After the Christmas and Sylvester period it's not a bad idea to take a healthier approach to food. This coconut water-based smoothie is definitely a good idea. Indeed, coconut water is the secret healthy ingredient for this smoothie. And that is not to be confused with coconut milk. We will explain the difference between the two later in this article. But first we have a look at the recipe for this healthy coconut water smoothie with banana, mango and pineapple.

How to make this healthy coconut water smoothie

Of course smoothies are super easy to make. I would even say that it is more work to wash the equipment afterwards than to make the smoothie.

Preparing the ingredients

We'll start with the mango. We peel them and then cut the flesh into slices around the pit. Just to cut them into coarse pieces that fit into the blender. Finally we remove the last pieces of flesh around the elongated pit.

We also peel the bananas and cut them into larges pieces that fit into the blender. Would you normally throw away the peel? You don't need to, you might want to make a delicious vegetarian banana peel curry in the evening!

Then we open the can with the pineapple and we drain the juice. Drain well. If you have pineapple cubes, you can add them to the smoothie mixer in a moment. If you have rings, it is best to cut them into large pieces. Another option is of course to take a fresh pineapple. Then you have a little more cutting to do, but it is certainly even more healthy.

Finally, we squeeze the juice from the two limes. Alternatively, you can of course also take lime juice from a bottle. In that case it is about 50 ml (1,75 floz). You can also use lemon juice as an alternative.

Blending and serving the smoothie

Now we just have to move all the ingredients to the blender and mix it well. I always start with the coconut water and then add the fruit (mango, banana, pineapple and lime juice) and yogurt.

Now it is time for the blender to work until all the ingredients have been ground and the healthy coconut water smoothie with banana, mango and pineapple is ready. In principle, you have about 1.5 liters of smoothie from this. Good for about six to eight glasses.

What is coconut water?

As indicated in the beginning of the article, the basis for this smoothie is coconut water. Not to be confused with coconut milk. But what exactly is coconut water? And what is the difference with coconut milk? And how healthy is it really? We'll go into that a bit further now.

Coconut water is the juice of a young coconut. It is clear but stille contains many nutrients. It does not contain fats and cholesterol. Electrolytes, on the other hand, all the more. It is therefore also very suitable as a sports drink to recover after a physical effort. And because of those properties, it is also very suitable to get back on your positive side after a heavy night with more alcohol than is good for you.

Coconut milk also contains coconut water. But the big difference is that this is mixed with the white flesh of the coconut. Hence the white color and the much higher oil and fat content. It has much more flavor, but also many more calories. And then we're talking about a tenfold here! Where 500 ml of coconut water contains about 100 calories, coconut milk quickly adds up to an extra zero: 1000 calories.

You want to learn more about coconut water? Then I advise to read the following articles: