This is a really easy recipe with no added sugar! There is some saturated fat in coconut milk, however, so if you have some health problems such as heart disease or stroke, it may be best to avoid the saturated fat.
Ingredients:
1 pineapple (cut up in small pieces)
1 can of coconut milk (about 16 ounces)
Directions:
Mix both contents together in a high power blender until it makes a smoothie. You can drink it as a smoothie or freeze it in the freezer and make the sorbet!
Nutritional Contents:
Pineapple:
Pineapples contain bromelain which can be extracted from the stem and core fruit of the pineapple. Studies have shown that bromelain has health benefits including decreasing inflammation, excessive coagulation of the blood, and certain types of tumor growth. Pineapples also contain vitamin C, which defends all aqueous areas of the body against free radicals that attack and damage normal cells. Free radicals promote artery plaque build-up in atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, cause the airway spasm leading to asthma attacks, damage colon cells causing cancer, and contribute to the joint pain and disability. Vitamin C is also essential for the immune system. Pineapple is also a great source manganese, an essential cofactor in a number of enzymes important in energy production and antioxidant defenses. In addition to manganese, pineapple is a good source of thiamin, a B vitamin which is cofactor in enzymatic reactions central to energy production.(1)
Coconut Milk:
Coconuts contain significant amounts of fat, but unlike other nuts, they provide fat that is mostly in the form of medium chain saturated fatty acids (MCFAs). One is called auric acid, which is converted in the body into a beneficial compound called monolaurin, an antiviral and antibacterial substance. Unlike other saturated fats, MCFAs are used up more quickly by the body and are less likely to be stored as fat. However, they do contribute to heart disease, since they are still a fat.(2)
(1) “Pineapple.” The World’s Healthiest Foods. George Mateljan Foundation. Web. Accessed 10 November 2015.
(2) Lewin, Jo. “The health benefits of…coconut milk.” Good food. BBC Worldwide. Web. Accessed 10 November 2015.