I know we’ve all heard it before. Drink more water for good health. I’m as guilty as the next person for not drinking enough. I started a water challenge and found some amazing results which reminded me yet again why this free, clean drink makes all the difference to my health. And while we’re talking about refreshing drinks, this Cool Breeze Mint and Pineapple Smoothie Recipe will make you feel alive. It reminds me of standing on a cliff top with a cool breeze blowing all around me.
Being held accountable
I love blogging because it holds you accountable for your actions. If I type out my goals and submit them to the world, then it encourages me to try harder or at least analyse why I haven’t achieved things I said I was going to do.
Earlier this year I told you about some health resolutions that I was going to commit to daily or weekly. I’ve already told you about my fasting experiences. Today I’m going to give you an update about how I’m getting on with my aim to replace herbal tea with water and drink more of it.
Why water is better than other drinks
As nice as it is to add flavours to your water, it is better for your health to drink it plain and frequently.
** Please note that this post may contain affiliate links which means that I can receive a small payment if you make a purchase through my links.
I had been reading about how much better water can make you feel. It’s funny how quickly we forget basic messages that we all know. Sometimes the easiest things to do are the first things to slip.
Through the winter I’d gone back to drinking only herbal tea and only a mug with my meals which wasn’t very much liquid.
I’d read that water is the easiest drink for the body to process as it goes straight to where the body needs it immediately. If you add other substances to your liquids such as tea, fruits, veg or much worse fizzy drinks then your body has to work much harder to separate the water from the added ingredients. So it takes longer to get to work and you feel more tired from the effort required by the body. Other ingredients also make us feel different things such as stimulated from coffee followed by a withdrawal headache, or a sugar high from sweet drinks followed by a sugar crash.
The Water Challenge
The water challenge involved drinking 4 pints of water per day, so just over 2 litres. One pint an hour before breakfast, lunch, dinner and in the evening.
The day I started to do this I actually felt a lot better. I felt much more alive. My body felt more supple and flexible and I felt really awake.
I’m pleased to say that I have actually continued with this practice of drinking a pint of water before every meal. If I don’t eat a snack in the evening I don’t usually have a drink either but I do drink more throughout the day as I still drink with my meals and most of my food is very water rich. Often I drink straight before a meal too as I’m not always able to drink an hour before each meal.
Benefits of more water
If you really can’t bear to drink plain water try adding lemon, mint, cucumber and ginger to a jug of water. Leave it in the fridge overnight for an amazing taste the next day.
For me the main difference I noticed was that I felt surprisingly awake despite often getting far too little sleep (I get to bed too late and my baby wakes very early, often at 5am). When I wouldn’t drink enough water I could barely get through the day on not much sleep, but now I can function well enough to not even realise I’m tired most of the time.
[tweetherder]“I find water wakes me up much better than coffee ever did”[/tweetherder]
There are so many benefits to drinking more water. Another unusual benefit is reduced pain. This is because the body is made up of mainly water so when it doesn’t get enough it starts grinding and doesn’t move properly.
How to tell when a pineapple is ripe/ Do pineapples ripen after picking?
This pineapple is almost ripe. It still looks a bit green though so I will leave it a bit longer to turn a bit more brown.
When I eat pineapple raw it does a strange thing to my mouth. It makes my tongue hurt like it’s burning and I can’t eat much of it even though I love it. When I gave my baby pineapple raw she started crying. I think it’s because most pineapples that we buy in the supermarket are picked unripe. They are unripe if they are still green. You will probably need to wait 3-7 days for them to turn a more yellowy brown colour and start to smell sweet. Another sign that they are ripe is that you can twist off the leaves in one go. Even when they have ripened a bit at home they are still very acidic. But if they are picked ripe to start with I’ve heard they are a lot sweeter and nicer. This video shows the difference between ripe and unripe pineapples. There’s a fine line between them ripening and going off though.
However, in a smoothie I never have any trouble whatsoever and I love pineapple in any smoothie. I do know some people still have an issue even in a smoothie.
Cool Breeze Mint and Pineapple Smoothie Recipe
This smoothie is so refreshing and lightly sweet. It’s also very quick, easy and doesn’t cost much to make especially if you grow your own mint.
That’s all folks. Have I persuaded you to drink more water? Why don’t you take the water challenge? Let me know how you get on. And my refreshing Cool Breeze Mint and Pineapple Smoothie recipe should be a hit on a gorgeous summers day. To make it cold, use half a cup of ice instead of half of the water if your blender can handle it. Does pineapple ever have a funny effect on you when you eat it raw?
Cool Breeze Mint and Pineapple Smoothie Recipe (Green Smoothie/Green Thickie)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Water If you are drinking this straight away substitute half a cup of water for ice. Add the ice at the end
- 4 Cups pineapple 3/4 of a medium pineapple
- 2 fresh or frozen bananas
- 10 mint leaves
- 2 Tablespoons Linseeds/flaxseeds
- OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
- 1 Cup Spinach tightly packed or 2 cups loosely packed (or any other mild greens)
- 1 drop of mint therapeutic grade essential oil. Click here to find out where I buy my favourite therapeutic essential oils at wholesale prices
- 1 Filler Click here to choose a filler
Instructions
- Blend the ingredients in the order listed. Add more water if required to thin it out. Substitute any of the ingredients for whatever you already have. If your smoothie is too warm, you can cool it down in the fridge
Notes
Gluten free*, raw*, vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, egg free, sugar free, wheat free*, soya free*, salt free, nut free*
* If you want to check if you can drink green thickies on your special diet please read this first. This will suggest some substitutions so you can still enjoy Green Thickies with ingredients you can tolerate.
Nutrition info
Comments always put a smile on my face, so please take a minute to say hello below. Many thanks.
I have shared this recipe with Allergy Free Wednesdays and Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.
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Hi, I’m Katherine. I lost 56 pounds and recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by replacing meals with Green Thickies – my original smoothie concept.
amber says
Just ADORE this recipe. I’m really enjoying all your smoothies. We are big fans of pineapple in this house. This is a must make. Pinned for later! Thanks for sharing with us.
Have a great rest of your week.
Be Well,
–Amber
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Hi Amber, thank you so much. I am also a massive fan of pineapple. It just makes everything taste so sweet and tropical. I can’t eat too much of it though unfortunately as it does something funny to my mouth, but can tolerate it more in a smoothie which is great. Have a great week too.
April @ The 21st Century Housewife says
I drink a lot of water and it really does make such a difference. I like the sound of your mint and pineapple smoothie too!
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Yes sometimes when I start feeling a bit tired and run down, I realise I haven’t drunk my quota of water for the day. It’s so easy to do but so easy to forget. Thank you, it’s a very refreshing recipe.
Bee says
Have u tried chia seeds in your thickies/smoothies?
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Yes I’ve tried Chia seeds in my thickies and I will feature more recipes with them in the future although not loads as I know a lot of people still struggle to get hold of them and I want my recipes to be mainly with ingredients that anyone can find. Thanks for reminding me about them though. I love chai seeds!
Dalia Kinsey says
I love the thickies, its solved my hunger problem-great idea. As for the chia seeds, the last time I bought some I got them on Amazon – easy peasy
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Thank you. Amazon is great for getting hold of pretty much anything isn’t it!
Val says
I made a similar smoothie this am.
only I used spinach, pineapple, banana, water, honey, cinnamon, ginger, chia seeds and two packets of truvia.
YUM
khyati says
hey …i made this pineapple mint thickie ..i had it for d frst tym……had it for my lunch indeed very yummy…bt i really craved for salt ..n ultimately binged on my spinach curry in d evening…..plz help
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
That’s great you enjoyed this. You could always add a pinch of salt to your recipe to give you a bit of salt in there. Did you not plan to have the curry in the evening?
Leah says
This turned out pretty good! I added a bit of plain homemade yogurt, an orange, and used almond milk instead of water. I think I might add a little less mint next time. Thanks for the recipe!
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
That’s great that you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for letting me know. :)