Delicious and Medicinal Drinks with Pineapple Peel
Did you know that you can make delicious drinks with pineapple peels? Most of us just throw away the peel when we eat a pineapple, but it actually makes a tasty and healthy beverage. Drinks made with pineapple peel have the same medicinal properties as pineapple. They can help fight parasites, fluid retention, constipation, and inflammation.
So, don’t throw away this part of the pineapple. Keep it, read this article to find out why it is so good for you, and try these two simple drink recipes. One of the recipes is for a drink made with boiled pineapple skin and the other is for a fermented drink that is rich in probiotics.
Health Properties
In general, as long as the fruit is organic, we recommend eating the peel (unless of course, it is inedible.) Pineapple peels are full of vitamins and minerals and are great for your health. Pineapple also has the particular advantage of being naturally pest-resistant and therefore isn’t usually sprayed with pesticides.
Main properties of pineapple peel
- Helps fight intestinal parasites.
- Contributes to good digestion thanks to bromelain, an enzyme that aids digestion. It is an ideal dessert after eating meat or fish. On the other hand, we don’t recommend eating pineapple and carbohydrates (flour, pasta, potato, etc.) in the same meal.
- Improves gut health and reduces constipation and hemorrhoids.
- Protects microbial flora in the colon.
- It is a powerful and natural anti-inflammatory. Alleviates muscle and throat inflammation.
- Helps accelerate wound healing after an accident or surgery.
- Has anticarcinogenic and anticoagulant properties.
- Improves circulation.
- Helps you lose weight and fight cellulite.
- It is an effective diuretic.
- Cleanses the blood.
Boiled Pineapple Peel Drink
Here’s a recipe for one of the easiest drinks made with pineapple peels:
- Wash a medium to large pineapple well and peel it.
- Cut the skin into very small pieces and boil them with approximately a liter of water (less for a smaller pineapple).
- Boil on low heat, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Let sit for another five minutes.
- Sweeten with honey or stevia.
- Drink it hot or cold.
Fermented Pineapple Peels
This other recipe comes from Central and South America. It is fairly simple and is a crowd-pleaser. Make it at your next dinner party to surprise your guests. It is a perfect compliment to meals with meat or fish because it helps with digestion.
Also, because this drink is fermented, it contains probiotics. Probiotics, as most people know, are important for your gut health.
Directions
- You will need a large, mature pineapple (or two medium-sized ones.) Wash well and peel.
- Cut the pineapple peels into pieces and put them in a glass or ceramic container that can be hermetically sealed. Add two liters of water and 500 grams of brown sugar, cane sugar, or cane syrup.
- Close it tightly and let sit at room temperature for 48 hours.
- After two days, strain it so there are no remnants of the peel. Add another liter of water and let sit again for 12 hours.
- Then, add another three quarts of water.
- Before serving, we recommend chilling it in the refrigerator.
- You can also store it in the freezer.
During the first stage of the fermentation process, this drink will first make probiotic micro-organisms. If you left it for longer, it would turn into an alcoholic beverage and then into vinegar.
You can give it some different flavor by adding orange or grapefruit skin, a cinnamon stick, or a clove.
You might like: What are Probiotics Used For?
Why choose organic?
It’s important that the pineapple is not treated with pesticides for two reasons. The first is that directly consuming pesticides could be harmful to your health. The second is that pesticides will counteract the natural fermentation process and inhibit the growth of beneficial microorganisms.
Images courtesy of Neil Farnworth, Noema Perez, and Suzanne Haley.
