Weekend foodie: Absolutely Scrumptious Pineapple, Blueberry and Cinammon Juice

Yes, the rumours are true. Since getting a juicer about a month ago, I have become the juicing equivalent of the born-again-fish-on-the-back-of-the-car Christian. I am hooked on my daily juice and can't but help telling everyone about it. Until now I have resisted bringing my juice-preaching to the blog world, but after having the freakingly insanely delicious juice below, I could contain myself no longer. And it must be good, because I never use the word "freakingly"!

Juices and smoothies not only taste fantastic - enough reason alone to get hooked, but they are seriously good for you. And you don't need to just read it to believe it - As soon as you have one, it's like you can feel all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients going to every cell in your body and waking them up. My skin is much clearer, my eyes brighter, my tummer flatter, I have more energy and I just feel really clean inside. So if you have one New Year's Resolution for 2012, make it to get a juicer and use it every day.

Although I have a book full of juice recipes, it's not taken long before the experimental cook in me comes out and my mind starts whirling with all sorts of ideas for new juices. That's how this juice came about and I'm sure there will be others.

How to make it

Ingredients (makes one large glass or two small glasses):

1/3 pineapple

1/2 apple

1/2 pear

1/2 cup of frozen blueberries

1 banana

1 tsp cinammon

Juice the pineapple, apple and pear. Then add the frozen blueberries, banana and cinammon to the jug of juice and blend with a hand blender. That's it. You won't need a meal with this - it's a meal (or mid morning snack) in itself!

As for what to do with the other half of the apple and pear, keep an eye out on the blog this weekend...

Why is this juice so good for you?

Where do I start? Pineapple is not only a great source of potassium, iron, calcium, vitamins B, C, E and folic acid, it also contains the enzyme bromeline which helps dissolve excess muscus (good for anyone suffering from a chest infection, asthma or hay fever).

The banana is another source of potassium and the fibre it contains helps ensure that the sugars in the fruit juice are absorbed more slowly to avoid a spike in blood sugar.

Apples and pears are rich in lots of vitamins (including C - vital for the immune system) as well as cancer-fighting anti-oxidants.

Cinammon, as well as giving this juice a real zing and a bit of a Christmassy flavour, has been shown to have insulin-like effects, reducing blood sugar spikes after a meal.  It's also a powerful anti-oxidant.

As for blueberries, they aren't known as a superfood for nothing - they contain vitamins B1, B2 and B6 (the B vitamins are essential for releasing energy from carbohydrates and for healthy skin, eyes, liver and nervous system), vitamin C (immune system boosting), beta-carotene (anti-oxident and anti-inflammatory), folic acid (vital in the early stages of pregnancy for brain development), calcium (bone development), iron (energy and healthy blood), magnesium (helps against muscle cramps), maganese, phosphorous and potassium (all important for bone health) and zinc (helps regulate the hormones - therefore essential for male reproductive health and for pregnant and lactating women). Blueberries are also known for fighting free radicals (those nasty things responsible for the ageing process and cancerous growths). Not bad for a little berry, hey? So, do you need any more encouragement to spend those few dollars/pounds/euros on a bag of frozen blueberries?

p.s. don't forget to always use organic fruit and veg in your juicer - you don't want all those fertilisers and chemicals joining your beautiful juice. If you're in the UK, Abel & Cole can provide you with a weekly box of seasonal organic fruit and veg at a reasonable price.