Sweet and juicy, pineapples are a great tasting tropical fruit full of nutrition and excellent for using in healthy smoothies.
Pineapples contain exceptional amounts of antioxidant vitamin C for high immunity and better skin and are a great source of manganese for strong and healthy bones. They are also a rich source of the digestive enzyme bromelain.
Bromelain in pineapples helps to break down protein in your meals during digestion, but it can have many other beneficial effects on your health. Arthritis and osteoporosis can respond very well to concentrated bromelain and it is even being studied to reduce the growth of cancerous tumours.
The core of the pineapple contains the most bromelain, so to get some of these health benefits, it’s best to blend up at much of the core as possible in your pineapple smoothie.
How to Make a Pineapple Smoothie
Here are 3 sweet and delicious pineapple smoothie recipes for better health. You’ll need a powerful blender like this for best results, but once you start drinking healthy smoothies regularly, and notice how good it makes you feel, you’ll know it’s worth it.
Basic Pineapple Smoothie Recipe
For my favorite base pineapple smoothie, simply chop up around a third of a fresh and ripe pineapple, including the core, and throw it into the blender.
The best liquid to add to this to make a smoothie is coconut water. Fresh would be best, but packaged coconut water is also fine and very convenient. Alternatively, a good non-flavored bio-live yogurt could be used or high quality organic milk.
Whatever you’re using, fill up your blender to half as high as the chopped pineapple and blend it up at full speed until the consistency looks good to you.
You can add an ice cube or two if you’d like it really cold and a little more liquid if it’s too thick. Drink immediately for the best taste and nutrition.
Ingredients
- 1/3 of a fresh pineapple
- coconut water
Preparation
- Chop the pineapple and fill the blender to half height
- Add coconut water
- Blend
Cooling Pineapple, Cucumber and Collard Greens Smoothie
This smoothie recipe is highly cooling and alkalizing to your body. Follow the directions for the basic pineapple smoothie, but first chop up a good handful of collard greens or similar alkalizing greens like spinach or kale.
Also add half a large or whole small cucumber, scrubbed with apple cider vinegar to remove wax and sprays and roughly chopped.
Cucumber is one of the most cooling and cleansing vegetables around and the high levels of silica in it can really help improve your skin tone and the strength and shine of your hair.
It’s best with this cooling pineapple smoothie to start with the collard greens, chopping up the stems well and throwing them down to the base of the blender where the blades can pulverize them. Follow with the chopped pineapple and add the cucumber on top as it blends easily.
Don’t worry about the cucumber seeds either. They’re very good for you and should blend up fine once you put your liquid in, the lid on your blender and turn it up to high.
I sometimes like to add a little lemon juice or particularly lime juice to the smoothie recipe for extra tang, vitamin C and many other benefits. It’s best to add citrus juice only when you’re using coconut milk though, as milk-based smoothies may curdle.
Ingredients
- 1/3 of a fresh pineapple
- coconut water
- Handful of spinach
- Half a cucumber
Preparation
- Blend the spinach
- Blend the chopped cucumber
- Chop the pineapple and fill the blender to half height
- Add coconut water
- Blend
Chia, Berry and Pineapple Weight Loss Smoothie
Chia seeds are an excellent internal cleanser, high in antioxidants and are a good source of essential fatty acids like omega-3. They slow down carbohydrate digestion, are full of protein and are also excellent for losing weight and increasing your energy levels.
I use these organic chia seeds in many of my favorite smoothies and highly recommend them. Around a tablespoon per smoothie is a good start but add more as you get used to the way they thicken it up.
Berries like blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are another excellent source of protective antioxidants, phytonutrients and vitamins like vitamin C. It’s best to soak non-organic berries first in hot water and a splash of apple cider vinegar to clean them. This also helps prevent mould and extends their shelf life.
If you’re making up this pineapple smoothie for weight loss, then feel free to add lots of berries. Despite their sweetness, they are very low in calories, high in fiber and quite filling – all good for losing weight.
Also, don’t be afraid of using coconut water. The healthy fats in coconut like lauric and capric acid actually aid fat burning and should not be avoided if you want to lose weight.
Drinking this sweet pineapple smoothie instead of having something sugary from the bakery or supermarket is a positive step towards losing the pounds.
Ingredients
- 1/3 fresh pineapple
- Handful of berries
- Coconut water
Preparation
- Chop pineapple
- Add pineapple and berries
- Blend
Conclusion
I hope you enjoy making up and drinking these pineapple smoothie recipes. There is of course many other healthy ingredients that you could blend up as well so feel free to experiment and come up with your and smoothie recipes. They’re one of the best ways I know to enjoy highly nutritious foods in a delicious way.
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