause a blood sugar spike. I think in this case, people typically reach for dark berries, but pears can be quite good if you want to mix things up, as they have a low glycemic index. They're also easy on the stomach! Balanced with chia seeds or hemp seeds, they add just enough sweetness to this green smoothie.
Here we want to avoid bananas, which can be high in tyramine and could potentially be a migraine or headache trigger.
Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie Ingredients
This anti-migraine smoothie is full of magnesium, antioxidants, fiber, and nausea relief.
- Pears - Rich in flavonoid antioxidants which means they're a perfect base for an anti-inflammatory smoothie. They promote heart health, weight loss, and gut health as they're packed with fiber. The cool thing about pears is they contain soluble and insoluble fiber. This can not only relieve constipation, but also promote good gut bacteria. Since a lot of probiotics can be triggering for people with migraine, this is a good option to incorporate.
Part of the nutritional benefit of pears is found in the skin, so I like to leave mine on for this recipe and if you have a high speed blender, like Vitamix, it shouldn't be an issue. This is where I also like to spend a little more and get the organic pears. - Ginger - Ginger is included for nausea and pain relief. It is a natural anti-inflammatory, and can also help ease an upset stomach. If you're dealing with nausea or head pain, adding this to your smoothies could potentially help ease some of the symptoms. Studies have shown ginger can help combat motion-induced sickness as well as relieve nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
Ginger could also help reduce pain during your period. In one study of 150 women, ginger was shown to be as effective as ibuprofen when taken the first 3 days of a period. And if you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know that it's effective for migraine associated pain.
Some people find they have to take a supplement at the first sign of a migraine. On the other hand, I struggle with acid reflux when I take ginger supplements. Adding ginger to smoothies or food is my workaround to get the health benefits without the reflux. - Spinach - Included for a boost of magnesium. It's always best to add a few dark leafy greens to your smoothie if it doesn't affect the taste too much. Spinach and kale are considered anti-inflammatory superfoods. Packed with nutrients, a good recipe can mask their bitter flavor. I prefer to use spinach in smoothies as I find the flavor blends a little bit better.
Another benefit is dark leafy greens like spinach have magnesium, which can help prevent migraine attacks. Usually we have to supplement the amount we need for migraine management, but diversifying your magnesium sources is always a good thing. - Hemp Seeds - These are included for a protein boost and also balance the sugars in the pear. A lot of smoothies just put a bunch of fruit in the ingredients, and don't balance it with protein, which helps prevent a spike in blood sugar. Chia seeds also make a great substitute, which is what I used in the picture above.
- Milk - I often use oat milk, but any type of milk you like will work for this recipe. For extra protein, hemp milk would be perfect.
How to Make
To peel ginger - use the side of a spoon to gently scrape off the skin. This tip is super handy and keeps a lot of the ginger intact.
To make the anti-inflammatory smoothie - Place all the ingredients in a blender except for ice. Blend till smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add ice in ½ cup increments until the desired thickness is reached. This smoothie is on the thin side. Be careful to not add too much ice or the flavors will be watered down. Sometimes, however, that can be helpful for nausea.
Pro Tips for Green Smoothies
- Use a really good blender to make this super creamy. Investing in a blender like vitamix will give you the best texture for smoothies. It blends ice extremely well and won't leave you with chunks in the mixture.
- Prep this ahead! Freeze pear pieces with ginger, spinach, and seeds in individual plastic bags. Dump them into the blender when ready and add milk and ice. That's it!
- Pack some extra anti-inflammation power by adding ½ teaspoon turmeric to the mixture.
- Drink this recipe at the first sign of a migraine attack to see if the ginger can help as a proven abortive. Or pair with your acute treatment, like a triptan, to boost its power.
Recipe Substitutions
For low histamine - I would recommend substituting spinach with arugula in this recipe. It gives this anti-inflammatory smoothie a great, peppery flavor. Kale will also work, although it definitely makes the taste a little more "green".
For a thicker smoothie - add in ⅓ cup frozen cauliflower. You can't taste it in this amount, but it will add some extra creaminess to the texture.
Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie
Equipment
- 1 Good quality blender
Ingredients
- ¾ cup chopped pear, skin on *
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- ¾ cup fresh spinach *
- ¾ cup oat milk *
- 2 teaspoons hemp or chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional)
- 1 cup ice
Instructions
- In a blender, add the pear, ginger, spinach, milk, and seeds and blend till smooth. Add ½ cup ice and blend till smooth and frothy. Taste and see if it needs a sweetener like honey or maple syrup.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes about 1.5 servings - so either a pretty large smoothie or 2 smaller ones.
- Regular milk can be used instead of oat milk - or whatever milk you like best.
- If histamine is an issue, substitute arugula for the spinach.
- I used Bartlett pears but any sweet pear will do.
Nutrition
This post was originally published May 19, 2020 and was updated January 12, 2022 to include new photos, ingredient information, recipe tips and process. Below are the original photos.
Wow, this was so delicious and refreshing! Thank you!
You're welcome! It's a nice way to start the day.
Just made this and am surprised how much I love it! I didn't have chia or hemp seeds, so I used flax seed meal. I also used arugula instead of spinach. Delicious!
This is delicious and refreshing!
This was super yummy! Do you think I could make it with frozen spinach instead of fresh?
You can! Just cut down on the amount as frozen spinach is more compact since it's already cooked down.
I started making this smoothie a few weeks ago. I now keep the ingredients on hand as I make it several times a week. It has helped immensely, especially if I have it when I feel a migraine coming on or am sore. It is also very comforting during a migraine or after. I’ve tried lots of natural remedies and this is one of the few that helps!
Hi Alicia! I can’t wait to try this recipe! I have frozen spinach for now so would I use the same amount? Also, when using fresh spinach, should I “pack” in the measurement? I’m kicking myself for it picking up pears at the farmers market yesterday. Thanks so much!
Hey! Frozen spinach is much more concentrated so I'd only put in about 1/4 cup. With fresh, I just loosely pack it - don't try to cram a ton in there or it will overpower the flavor of the pear and ginger. 🙂
Thank you so much! I didn't receive notification that you'd reply, so i'm glad I checked! I also bought frozen chopped ginger from Trader Joe's to use for this recipe!
I want to thank you for posting this smoothie recipe. For the last week my boyfriend had migraines daily and nothing was helping him with the pain; that’s when I decided to give this a shot, and his pain was reduced instantly as he was drinking it. The best part is that he gets so relaxed, that every time after the smoothie he falls asleep. I will be forever thankful!
Diana, this made me feel SO good. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know.
The recipe was great, thank you
Love this recipe! Super easy and refreshing!
Just tried this and it was delicious. Thank you. I didn't feel like peeling the ginger I had so I used ground ginger. Lazy and still tasty!
Glad you enjoyed!!
You don’t need to peel fresh ginger. I never do
Love this smoothie, super yummy! Perfect blend, thank you Alicia!
This is so delicious!! I didn’t have any ginger so I just left that out. I will be having this often. I love it!
I was pleasantly surprised how well these flavors blended! I thought the ginger might be overpowering, but it was the perfect amount of kick. I LOVE pears but never thought to use in my smoothies, and I know the benefits of ginger but don’t always know what to add it to. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
This recipe was really unique! I loved how light and refreshing it was. Will be making again
This was so good and so refreshing! With an interesting flavor I've only had a few times. I couldn't think what it reminded me of.