Health Benefits of Pineapple

Almost everyone loves pineapples. They may be prickly and sturdy on the outside but they are delicious, juicy, fragrant, and very healthy inside. If you are interested in knowing about pineapple health benefits, you just picked the right post.

We will shed some light on what pineapples are and their nutritional value first. After this, we will discuss some of the interesting benefits of eating pineapples.

What Are Pineapples?

Pineapples are sweet on the inside with tough, spiky skin. These fruits are more seen in the tropics. How did they get their name? European explorers that visited South American around the seventeenth century named them so. Why? Because of their pinecone appearance.

The scaly bumps that you see on the outside of pineapples are known as eyes. When you slice pineapples, you meet bright yellow flesh. This flesh is a mix of tart and sweet.

While these fruits used to be rare and only synonymous with the rich, they have become a lot more common. Pineapples are cultivated in different parts of the world these days and are sold everywhere.

Nutritional Value of Pineapples

Before we dive into pineapple health benefits, let’s show you the nutritional value of pineapples. It is no secret that many people consider pineapples to be the healthiest fruit in the world. If that is the case, what makes it so?

A cup filled with pineapple chunks presents you with:

Calories: 82 grams
Carbohydrates: 22 grams
Fat: 0.20 grams
Fiber: 2.3 grams
Protein: 0.89 grams

Pineapples also present you with several vitamins and minerals including:

Calcium
Folate
Iron
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Potassium
Vitamins A, B6, E, and K
Zinc

Pineapple Health Benefits

Now that you have an idea of the nutritional value of pineapples, let’s check out the health benefits.

Boost the immune system

Just like you have seen above, pineapples are very rich in vitamin C. Do you know that pineapples contain about half of the vitamin C recommended for adults every day? This means that when you eat a whole pineapple, you have already taken half of the vitamin C you need that day.

Vitamin C is water-soluble and is a strong antioxidant. One of the major functions of vitamin C is fighting cell damage. It also helps our bodies to deal with heart diseases and prevent joint pains.

Strengthens the bones

Pineapples are also rich in manganese, one of the important minerals for bone development. Manganese helps to make your bones stronger and healthier. It also performs the same function on connecting tissues.

Research results reveal that manganese helps to prevent osteoporosis among women past the age of menopause. A cup of pineapple juice (fresh) gives you more than 70 percent of your daily manganese requirement. This is why we advise adults, kids, and seniors to eat a few pieces of pineapple daily.

Remedy for allergy swellings and sinuses

Again, this is a function of the vitamin C present in pineapples along with bromelain. Both help to reduce the amount of mucus in the nose and throat.

If you are prone to allergies, then it is a wise decision to add pineapples to your daily diet. Mix this with bromelain supplements and you should get over those allergies very quickly.

Keeps the eyes healthy

Pineapples contain lots of vitamin C and other antioxidant compounds. One of the benefits of these compounds is that they help to protect you from macular degeneration. This eye disease can lead to loss of vision, especially in older adults.

Pineapples also contain a high amount of beta-carotene. This essential element is necessary for healthy vision and as such, should be consumed more frequently.

Treats cough and cold

Pineapple also contains a healthy amount of anti-inflammatory compounds such as vitamin C and bromelain. Because of this, pineapples are very potent in treating coughs and nasty colds.

Bromelainis also recognized for reducing respiratory problems and swelling. The benefit of this is that it cleans up the excess mucus within the respiratory system. So when next you feel some cough or cold, drink up a glassful of pineapple juice. It will get you to recover faster.

Prevents cancer

One of the best ways to protect yourself from cancer is to consume a lot of antioxidants. These compounds help to combat the effects of free radicals in your system. Pineapples contain healthy amounts of antioxidant compounds.

This means that eating lots of pineapples will help you slow down cell damage and prevent certain kinds of cancer. Research studies reveal that some enzymes in pineapple help to shrink cancer cells and even kill them.

Reduces blood pressure

This is one of the very important pineapple health benefits owing to the presence of potassium in pineapples. Potassium has a reputation for being a powerful natural vasodilator. What this means is that it helps to ease the tension present in blood vessels.

As a result of this, it promotes the proper flow of blood to different parts of your body. When the blood vessels relax, blood pressure reduces considerably because there is less restriction. This is why atherosclerosis and stroke patients are advised to eat more pineapples.

Improves digestion

Are you having digestion problems? You can solve this by adding pineapples to your daily diet. Pineapples contain dietary fiber, bromelain, and vitamin C. All these compounds are known to promote healthy digestion.

Improve gut health

So many bacteria are present in the gut. It is very important to ensure that these bacteria are kept healthy. Pineapples possess strong anti-inflammatory properties that help to soothe bowel diseases. They also prevent diarrhea and reduce gut inflammation.

Treats acne

One of the chief pineapple benefits for skin is that it helps to treat acne. You can use pineapples for this condition both internally and externally because of their anti-inflammatory properties. There are several ways to use pineapples to treat acne especially mixing it with turmeric.

Conclusion

Pineapple health benefits are so many. We have shared a few in this post. What other health benefits of pineapples do you know?