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Iulia Serban, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a Master's degree in Nutrition and Quality of Life.
Because pineapple doesn't count among the fruits with the most calories, it is an inefficient fruit for people who want to gain weight.
But, pineapple is one of the most popular fruits in the United States, according to USDA data.[1]
Name: Economic Research Service - U.S. Department of Agriculture
Type: data chart
Operated by: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Characteristics:
Therefore, many persons looking to increase their body mass would like to integrate this exotic fruit also named ananas into their diets. One convenient way to do it is to mix pineapple with other more nutritious ingredients into a high-calorie smoothie, just like we did with our pineapple smoothie tailored for weight gain.
As expert creators of weight gain smoothies, we put together the recipe for the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie by using our guide for making high-calorie smoothies, a process verified by registered dietitian Iulia Serban.
In addition, to help you follow the recipe, we purchased the required ingredients, blended them, and illustrated the entire process with photographs.
Smoothie's calories
The standard version of the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie yields one serving of 568 calories. If you need more calories from the smoothie, however, you can adjust ingredient quantities by following these guidelines:
Ready? Let's explore the recipe.
To prepare the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie, you need three pieces of kitchen equipment:
Each ingredient in the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie has a specific role.
Firstly, pineapple and pineapple juice are the ingredients that give a pineapple flavor to our smoothie.
Secondly, cashews have the responsibility of increasing the total calories of the smoothie without affecting its pineapple taste too much.
Furthermore, rice protein powder has the role of boosting the smoothie's protein content. We didn't use whey protein powder because, as confirmed by an Indonesian study on the combination of pineapple juice and milk, the mixing of bromelain found in pineapple with milk proteins results in a bitter taste.[2]
Name: Journal of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy
Type: journal article
Study origin: Indonesia
University: Swiss German University
Publishing date: 2019
If you have a nut allergy, you can replace cashews with seeds, like flaxseeds or chia seeds.
Think whether all the ingredients will fit inside your blender.
If you use a small blender with a capacity of less than 560 ml (18.9 fl oz), break the ingredients into two or more identical portions, then follow the next instructions for each of them individually.
Add the ingredients to the blender making sure pineapple juice ends up at its bottom.
If you own a blender with an ingredient recipient that installs upside down on the blender, always add pineapple juice lastly. This way, the blades will work smoothly without clogging in other ingredients.
Blend the ingredients until the smoothie develops a fine texture (about 30-60 seconds).
If you own a less powerful blender, you may need to mix the ingredients for longer than 1 minute. Still, to prevent overheating your blender, abide by the recommended blending duration in your blender's manual.
Pour the smoothie into a glass or a shaker bottle, and serve.
Regarding its taste, the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie has a pleasant pineapple flavor accompanied by hardly noticeable earthy notes of cashews and rice protein powder.
As a general rule, although we suggest drinking the smoothie right after blending it to have the best experience, you can safely store it in the fridge for about a day.
Out of the 568 calories found in the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie, 55% come from carbohydrates, 23% from fats, and 22% from protein.
Therefore, this smoothie is a low-fat source of energizing carbs that also features a good amount of proteins.
Since less than 30% of its calories come from fats, the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie counts among the high-calorie foods for low-fat diets.
For more nutritional details, let's explore the contribution of each ingredient to the smoothie's overall nutrition facts.
Source: FoodData Central - Raw pineapple.[3]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Pineapple brings 52% of the carbs in the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Cashew nuts.[4]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Cashews, as high-calorie nuts and weight gain snacks, deliver 87% of the fats in the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie.
Source: Nutritionix - Rice protein powder.[5]
Name: Nutritionix
Type: food database
Operated by: Syndigo LLC
Characteristics:
Rice protein powder is responsible for 78% of the smoothie's total proteins.
Source: FoodData Central - Pineapple juice.[6]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Pineapple juice brings 33% of the fats in the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie.
On top of helping you gain weight, the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie has many other health benefits. Find out all of the smoothie's benefits below.
Firstly, the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie can help you gain weight easier because it is rich in calories and it fills up your stomach only for a short period.
As social proof, according to the top of the best weight gain foods for females, 91% of the women who gain weight successfully drink smoothies regularly.
The High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie increases your caloric intake because it delivers 568 calories per serving. All of these calories will make it easier for you to achieve a daily caloric surplus, the essential condition for gaining weight.
On top of increasing your total caloric intake, the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie enables you to eat more food because, unlike many solid foods, it keeps your appetite satisfied only for a short time.
As evidence, a University of Bristol study compared fruit smoothies with fresh fruits and other drinks in terms of satiety. The researchers concluded that fruit smoothies are more filling than drinks that are less alike to food (e.g., water and milk) but less filling than solid foods.[7]
Name: A Comparison of the Satiety Effects of a Fruit Smoothie, Its Fresh Fruit Equivalent and Other Drinks
Type: journal article
Published in: Nutrients (peer-reviewed journal)
Made at: University of Bristol
The High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie raises your energy levels because it's high in carbohydrates, most of which come from the pineapple and the pineapple juice in the smoothie's composition.
After all, according to a University of Lausanne study on the energy potential of carbs, carbohydrates are the main energy source for humans.[8]
Name: Carbohydrates as a source of energy
Type: journal article
Published in: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (peer-reviewed)
Made at: University of Lausanne
The High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie is great at helping your muscles grow because it has 32 g of protein. Most of these proteins come from the rice protein powder in the smoothie's composition.
To contextualize, a pre-workout serving of 20 g of protein, according to a University of Birmingham trial on protein ingestion effects, is sufficient to support muscle growth.[9]
Name: Stimulation of net muscle protein synthesis by whey protein ingestion before and after exercise
Type: journal article
Published in: American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism (peer-reviewed journal)
Consider that depending on your weight goals and current body weight, you need to eat a certain amount of proteins per day to build muscle efficiently.
The High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie fortifies immunity because it contains four sources of antioxidants:
Antioxidants, according to a scientific review of antioxidants, increase health protection and disease prevention.[10]
Name: Antioxidants: Molecules, medicines, and myths
Type: journal article
Published in: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (peer-reviewed journal)
The High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie brings benefits to your heart because it contains three sources of potassium: pineapple, pineapple juice, and cashews.
As scientific proof, a review of the effects of potassium says that potassium lowers blood pressure.[11]
Name: Beneficial Effects of High Potassium
Type: journal article
Published in: Hypertension (peer-reviewed journal)
Made at: Medical College of Wisconsin
The High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie is fantastic at hydrating your body because it contains two significant sources of water: pineapple and pineapple juice.
The High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie can improve digestion because it's made with two sources of fiber: pineapple and cashews.
One of the benefits of eating fiber, as stated in a 2009 review of the health benefits of dietary fiber, is a lower risk of gastrointestinal diseases.[12]
Name: Health benefits of dietary fiber
Type: journal article
Published in: Nutrition Reviews (peer-reviewed journal)
Made in: USA
To follow the High-Calorie Pineapple Smoothie's recipe in a compressed format, use the summary below.
If you want to try other homemade smoothies that can help you gain weight, visit our full list of high-calorie smoothie recipes.
And in case you feel creative, you can build your own high-calorie smoothie recipes. Learn what can you add to your smoothie and how to bring extra calories to it from our guide on how to make high-calorie smoothies for weight gain.
And if it happens to get bored of smoothies...
Try switching high-calorie smoothies for high-calorie shakes or other weight gain drinks.
Unfold Today has rigorous sourcing principles adhering to the top journalistic standards, so our writers always look for official, experienced, and first-hand sources. Read more about how we keep our content trustworthy and updated by reading our editorial process.
