Tag: Beauty

This smoothie takes me back to August 2011 when my hubby and I were relaxing poolside on our honeymoon in Jamaica.

We tried all different kinds of mixed drinks while we were there and loved the island flavors. We also enjoyed fresh fruit every day, including papaya, pineapple and mango. The island was beautiful and definitely felt like paradise! If you would like to visit, why not do so in style? Check out villas in Jamaica from Exceptional Villas.

On the beach in Jamaica, mon!

Fast forward almost three years, and Bill and I have found a way to bring some of those island flavors to our kitchen through our cooking AND smoothie making!

We enjoy a smoothie just about every day for breakfast because it fills us up for hours and is a quick and easy way to get a concentrated source of anti-aging, disease fighting, energy-boosting nutrients into our diet. For all of those reasons, it’s also one of the ways I effortlessly regulate my weight. Click here to learn more about the health benefits of green smoothies.

In today’s smoothie, I used a variety of super healthy ingredients that come together to bring you a taste of paradise 🙂

Coconut Water

Think of coconut water as the new Gatorade…but healthier! Gatorade is loaded with chemicals, refined sugar and artificial colors and flavors that don’t nourish our bodies. Coconut water is a great natural source of electrolytes – minerals in our blood and body fluids that carry an electric charge, which affects the amount of water in our body, muscle function, and a variety of other processes.

Harmless Harvest makes my favorite coconut water (which I just found out Safeway sells! Whole Foods, MOMs and Wegmans sell it, too). This site has a great post about the top 10 ways your body benefits from coconut water. To learn more about the best coconut water brands click here.

Leafy Greens

A curly bunch of kale!

Leafy greens are one of the most nutrient-dense, disease-fighting, health-promoting foods in the world, foods we should eat a lot of on a daily basis. They are detoxifying (clean us out!), anti–inflammatory (cool the body), cancer–fighting, oxygenating, alkaline (reduce acidity in our body), and loaded with anti-aging antioxidants and nutrients.

It’s important to rotate your greens, too. Variety is the spice of life 🙂 Check out this link for tips on how to do that. I like to rotate between kale (baby and regular), spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard and Romaine lettuce.

Pineapple

The magic of pineapple is an enzyme called “bromelain” (say it, “BRO-ma-lane”). This enzyme breaks down proteins and foods and is a natural detoxifier (AKA body gunk cleaner outer). It also helps improve circulation and reduce mucus, which builds up in our digestive system, sinuses, and respiratory system. Clearing out mucus is important for overall health and beauty. Pineapple also contains manganese, which promotes skin healing and overall skin health.

Chia Seeds

Ch-ch-ch-chia seeds! You can find these at any health food store, Wegmans, Trader Joes or online at Amazon, Vitacost or other stores.

These teeny tiny seeds are a beauty detox and anti-inflammatory super food. They swell to 10-15 times their original size when combined with liquid and form a gel, which helps to keep us feeling full and hydrated for hours.

Since they contain lots of fiber, they help balance our blood sugar and keep energy levels up. Their gel-like consistency promotes optimal digestion and keeps things moving in our digestive system (trust me, we want to keep things moving!).

Lastly, they contain high levels of antioxidants, which help counteract the damage of things like stress, poor diet, smoking and other health stressors, and omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for balancing hormones and nerve functions.

Bananas, shredded coconut, and mango are a few other ingredients in this smoothie that are loaded with health benefits, too, but let’s just get on with the recipe! To learn more about the health benefits of any one of those foods, check out this link for the World’s Healthiest Foods.

Caribbean Island Breeze Smoothie