With a number of health benefits, pineapple juice offers a great number of reasons to enjoy it, whether it be a cold pressed juice or one that you create in your home blender. The result is something that will undoubtedly satisfy your taste buds and prove to be for the betterment of your overall well-being.
Benefits of fresh pineapple juice
Other than being really delicious to drink, pineapple juice offers some pretty amazing benefits:Helps boost immunityFights inflammationHelps to detoxify the bodyImproves visionPromotes healthy digestion
Why homemade?
Fresh juice contains more vitamins and minerals than the options you find in bottled versions. Additionally, homemade juices contain increased antioxidant, antiviral, and anticancer properties which are stripped away in the bottling process. Beyond that, the canned or bottled varieties are sometimes sweetened with sugar which negates some of the health benefits you can get when juicing your own fruit. Store bought juice could never deliver the flavor or benefits of this homemade elixir. Homemade pineapple juice is loaded with more nutrients. What you aren’t getting, however, is the fiber, and it turns out that this is actually a good thing because the body does not have to work as hard to break down the fiber in the digestive system. The nutrients can immediately enter the body and start getting to work without delay which is why, you can feel a boost of energy very shortly after drinking fresh juice. Of course not all juice can boast the same health benefits. Some are, without a doubt, better than others. The truth is, homemade juice is better than store bought for a few reasons.
Cold pressed juice vs blended juice
There are benefits to all kinds of juice. Cold pressed juice is certainly best, even superior to the type of juice you can make in your blender because it preserves the nutrients of the fruit in the absence of heat. You get 100% of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and nutrients.
How to choose a pineapple
Selecting the best pineapple is not as hard as one might think, as long as you know what to look for. What it boils down to is using your sense of sight, smell and touch so that you end up with fruit that has the best flavor. At first glance, it is worth noting that the color of the pineapple’s exterior does not necessarily tell you a lot about how ripe it is. While some pineapples are yellow at the peak of ripeness, a green pineapple can also be ripe. Generally speaking, you want to look for a pineapple that has some yellow, particularly at the base. It is best to avoid pineapples that have taken on an orange color which signals that it has gone beyond its peak and may have developed a somewhat fermented taste. Beyond that, take notice of the leaves which should be a vibrant green color which is an indication of freshness. Next, you should pick up the pineapple to find out how it feels. It should feel heavy for its size and be firm with a very slight yield to pressure. It should not have soft spots which may be a sign of bruising. At the other end of the spectrum, a too-firm pineapple may be underripe and somewhat tasteless.
More tips
When purchasing a fresh pineapple, choose one that smells good. If it has no scent at all, it is probably not the best tasting. At the same time, if it has an aroma akin to vinegar, it is probably too far gone. The rule of thumb here is to find a pineapple that smells the way you want it to taste; fresh and fruity. Eating unripe pineapple is not advised, not only because it tastes bad, but because it is dangerous to humans. This is likely of little risk when purchasing pineapple from the grocery store, but it is best to choose a pineapple that shows at least some sign of ripeness.
Cutting a fresh pineapple
While cutting a pineapple may seem daunting to a first-timer, it can be easily and safely done with a cutting board and a sharp chef’s knife. First you may lie the pineapple on its side and cut off the top and bottom, exposing the flesh. This will allow you to stand the pineapple upright so that you can proceed with removing its spiky exterior. You may also skip this step if your pineapple can stand upright. Using the shape of the pineapple as a guide, make a generous cut from top to bottom, making sure to remove the eyes of the pineapple. If you have not gone deep enough, you can cut again. After this initial cut, you will continue to make parallel cuts around the entire pineapple until you have a completely clean pineapple. Keeping it on its end, cut the pineapple in half, straight through the core, and then again in the same fashion until you have quarters. At this point you can cut carefully between the flesh and the core along the length of the fruit so that you end up with 4 long quarters and 4 pieces of the core.
Is the pineapple core edible?
You may wonder if the core is actually edible and in fact, it is. Granted it is tougher and dryer than the rest of the pineapple flesh, but when it is cut into smaller and thinner pieces it is actually quite palatable. It is worth noting that while it is less sweet, it is really high in fiber, manganese, bromelain, and vitamin C. Though not the best for juicing, you can certainly eat the core for its anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps to break down the proteins and assist in better digestion of foods. But eating a lot of pineapple core can numb the tongue and irritate. So always eat it in moderation with a sprinkle of salt. I usually juice the pineapple with the core, so prefer to add a piece of ginger and some salt to avoid the irritation.
Spicing
Drinking fresh pineapple juice of any kind is arguably delicious, but consider the possibilities that take it to new heights with a bit of Himalayan salt, spicy fresh ginger and black pepper. An optional hit of fresh mint will further elevate it. For the best taste and nutrition, consume immediately before the pineapple juice begins to oxidize.
How to make pineapple juice
Always choose fresh ripe pineapples. Unripe pineapples upset the tummy. Remove the skin slightly deep inside. Chop them to the size that fits your blender. Add them to the blender or juicer along with the optional ingredients – salt, black pepper & fresh ginger. All the ingredients are approximations only so you can start with lesser quantities. Pour water or coconut water just for easy blending. Again don’t add a lot of water. Blend until smooth and frothy. Place a filter over a bowl or a pitcher. Pour the blended pineapple juice. Keep stirring with a spoon so the juices pass through the strainer. Press down the pulp against the sieve to extract the juice completely. Serve pineapple juice immediately. I also use a slow juicer. Turn on the juicer and just add the cut pineapple chunks into the juicer chute. The pulp separates on its own from the juice. You have to remove the pulp after juicing 1 large pineapple. Then continue with the next. The difference is in the taste. Pineapple juice from a slow juicer is pure and since no other liquid is added it tastes so good. You may like these Fruit juice recipes, Orange juicePomegranate juiceGrape juiceWheatgrass juice Related Recipes
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This post was first published in July 2017. Updated & republished in January 2021.
