Pineapple Spinach Smoothie

A refreshing and bright start to your day, this pineapple spinach smoothie is like paradise in a glass! Healthy, dairy free, no refined sugar.

This pineapple smoothie is SO good and SO simple. Baby spinach is a good green for smoothies because the texture is softer than kale and more mild in flavor. And leftover spinach can go in almost any catch-all dish like this spinach frittata with sticky tomato jam! 

Homemade smoothies are such a cinch to make. I do enjoy Smoothie King occasionally but besides the steep price point many of their smoothies have added sugar (turbinado) and fruit juice. According to the smoothie king nutrition page their Pineapple Surf has 86 grams of sugar in a 20 0z. Yikes! That's more than a Cinnabon!

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On the smoothie king menu I had a hard time finding a fruit smoothie without a fruit juice blend in it. Smoothies can be amazing without fruit juice, and definitely more nutrient dense!

You might say whole fruit has sugar in it too. And I agree with you BUT they also provide a wealth of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. You can read more about the health benefits of whole fruit here.

Pineapple and Spinach smoothie benefits:

First of all I am not a nutritionist or a doctor but a little bit of research tells you pineapple and spinach are nutrient powerhouses.

Pineapple is loaded with nutrients like Vitamin C and Manganese. It's also loaded with antioxidants and if that isn't good enough pineapple also contains bromelain which has been linked to improvements in digestion.

My entire first pregnancy the only thing I could eat that didn't make me want to ralph was pineapple. And I felt miserably sick all the time. I even bought a chunk of fresh ginger root from the store and chewed on it! I was desperate. It was so disgusting it's all I could focus on so I guess it worked. Pineapple still always seem to settle no matter how my stomach feels.

Spinach also packs a punch with vitamins, fiber, minerals and antioxidants! You can read more about the health benefits of spinach here.

What fruits should I put in my smoothies?

Any unsweetened frozen fruit will work in smoothies BUT some taste sweeter than others. I love to use frozen pineapple, mixed berries, mango, frozen avocado, frozen blueberries, and frozen strawberries. The combinations are endless!

Bananas are always a great way to sweeten up a smoothie as well as making it creamy. The texture works for a smoothie whereas other fruits need to be frozen. One time I decided to try a fresh peach and my smoothie tasted slimy - gross.

Are smoothies healthy?

This is a loaded question. And the short answer is it depends what you put in them. Smoothies with whole fruits, nut butters, and hidden veggies without lots of added sugar are a great way to pack in nutrients and protein.

Smoothies with lots of fruit juice and added sugar can turn into a sugar bomb pretty quickly. And the best part about smoothies are they can be good for you AND taste incredible. This smoothie does that effortlessly.

If you are looking for weight loss smoothies look for ones that contain fiber, protein and no added sugar. Fiber and protein will help you feel fuller longer and prevent blood sugar spikes.

What's in this spinach pineapple mango smoothie and how do you make it?

• Banana
• Frozen Pineapple
• Frozen Mango
• Baby Spinach
• Lime Juice
• Water

Trust me when I tell you all you need is water. Pineapple is so tropically delicious it won't even need fruit juice!

Just place everything into your blender and blend really well until the spinach is emulsified. I usually have to stop the blender after the first 5 seconds and scrape down the sides. The spinach tends to fly up the sides the first go around. After that just buzz it up until smooth.

So easy!

If you love this smoothie I also have a chocolate berry smoothie full of oats, greek yogurt, cocoa powder and mixed berries!