An avocado smoothie is one such thing that will help you achieve a diet that will lead you towards weight loss if you are disciplined enough. Today we learn the healthy avocado and pineapple smoothie recipe.
We all have that one friend that is consistently on a weigh check program every minute. You often see those counting calories in every plate of food they consume. They often worry about the single spoon of cake they have ingested as you look on and enjoy your cake. These friends often will mind about their waist size. Once in a while, it dawns on you as well; you notice the need for physical exercise and a diet plan for a change.
Do you know what a smoothie is; let’s look at the best way to describe what a smoothie is.
What is a smoothie?
A smoothie also spelt as smoothy is a thick blended juice with a shake-like consistency. A smoothie is usually pureed fruits and vegetables and an added liquid which can be fruit juice, yoghurt vegetable juice, milk etc
Traditionally, a smoothie is composed of three parts. The base is some type of liquid, this can be fruit juice or milk. An assortment of fruits and vegetables and ice are the other 2 parts of the smoothie.
Smoothie thickness is usually determined by the ratio of liquids to solids. To achieve a thicker smoothie consistency, you need to reduce the amount of added liquid.
Toppings and garnishes such as mint leaves are added to the smoothie to improve its appearance. Toppings are mostly done for marketing purposes by commercial places.
What is the difference between a smoothie and a shake?
A smoothie is an assortment of natural unprocessed ingredients with no added sugars while shakes are made with ice cream, added sugar and other processed assortments
What is the difference between a smoothie and juice?
A smoothie is made using a fruit or vegetable in its whole entire form with the peel, leaves, stem which are blended to form the smoothie. While juice is made by the extraction of the liquid only from the fruit or vegetable and most often the residues are disposed of.
Types of Smoothies
Fruit smoothies; are made out of sweet fruits
Green smoothies; are made out of green vegetables like spinach hence their green colour
Healthy smoothies; aims at replacing and supplementing the body’s lost nutrients
Weight loss smoothies; contain healthy fats and help to satiate one’s appetite.
Dessert recipes; contain added sugar or fat in the form of syrups and ice cream
How to make a healthy avocado and pineapple smoothie
Right before we get to the process of making the smoothie, let’s have a look at the nutritional benefits the avocado and pineapple
Healthy benefits of avocado
- Avocado is a medium energy –dense fruit with it contains 72 % water and 6.8% dietary fiber.
- Avocado is rich in healthy fats that are a good source of protein.
- Drinking avocado will help you stay satisfied for longer hours this helps one from unnecessary cravings.
- Avocado antioxidants are anti-inflammatory and have cancer fighting properties.
Healthy benefits of the pineapple
- Pineapples were extensively used as medicine in the past around the world. The fruit is loaded with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.
- The pineapple peel or skin has bromelainan anti-inflammatory enzyme. This is beneficial for reducing post-surgery swelling or any injury swelling.
- Omunanansi juice helps with digestion and helps to fight constipation.
- Just like the fruit, the pineapple skin is rich in Vitamin C. this is a boost for the overall immunity of the body and Helps the body to fight bacteria.
- Making Omunanansi juice from pineapple peels is way of reusing food waste which is a better way to reduce and reuse food waste efficiently.
- Anti-inflammatory characteristics in the pineapple peel are good for women seeking to conceive and preventing clotting in blood.
Ingredients
1 avocado peeled and pitted
1 medium-sized peeled pineapple
Small pieces of ice cubes
Method
Add all your ingredients to a blender including the ice cubes if you have a high powered blender.
Blend until smoothie, taste and adjust the sweetness of spices to your desired level of concentration. your healthy avocado and pineapple smoothie must be ready for your consumption.
You can drink your smoothie immediately. Keep the rest in your refrigerator for a maximum of 1 day.
You can take this smoothie preferably early in the morning or after working out.
How many Avocados should I Eat a day?
Half ½ to One avocado is recommended to be eaten per day. Avocados are a source of healthy monounsaturated fat. It should be noted, however, that avocados are not low-cal.
One avocado contains about 200- 300 calories. It is important to note that avocado is a healthy fat. Heart-healthy fats have the same amount of calories as non-healthy artery-clogging fats. One should therefore consume avocados in moderation to maintain a healthy weight.
Eating large amounts of avocado a day results in taking in more calories than an individual burns. This creates room for excess which will be stored as fat.
Avocados should not be your only source of healthy fat. Mixing avocado with other sources of healthy fats is a good option for a healthier body. Consuming only avocado deprives the body of other healthy fats available.
How to tell if an Avocado is Ripe?
Here is how you can tell if an avocado is ripe
Ripe avocados have a dark green skin colour to nearly black
Ripe avocados have a bumpy skin texture not smooth
Gently apply pressure to your avocado. A ripe avocado should yield to pressure without getting indented or feeling mushy.
Check the nub which is left after the stem is removed when harvesting. If it is hard to come off then your avocado needs a few more days to ripen. If it is easy to remove then observe the colour of the indention it leaves.
If the colour is very pale then your avocado is not yet ripe enough, give it a few more days.
If the colour is light to medium green the avocado should be ripe
If it is brown under the nub, the avocado is most likely past prime
If the nub is missing then your avocado is exposed to air and will ripen faster than the rest. It is possible the top nub area will ripen faster than the bottom. This avocado will be ripe at the top and raw at the bottom.
check out pineapple peel juice recipe next