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| Green Island Dream Supreme |
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups of coconut water
- 2 cup of fresh organic pineapples
- 1 frozen banana
- 3 cups of organic spinach (tightly packed)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Makes (about) 60-64 ozs
Put it in your Vitamix Blender
and blend. This blends so well together, its like your drinking juice
instead of a smoothie.
Just like in the Green Island Dream, I love how the flavors compliment one another. It's light and refreshing, full of vitamin C, your complex B-Vitamins, protein, potassium and various other vitamins and minerals.
Just like in the Green Island Dream, I love how the flavors compliment one another. It's light and refreshing, full of vitamin C, your complex B-Vitamins, protein, potassium and various other vitamins and minerals.
TIPS:
(1) If you can't buy fresh coconut and use the water inside, try buying an organic coconut water beverage. Just make sure its pure. It may save you a few dollars.
(2) If you want it slushy feel free
to add ice. Or do as I do and freeze your ingredients! That’s right, I freeze
my fruits and greens. When I buy them, I clean them immediately, chop them, bag them and
freeze them. This way, they are smoothie ready and I don’t need to add ice. Please Note: I never freeze apples.
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Some Health Benefits
Coconut Water: Coconut water is a very refreshing drink to
beat tropical summer thirst. The juice is packed with simple sugar,
electrolytes, and minerals to replenish hydration levels in the body. Research studies suggest that cytokinins
(e.g., kinetin and trans-zeatin) in coconut water showed significant
anti-ageing, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-thrombotic effects. Coconut water has been generally offered to
patients with diarrhea in many tropic regions to replace fluid loss
from the gastrointestinal tract and reduce the need for intravenous
therapy. The osmolarity of tender coconut water is slightly greater
than that of WHO recommended ORS (Oral Rehydration Therapy) osmolarity.
Presence of other
biological constituents like amino acids, enzymes,
minerals, and fatty acids may account for this higher osmolarity.
However,
unlike WHO-ORS, its water is very low in sodium and chlorides, but rich
in sugars and amino acids. This well-balanced fluid
composition with much needed calories would be an ideal drink than any
other brand of soft drink beverages in dehydration conditions. Coconut water is composed of many naturally
occurring
bioactive
enzymes such as acid
phosphatase, catalase, dehydrogenase,
diastase, peroxidase, RNA polymerases etc. Altogether,
these enzymes aid in
digestion and metabolism. Despite very light consistency, its water has
much better composition of minerals like calcium, iron, manganese,
magnesium, and zinc than some of fruits like oranges. (Compare mineral
composition of oranges). Its water is also a very good
source of B-complex
vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pyridoxine, and folates.
These vitamins are
essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to
replenish. Coconut water contains
a very good amount
of electrolyte potassium.
100 ml of water has 250 mg of potassium and
105 mg of sodium. Together, these electrolytes help replenish
electrolytes deficiency in the body due to diarrhea (loose stools). In addition, fresh coconut water has small
amount
of vitamin-C
(ascorbic acid); provides about 2.4 mcg or 4% of RDA.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble ant-oxidant.
Pineapple:
is a fruit that contains a
proteolytic enzyme bromelain
that digests food by breaking down protein. Bromelain also has
anti-inflammatory, anti-clotting and anti-cancer properties. Studies
have shown that consumption of pineapple regularly helps fight against
arthritis, indigestion and worm infestation. Fresh pineapple is an
excellent source of antioxidants and vitamin C. Vitamin C is
required for the collagen synthesis in the body. Collagen is the main
structural protein in the body required for maintaining the integrity
of blood vessels, skin, organs, and bones. Regular consumption of foods
rich in vitamin C helps body protect from scurvy; develop resistance
against infectious agents (boosts immunity) and scavenge harmful,
pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body. It also contains good
amount Vitamin A (provides 58 IU per 100 g) and beta-carotene levels.
These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A
is also required maintaining healthy mucus membranes, skin
and essential for vision. Studies have suggested that
consumption of
natural fruits rich in flavonoids helps body to protect from lung and
oral cavity cancers. In addition, this fruit is rich
in
B-complex group of vitamins like folates,
thiamin, pyridoxine, riboflavin and
minerals like copper,
manganese
and potassium. Potassium is an
important component of cell and body fluids, helps controlling heart
rate and blood pressure. Copper is helpful cofactor for red blood cell
synthesis. Manganese is a co-factor for the
enzyme superoxide
dismutase, which is a very powerful free radical scavenger.
Spinach: Spinach is store house for many
phyto-nutrients that have health promotional and disease
prevention properties. Very low in calories and
fats (100 g of raw leaves provide just 23 cal). It contains good
amount of soluble dietary fiber; no wonder greeny spinach is one of the
vegetable source recommended in cholesterol controlling and weight
reduction programs! Fresh 100 g of spinach
contains about 25% of daily intake of iron; one of the
richest among
green leafy vegetables. Iron is an important trace element required by
the body for red blood cell production and as a co-factor for
oxidation-reduction enzymes cytochrome-oxidases
during the cellular metabolism. Fresh leaves are rich
source of several vital anti-oxidant vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin
C; and flavonoid poly
phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin
and beta-carotene.
Together these
compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free
radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a healing role in
aging
and various disease processes.
Zea-xanthin, an important
dietary carotenoid, is selectively absorbed into the retinal macula
lutea
in the eyes where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective
light-filtering functions; thus helps protect from "age related macular
disease" (ARMD), especially in the elderly. Vitamin A is also required
for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for
vision. Consumption of natural vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin A
and flavonoids
helps body protect from lung and oral cavity cancers. 100 g of Spinach provides
402% of daily vitamin-K requirements.
Vitamin K plays vital role in
strengthening bone mass by promoting osteotrophic (bone building)
activity in the bone. It also has established role in patients with
Alzheimer's disease by limiting neuronal damage in the brain. This greeny leafy
vegetable also contain good
amounts of many B-complex vitamins like vitamin- B6 (pyridoxine),
thiamin (vitamin B-1), riboflavin, folates and niacin. Folates
help prevent neural tube defects in the offspring. 100 g of farm
fresh spinach has 47% of daily recommended levels of vitamin C. Vitamin
C is a
powerful antioxidant which helps body develop resistance against
infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen free radicals. The leaves also contain
good amount of minerals like potassium,
manganese, magnesium, copper
and zinc. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids
that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese and
copper are used
by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide
dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red
blood cells.
Zinc is a co-factor in many enzymes that regulate growth and
development, sperm generation, digestion and nucleic acid synthesis. It is also rich source of
omega-3
fatty acids.
Banana: Banana’s are loaded with potassium, a mineral that helps
within the protein synthesis and constructing of muscle groups. A diet plan
loaded in potassium is believed to trim down the menace of stroke and
hypertension. They are also full of Vitamin B6, which aids inside the
manufacturing of antibodies inside the immune method individually from red
blood development, protein metabolic process and operating with the central
nervous program. Bananas also have magnesium, which assists in recovering from
exhaustion. Together with B12 and potassium, they support the entire body to
enhance from your signs and symptoms associated towards the taking from
nicotine. Vitamins C is in bananas also and it assists to safeguard the human
body versus infections and remedy them too. This vitamin also delivers proof
vital inside the synthesis with the connective tissue, assimilation of iron as
well as the formation with the blood. Last, but not least banana’s contain
Fructoogliosaccharides (FOS), which acts as foods for your “good bacteria” or
perhaps a prebiotic inside the digestive method.
Coconut Oil: For years it was a common
misconception that this oil was not good for you and was even bad for the
heart. However, studies have shown that people who have switched to coconut oil
have had less occurrences of heart disease. This is because it contains a large
quantity of saturated fats (don't let that scare you, because unlike most
oils, coconut oil does not sit in your system, it quickly moves out taking bad
fat with it.) Nevertheless, coconut oil contains about 50% lauric acid,
which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol
levels and high blood pressure. Additional benefits include weight loss,
controlling diabetes, curing kidney and gall bladder issues, treating
pancreatic issues, providing easy digestion, healing stomach issues, and
boosting immunity. It's even good for the teeth, as it has a good amount of
calcium.
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