Dear Readers, Compared to other tropical fruits, pineapple is a real nutritional miracle. It is refreshing, sweet and sour, and juicy. Here you can find out everything about pineapples and their effects. You will also receive valuable tips for preparation and storage.
Pineapple isn’t just the perfect summer refreshment. It’s also super healthy and brings a ton of benefits to your body.
Pineapple Benefits for Health
Interesting facts about the pineapple
The pineapple plant originated in South America. It is more accurate in Paraguay and southern Brazil.
Pineapples on the way to Europe and India
The delicious fruit only found its way to Europe in the 15th century. We owe that to the seafarers, for whom the vitamin C bomb was a real blessing on long voyages. From Europe, Spanish seafarers finally brought tropical fruit to India.
Today, pineapples (that’s actually the plural of pineapples) are grown primarily in tropical regions such as Costa Rica, Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and India.
Pineapple Varieties
There are over 100 different varieties of pineapple in the world. These varieties are divided into five different groups:
- Cayenne: These are fruits weighing more than 2.5 kilograms.
- Queen: Small pineapples weighing up to a kilogram. Their flesh is much more intensely yellow than that of the Cayenne pineapple.
- Spanish, Perolera, and Abacaxi Group: Pineapples with a rounded shape and long, narrow, and spiky foliage. These varieties have a fibrous pulp.
Pineapple: nutritional values, calories, and ingredients
With only 56 calories per 100 grams, pineapple is the perfect dessert. It is also rich in fiber, is fat-free, and contains health-promoting ingredients.
But not only that the pineapple also holds the enzyme compound bromelain. This supports the body against inflammation and can improve digestion and blood circulation. It also facilitates regeneration and wound healing.
The tropical fruit really is that healthy
Fresh pineapple is a real superfood. The fruit contains hardly any calories and is also rich in potassium and vitamin C. If you eat 200 grams of pineapple a day, you cover half of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C. It also supplies your body with zinc, manganese, iron, and copper.
Strengthens your immune system
In order to strengthen the immune system, the body needs sufficient vitamin C. Pineapple has significantly more of it than other tropical fruits. The supply of the vitamin also supports the body in fighting free radicals and absorbing iron. In addition, the minerals, vitamins, and enzymes contained in pineapple can reduce inflammation.
Optimizes protein absorption
The bromelain contained in pineapple plays a central role in the absorption and digestion of proteins. The enzymes help to break down protein molecules from food. This allows the body to absorb them better. In addition, they are easier to digest.
In addition, you promote your muscle building at the same time as you eat. So combining pineapple and protein-rich foods isn’t a bad idea.
Supports digestion and helps with intestinal diseases
Thanks to the bromelain it contains, the intake of pineapple has positive effects on diseases of the digestive tract. So if you eat pineapple regularly, you not only strengthen digestion but also make it easier for the body to utilize nutrients. This has even been proven in numerous studies.
Calms your body
Unlike other fruits, pineapple contains a lot of magnesium. This ensures that muscle cramps and fatigue occur less frequently. The same applies to headaches and restlessness.
The fruit also contains a substance that stimulates the production of serotonin. It can lift your spirits and help you deal with stress.
Supports regeneration after sport
Not only does the bromelain contained in this fruit improve protein absorption and aid digestion, it also has an anti-inflammatory effect and prevents muscle soreness. Bromelain is mainly used for sports injuries and swelling.
But the intake of this fruit also has a positive effect on combating symptoms of joint inflammation. The same is true for pain relief in people with inflammatory arthritis.
Looks basic
The minerals in the tropical fruit bring the body’s acid-base balance back into balance. This is particularly helpful if you tend to become acidic due to poor nutrition, for example.
Reduces the risk of chronic diseases
In addition to valuable vitamins, the pineapple also contains valuable antioxidants. These help your body to cope with oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when there are too many free radicals in the body.
This can lead to the development of chronic diseases. The antioxidants in the tropical fruit are bound in such a way that a long-lasting defense mechanism in the body can be set in motion.
Pineapple during pregnancy
There is still a myth that eating pineapple during pregnancy can cause miscarriage. However, the enzymes that are held responsible for a miscarriage destroy your stomach acid as soon as you ingest the fruit.
Eating this fruit during pregnancy is therefore completely harmless as long as there is no food intolerance.
Consuming fruit during pregnancy is actually quite healthy. In this way, pregnant women can keep their vitamin C levels under control with their consumption and at the same time supply their bodies with sufficient water. It is better to take the doctor’s advice before consuming pineapple during pregnancy.
Pineapple and Weight Loss: The Pineapple Diet
Due to its low-calorie content (56 grams of calories for 100 grams of pulp), one might think that pineapples are excellent for diets.
However, what speaks against it at first glance is its high proportion of carbohydrates and sugar. Their high fructose content gets into the bloodstream quickly and can if consumed in large quantities increase your feeling of hunger.
Despite these facts, the rumor has long persisted that the pineapple diet makes sense. Quite a few people were convinced of the positive effect of tropical fruit when losing weight. The pineapple diet, in which only this fruit was consumed, was very popular.
Unfortunately, this approach is not particularly successful. Although the diet has a positive effect on the intestines and digestion, it has little effect on losing weight.
As with other solo diets, eating just one food is not healthy in the long run. In the long run, the body lacks the vitamins, minerals, and trace elements it needs to build muscle and maintain a healthy immune system.
However, if pineapple is used as a supplement to a healthy and balanced diet, it can positively support weight loss as a snack or dessert.
Pineapple and fat burning
Unfortunately, pineapple alone won’t make you slim. At least so far there is no scientific evidence for it. Pineapples cannot break down fat, but you can use them as an excellent substitute for sweets in diets.
Tips for buying: This is how you recognize a good pineapple
Nothing is more annoying than realizing after purchase that the fruit is not ripe. You can easily tell if a pineapple is ripe. First of all, a fresh pineapple smells fruity. However, if the fruit smells slightly fermented, then it is very likely overripe and will no longer taste good.
In contrast to other fruits, the color of the tropical fruit hardly plays a role. Even a green pineapple can be ripe. This is because it has less chlorophyll broken down during growth than other fruits.
To be sure when buying, you can perform a few simple tests. You will now find out what these are.
Maturity test
For the ripeness test, press the center of the fruit with a thumb. The skin of a ripe pineapple is ideally slightly soft. If it yields slightly to the pressure, the fruit is ripe.
Knock test
You may already be familiar with the knock test from other types of fruit. Tap the fruit with the palm of your hand. If you hear a hollow sound, this indicates that the pulp has dried out. However, if the pineapple sounds dull, the flesh is still juicy.
Leaves test
Another indication of a pineapple’s ripeness is its leaves. These should be dark green and can be pulled out of the pineapple with little effort.
You can also recognize a ripe pineapple by its flesh. If this is a rich golden yellow, the fruit is ripe. The lighter the inside of a pineapple, the more likely it is to be unripe. However, if it is very dark, this indicates an overripe fruit. Very soft spots and spots are also a bad sign.
Tips for the kitchen
So that your pineapple lasts long in the kitchen and you can get the best out of it, we have valuable tips for you below.
Cut the pineapple properly
In order not to waste too much flesh, you should peel a pineapple thoroughly. To do this, first cut off the leaves with a sharp knife. Now stand the fruit on its edge and cut off the skin as thinly as possible.
Start by slicing the peel off one-half of the fruit from top to bottom until the pineapple is completely peeled. Once that’s done, you can quarter it and simply cut out the hardcore.
Store pineapple properly
It is necessary to keep the pineapple fresh for as long as possible you should know how best to store it. Since it is a tropical fruit, it absolutely does not tolerate the cold in the refrigerator. Temperatures below seven degrees are not good for her.
After shopping, you should store them in a bright place and at room temperature. Unlike other fruits, the pineapple does not ripen.
However, once the fruit has been cut, it needs to be placed in the fridge to prevent it from spoiling. To do this, place it on the interface on a corresponding plate. Alternatively, you can chop them up and store in an airtight box in the fridge or freeze them.
Be sure to avoid storing it for too long. Although the tropical fruit does not ripen, the longer it is stored, the more vitamins it loses.
This will make your pineapple even sweeter
Did you buy a fruit that is not sweet enough or is still unripe? Then we have the solution: simply turn the pineapple upside down.
Preferably even a day before consumption. Because the tropical fruit ripens from the bottom up, it’s often sweeter at the bottom. Turning and the necessary time allows the sugar to be better distributed in the fruit and it becomes sweeter.
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