This recipe came to me as I was getting ready to prepare my daily green smoothie. Since I had some pineapple and a lot of mint at home, I decided to create a green smoothie with a tropical hint that would naturally boost your liver detoxification pathways and keep you hydrated during the scorching heat of the Summer. This Refreshing Pineapple Mint Green Smoothie is a MUST try this Summer. I am so happy with the way it came out and I am sure you will love it too!

In case you are wondering what makes this green smoothie so special and such a great drink to detox, let me tell you more about the health benefits of some of its ingredients.

Health Benefits:

Pineapple: is a nutrition powerhouse due to its high content in various minerals, vitamins and digestive enzymes. Being rich in vitamin C, it is a great food to boost your immune system, promote healthy skin, and prevent free-radical damage. Its high content in manganese and vitamin B1 makes it an excellent food to boost energy production in the body and antioxidant defences. Finally, pineapple contains bromelain, a powerful enzyme, known to help reduce inflammation and to heal any digestive issues.

Mint: is a very powerful herb because it is rich in antioxidants. It is known to help with any digestive issues such as an upset stomach or indigestion. Mint also improves the flow of bile through the stomach and speeds up the digestion process, helping furthermore to detoxify the body. It is so easy to add to your smoothies or water for an instantaneous boost in detoxification.

Ginger: contains gingerols, which act as a potent antioxidant and antiinflammatory agent. Ginger is great digestive aid as it is also known to help alleviate nausea, stomach pain and it helps warm up the body to further break down the accumulation of toxins in the organs.

Cucumber: is also another great food for your health. Indeed, it is rich in water content, healthy digestive fibers and antioxidants. Cucumbers also help stimulate urination, which helps cleanse the liver, flush out bodily toxins and avoid water retention

Lemon: contains ascorbic acid, which also helps to detoxify the body; it also aids digestion, keeps your skin glowing and provides vitamin C, which boost immune system function and promotes healthy glowing skin.

Now that you know about the wonderful health benefits of the ingredients in this green smoothie, let’s proceed with the recipe.

Refreshing Pineapple Mint Green Smoothie

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of coconut water (or regular filtered water)
• 1/2 cup of pineapple
• 1/3 cup of fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup of leafy greens (spinach, kale, mustard greens, …)
• 1/2 cucumber – diced
• 1/2 lemon – its juice
• 1 thumb size ginger – grated
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• Optional: 1 tbsp of chia seeds + 1 dash of turmeric powder for extra anti-inflammatory properties

HOW TO:

Place all of the ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until creamy smooth. Feel free to adjust the liquid amount to your liking (depending on if you want it thicker or not).

Happy sipping (and remember to chew your smoothies to help activate your digestive system).

Stay vibrant,

Sarah.