Pineapple Tea

If you use fresh pineapple, stop throwing the skin away. Lately I have been buying fresh whole pineapples and cutting them up instead of buying can pineapple. It taste a lot better and it’s cheaper too. I just learned today that there are a lot benefits in the skin of the pineapple just like with other fruits. 

When your finished cutting up the goodie of your pineapple, gather the skins and boil them for about 15 minutes then let them simmer for an hour. 

After an hour, you strain the water and you have a nice clean pineapple tea. 

Pineapple peels have an abudance of health benifits including anti inflamatory properites. Anti- flamitory is the major benifit in boiled pineapple skins. 

They say you can lose weight by drinking pineapple tea daily as it is high in fat eating bromelain. 

The skin has 38 % more vitamin C and 40 times more calcium then the flesh. 

It improves digestion, improves  arthritis, and cleans the blood. 

How does it taste? 

It is not as sweet as the pineapple flesh. It has a vinegary/sour taste. I like it. It was like drinking a warm pineapple cider. I will continue to do this every time I cut up a pineapple. It was soothing to sit back with a hot tea to end the evening. And who knows? I could lose a few pounds drinking it. 

Oh but wait……

Let’s not forget the top of the pineapple. Don’t throw that away either. Cut it at the bottom and place in in a bowl of water. Once you see it rooting, you can plant it in a pot of dirt for a nice tropical plant that could produce another pineapple. 

I will share more about this once I see it working. I’m a little skeptical about this trick really working,  but well see. 

Skin Check

After Covid halted non emergency doctor visits and a few reschedules later, I was finally able to go to my dermatologist appointment. This was the first time I received a full body skin check. 

At the first of the year, I visited the dermatologist with a concern. I had a tiny red spot on my forehead that would not go away. It turned out to be a minor type of skin cancer called “basal cell Carcinoma”. I had it removed then it was stressed to me to come back and have a full body scan. So I did.

The visit was pleasant and painless but not what I expected. I thought the check would be more thorough. There were no bright lights or magnifying glasses. I had to undress to my under clothes and wait. The dermatologist entered the room and quickly looked through my scalp and worked her way down to my toes. It took no more than 3 minutes for the complete skin check. I’m guessing if she saw some concerns she would have taken a closer look. 

I am happy to announce that I had no questionable spots. She said I only had sun freckles and lectured me on my sun exposure and the need for sun screen to protect my skin from sun damage.

Speaking of sun damage. The dermatologist introduced me to a highly recommended supplement called “Heliocare”. It’s made to reduce the signs of aging and protect the skin from damages caused by the sun. It’s a sun protector that works from the inside out. 

“Where was this stuff 30 years ago?” 

Heliocare is a natural supplement with no side effects and is safe enough for anyone to take. It can be found over the counter in the vitamin section. I think it is costly at a price around 25.00. I was advised to take two capsules a day during the summer with one being taken within an hour to going out into the sunshine. During the Winter I will only need to take one a day. 

We spend a lot of time at the beach and love spending the days relaxing outdoors. These will come in handy for sun lovers like us. Yes, us. My husband plans to take this supplement as well. 

Maybe we can now stop aging? Ha, I wish!

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Cactus Pineapple Smoothie

I really want to start eating healthier by adding more natural plant based foods to my diet. It's really hard, but I have been adding more healthy options to my grocery list. I'm not Vegan or even Vegetarian but I believe they both are healthy habits. I just don't want to commit to any strict diets, but instead, just make some better choices in what I put in and on my body. 

Eating healthy has also led me to try new foods otherwise I would turn my nose up too. One of the newest foods I tried lately is (Nopal) Cactus. I read that there are a lot of health benefits hidden inside this prickly vegetable. I am excited to share with you this "Licuado de Nopal" aka Cactus Pineapple Smoothie. It tasted like nothing else I've ever had. Cactus itself taste like a cross between celery and asparagus, if you can imagine. Mixed in a smoothie it's not so bad after all.

Before handling any cactus, make sure to wear gloves. I learned this the hard way while picking through them at the grocery store. I was picking fine thorns from my hands all the way home while my husband thought it was funny. He suggested I use tongs that were available next time. 

Before eating, cut around the outside to remove the edges then take a knife or cactus scraper and scrape off  all the thorns, then wash thoroughly. I took my gloves off at this point and sacrificed my hands to make sure there were not more prickly things on the paddles. Luckily there were none and it was ready to cut into cubes.   

Cactus Pineapple Smoothie

1 cup- cleaned and cubed Cactus

1 cup- cubed Pineapple (I used frozen)

1 cup- of Orange Juice or Water

1 teaspoon- of Turmeric. (tasteless but optional)

add all to a blender and blend until smooth

Enjoy.

Cactus water (or smoothie) is known to help with weight loss, regulate blood sugar levels and improve digestion. It is also an anti-inflammatory. 

Other health benefits of cactus include:

• Great for joint inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Natural detox. Good for the gut. 
• Great for skin.
• Strengthens immune system.
• Lowers cholesterol.
• Help prevent against cancer.
• Helps control type II diabetes.
• Relieves menstrual cramps in women.
• It can also help with inflammation of the urethra and bladder to control bladder infections. 
• And if you get drunk....It's known to help hangovers.

I found most of this info here. (Source). 

The original recipe and more interesting facts can be found here (Source).

How did I like it?

It was pretty good. It was not like drinking a sweet berry smoothie topped with granola and chocolate, but it was good. It had a sweet tart bite too it but yet still refreshing. 

What I think about it?

We ended up making another trip to the Mexican grocery store for more. I have felt good after drinking one of these smoothies and actually had a good night sleep. I think this drink is a good thing and plan to drink one a couple times a week. I hope it helps with the inflammation in my ears associated with my symptoms of Meniere's.  

I have never been afraid to try new things. If it's edible, I’ll eat it. It’s good to experiment with different foods. There is a lot of good foods out there yet to be discovered. You’ll never know unless you try it.