![Healthy Piña Colada (Hallelujah!) [Vegan, Gluten-Free]](https://7gigzxopz0uiqxo1-zippykid.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/drink.jpg)
If you like Pina Coladas…and getting caught in the rain…then you totally need to make this. Say no to pre-made mixes! That should be your new motto! I find it is much MUCH tastier to make your own. I get it, you want a drink because you are trying to relax, so you don’t want to spend all day making said drink. I got your back! Just buy the ingredients beforehand, the perishable items are frozen, so you can store all of it for your time of need.
Healthy Piña Colada (Hallelujah!) [Vegan]
Serves
2-4
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1/2 cup coconut water
- 2 tablespoons agave
- 4 shots of white rum
Preparation
- Place all ingredients in blender.
- Blend until mixture is thick and creamy.
- If mixture is too thick, add a bit more coconut water to it to thin out.
- If mixture is too thin, add a few ice cubes.
Notes
Coconut cream is found in the top of a full fat can of coconut milk. Do not shake the can, remove lid. The top part will be thick and creamy and the bottom part will be milky. Scoop the coconut cream out of the can and use the coconut milk in another dish later. Some stores actually sell cans of coconut cream too, so keep an eye out.
Yummy recipe! However, PLS DON\’T NAME IT "HEALTHY" if it has Alcohol and Agave Syrup. I SUBSTITUTED AGAVE FOR MAPLE SYRUP and NO ALCOHOL. I leave you here the REAL TRUTH ABOUT AGAVE….
THE WHOLE ARTICLE: http://search.mercola.com/results.aspx?q=agave%20syrup%20dangers
PART OF THE ARTICLE:
THE MYTH OF AGAVE AS A "HEALTHY" SUGAR SUBSTITUTE
It\’s important for you and your family\’s health to remember that agave syrup is neither healthy nor natural.
As reported by Dr. Ingrid Kohlstadt, a fellow of the American College of Nutrition and an associate faculty member at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health:
"Agave is almost all fructose, a highly processed sugar with great marketing."
Agave syrup is not low calorie — it has about 16 calories per teaspoon, the same as sucrose (table sugar). The glycemic index is immaterial, once you understand the full extent of the risk this product poses to your health.
The consumption of high amounts of sugar is what is inflating America\’s waistline, as well as escalating rates of diabetes, blood pressure, and heart disease.
Although overall sugar consumption is definitely something to be concerned about, even more problematic is one type of sugar that wreaks extraordinary havoc on your body: FRUCTOSE.
And if you want fructose, agave products next to pure fructose, have the highest percentage of fructose of any sweeteners on the market, over 50 percent more fructose than high fructose corn syrup.
WHAT IS THE "REAL TRUTH ABOUT AGAVE?
If you knew the truth about what\’s really in it, you\’d be dumping it down the drain — and that would certainly be bad for sales.
Most agave "nectar" or agave "syrup" is nothing more than a laboratory-generated super-condensed fructose syrup, devoid of virtually all nutrient value, and offering you metabolic misfortune in its place.
Unfortunately, masterful marketing has resulted in the astronomical popularity of agave syrup among people who believe they are doing their health a favor by avoiding refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup, and dangerous artificial sweeteners.
And if you\’re diabetic, you\’ve been especially targeted and told this is simply the best thing for you since locally grown organic lettuce, that it\’s "diabetic friendly," has a "low glycemic index" and doesn\’t spike your blood sugar.
While agave syrup does have a low-glycemic index, so does antifreeze — that doesn\’t mean it\’s good for you.
Most agave syrup has higher fructose content than any commercial sweetener — ranging from 70 to 97 percent, depending on the brand, which is FAR HIGHER than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which averages 55 percent.
This makes agave actually WORSE than HFCS.
It is important to understand that fructose does not increase insulin levels, which is not necessarily good as what it does do is radically increase insulin resistance, which is FAR more dangerous. You see, it\’s okay for your insulin levels to rise, that is normal. You just don\’t want these insulin levels to remain elevated, which is what insulin resistance causes.
That is why fasting insulin is such a powerful test, as it is a very powerful reflection of your insulin resistance.
In addition to insulin resistance, your risk of liver damage increases, along with triglycerides and a whole host of other health problems, as discussed in this CBC News video about the newly discovered dangers of high fructose corn syrup. The study discussed in this news report is about HFCS, however. It\’s well worth remembering that agave contains MORE fructose than HFCS, and in all likelihood, it\’s the FRUCTOSE that is causing these severe liver problems.
WHEN AGAVE FIRST CAME OUT I USED TO THINK IT WAS GOOD & HEALTHY, BUT FOR ABOUT 10YRS, THANKS TO DR. MERCOLA AND OTHERS, I DECIDED TO NOT LET MYSELF BE FOOLED.
HOPE THIS HELPS YOU SWITCH AND DUMP ALL YOUR AGAVE BOTTLES. THERE ARE HEALTHIER ALTERNATIVES OUT THERE.
GOOD HEALTH & BLESSINGS TO YOU.
MARIANGELES