What follows are, in order, my favorite smoothie concoction (after years of honing/refining) and a great homemade, beneficial soda;

EDNA'S FAVE SMOOTHIE:

- Approximately 2 cups of 100% pure pineapple juice (I like Lakewood brand)
- Two raw CERTIFIED ORGANIC* eggs (A's, leave these out)
- Half a bag of frozen raspberries
- One or two ripe bananas

BLEND! DRINK! FAB!

* You must, imo, use certified organic eggs to minimize any risk of salmonella, as to be labeled certified organic, eggs are raised and harvested using clean, appropriate and safe techniques and should be fine.

EDNA'S AWESOME PINEAPPLE SODA

This is so simple that a chimp could make it...

- About a cuppa 100% pure pineapple juice (again, I like Lakewood)
- About 1 to 2 teaspoons of sulfite-free lemon juice concentrate (I use Santa Cruz organic brand) OR you can simply squeeze in the juice of a lemon or two (but the concentrate is actually better in this case, to get the sort of sweet/tart complex marriage of flavs we are going for)
- Fill rest of LARGE glass/tumbler with a sparkling mineral water (I use Gerolsteiner) or you could also use seltzer or club soda. Note: I use a LARGE plastic receptacle for this affair, obtained as a souvenier at a baseball game. If using a regular-sized glass, I would cut the pineapple amount by 1/2 because it could be too sweet otherwise.

This beverage is excellent to consume after exercise, if you have any injured or aching muscle or ligaments, or any disease related to inflammation (such as rosacea) that you are trying to help out. Why? Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain. Bromelain, per Dr. D., is da bomb (well, he may not have used the phrase "da bomb", but moving along... ) for healing up torn ligaments and irritated muscles, etc., and it is also an anti-inflammatory, which is important for anyone trying to go for an anti-inflammatory diet (which the BTD by nature is) and fight inflammatory probs like rosacea. That is why I like a long, tall one of these after mowing the lawn in the FL sun, etc. I just invented this because my left knee has been acting up/feeling weird of late, so I'm trying to heal it with bromelain. In fact, that is why I'm in such a pineapple mode.