Do you know, there is a fruit that is a combination of berries, pine, apple, mulberries and fig! Shocked! But that’s true! There is a fruit which is a mixture of all these fruits, with a crown on it, named Pineapple.
This delicious and spiky fruit is a weird fruit which is widely loved by the kids or the teens. In this article, we will explore some health benefits of pineapple.
Pineapple is a tropical fruit; however, it doesn’t grow in any kind of tree or on the ground. Pineapple is cultivated on weird flowering plants in tropical regions like Brazil, Thailand, Costa Rica, Hawaii, etc. around the year. The pineapples come in greenish-yellow and brownish in color in which the green pineapple is the one which is ripe. Once they are cut off from the single stem, the pineapples don’t ripe further. They start fermenting and degrading which makes it the most perishable fruit.
Nutrients Obtained From Pineapple
This single stem, fruit is rich in nutrients like Vitamins and Minerals, pineapple also includes anti-inflammatory and antioxidant elements also. As it is a combination of several fruits, pineapple comes from the bromeliad family which produces edible fruit. The fruit also serves you with Vitamin C and Manganese elements which are important to defend against antioxidants. Apart from this, pineapples are also rich in dietary fiber and bromelain, a type of enzyme.
Pineapples also give you Vitamin B, also known as thiamin, which helps your body to produce energy. The main benefit of having pineapple is that it doesn’t have fat and cholesterol, while it is low in sodium too. But when it comes to canned sugar it includes calories and sugar. So, next time you feel to have pineapple, make sure you go for raw pineapple or go for canned pineapple without sugar, to keep yourself protected from fats and cholesterol.
Let’s discuss health benefits of pineapple.
Health Benefits Of Pineapple
1. Supports Your Immune System
Pineapple contains nearly half of the amount of Vitamin C, one requires in his daily life. Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant which helps in fighting against damages in cells, heart disease or joint pain. It strengthens your immune system which helps in fighting against harmful disorders. It contains ascorbic acid, which reduces the sickness and boosts your immune system. Pineapple accelerates the functioning of white blood cells and defends you from the free radicals which may damage your organ systems and interrupt your functioning. It also helps in controlling the cancerous cells. Hence, pineapple is a defender of your body.
2. Strengthens Your Bones – Health Benefits Of Pineapple
Pineapple is much beneficial for your bones in making them tall and strong. Pineapple includes a rich amount of mineral manganese, which play a vital role in the development of strong bones and tissues that help in connection. These minerals are also helpful for women during their post-menopausal period, when they have complete chances to face osteoporosis. Have pineapples to keep your bones strong.
3. Helps With Digestion Problems
Pineapple is a fruit rich in dietary fiber. This fiber helps in keeping your intestine healthy on a regular basis. Along with this, pineapple is also important for getting enzymes like bromelain, which helps in breaking the proteins. In this way, pineapple helps the digestive system in dealing with proteins and also keeps your intestines clean and healthy. Pineapple thus, prevents from problems like constipation, atherosclerosis, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, blood clotting and blood pressure. The fiber present in pineapple helps the food in passing through the digestive system and also houses the gastric or digestive juices, which is beneficial in dissolving the food.
4. Anti-Inflammatory Advantages
With the help of bromelain available from the core of pineapple, it also helps in the reduction of inflammation, which is also beneficial in reducing the growth of tumors. The anti-inflammatory elements are also helpful in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Along with this, they are also helpful in other health benefits like cancer, joint pains, etc. The excess of inflammation in a human body leads to the development of cancer cells, and hence, it is necessary to have a control on them with the help of bromelain from pineapple.
5. Helps In Reducing Arthritis Problem
Pineapple is widely used for reducing the chances or joint pains caused due to arthritis, which is often seen in 8 out of 10 people. Pineapple contains a proteolytic enzyme which is helpful in breaking the complex proteins. The enzyme is also beneficial in reducing the symptoms of arthritis in many earlier cases.
6. Maintaining The Growth Of Tissues And Cells
Pineapple is rich in Vitamin C, and hence, it plays an important role in the creation of collagen. Due to this reason, pineapple is also known as a healing fruit. Collagen is an important element, which act as protein to the blood vessel walls, organs, skin and the bones. The high quantity of Vitamin C it provides you with are beneficial in healing injuries and wounds related to the tissues and cells with a rapid speed. It also preserves against any kind of illness or infections to the tissues and cells during the healing process.
7. Helps In Prevention Against Cancer
Pineapple is the best source of Vitamin C, which plays a good role in fighting against the cancer tumors and cells. Along with Vitamin C, they also contain nutrients like anti-oxidants, Vitamin A, bromelain, beta-carotene, manganese, and other important flavonoids, which are equally important in the treatment of cancer. Pineapples are widely suggested to the people having cancers of throat, mouth and breast, as it directly gets reacts in the prevention.
8. Cough And Cold – Health Benefits Of Pineapple
Pineapple is also helpful for your respiratory system. The boosting ingredient, Vitamin C, present in the fruit, along with bromelain, shields the growth of phlegm and mucus, which hinder the activity of the respiratory system and sinus cavities. In this way, it prevents from the sickness caused by the phlegm and mucus accumulation. For treating the situation, it loosens them and gets eliminated from the body, preventing from any kind of infections.
9. Oral Health
Just as the anti-oxidants are helpful in the protection against cancer, they are equally helpful in maintaining the health of your teeth and gums. The astringent property, it carries makes the gums strong and also thwart your teeth from losing. The astringent present in the pineapple tightens up your teeth and also tone the tooth. Along with this, it also helps with problems like hair loss, weakness of muscles, loose skin etc.
10. Health Benefits Of Pineapple – Healthy Vision
Pineapples directly help in boosting an important feature of the human body, eyesight. Including pineapple in your daily diet gives you healthy eyes and also prevents them from any visual deficiencies caused due to age. A common disease found in the elders like macular degeneration can be controlled and delayed with the help of beta carotene present in pineapple. Hence, if you want to keep your eyes healthy for a long period of your life, have pineapples in your diet.
11. Controls Your Blood Pressure
Pineapples carry various minerals and potassium in a good quantity. These essentials are very vital for the body to fight against any kind of deficiency. Potassium acts as a vasodilator in the body. It reduces the stress levels in your blood vessels and reduces your tension. This indirectly increases the flow of blood in your body parts. The relaxation of the blood vessels, help in reducing the blood pressure. The minerals in pineapple blocks the formation of clots as it allows the blood to flow freely. It also reduces the gathering of plaque in the vessels and arteries, which are helpful in disorders like atherosclerosis, strokes and heart attacks.
12. Helps In Blood Circulation – Health Benefits Of Pineapple
Other than potassium, pineapples also supply copper in the body. This mineral is helpful in the function of enzymatic reactions and some compounds in the body. Copper also helps in the formation of red blood cells, which help in the passing oxygen to the organs and systems increasing their functions. It increases the perceptive abilities and can also maintain the neural paths to prevent from neural disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Here we have seen health benefits of pineapple.
Health Risks Related With Pineapple
- Beta-blockers are widely prescribed to the people who are facing heart disease. Pineapple supplies potassium in the body. When too much potassium gathers in the body, it also increases the level of blood pressure. Hence, the people taking beta-blockers should consume moderate amount of pineapple.
- If your kidney is not functioning fully, you should avoid having pineapple. The reason is that pineapple supplies potassium in the body, and if your kidney doesn’t remove potassium, there are chances your kidney might fail.
- Are you having gastroesophageal reflux disease? Than consuming pineapple may give you symptoms like heartburn, regurgitation when having acidic meals, etc.
- Pineapple is a meat tenderizer. So, intake in excess may lead to tenderness in your mouth, lips, cheeks and tongue. This problem resolves on its own in some time. However, if it doesn’t, reach a doctor as soon as possible. It may lead to some rashes, hives or breathing problems, which should not be avoided.
- Consuming more than enough amount of pineapples would increase the amount of Vitamin C in your body. This would lead to side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, heartburn or abdominal pain.
- Bromelain is certainly good for health, but if taken in excess amount, it leads to health problems like glut menstrual bleeding, skin rashes, diarrhea, vomiting, etc.
- If you are on any kind of antibiotics, anticoagulants, barbiturates, blood thinners, anticonvulsants, insomnia drugs, benzodiazepines, or tricyclic antidepressants, you must avoid having pineapples.
- Avoid having unripe, raw pineapple or pineapple juice. When unripe, it is toxic to human beings, leading to situations like diarrhea and vomiting.
- Having more than necessary pineapples can also lead to the fiber balls in the digestive tract.
Some Unknown Facts About Pineapple
- The name pineapple-derived from a Spanish word ‘pina’, which was used for the first time in 1398 for a pine cone.
- Pineapples were first discovered in 1493, on the islands of Caribbean, by Europeans.
- The first cultivation of pineapples was done in Hawaii in the 18th century, and are still grown there.
- A single pineapple takes nearly 3 years for maturing.
- Pineapple canneries use each and every part of the pineapple. The skin, end and the core are used in making various products like alcohol, vinegar and animal food.
- You can cultivate a pineapple by planting the leaves on top of the pineapple in the soil.
- Pineapples contain 87% water in it, hence, it is a good source for keeping yourself hydrated.
- You can speed the maturing of a pineapple by turning it upside down, and turning your glare right up.
- Having morning sickness! Have a glass of pineapple juice.
- The core of the pineapple is equally nutritious as the pineapple.
After seeing the facts and health benefits of pineapple, are you fond of digging tropical fruits! Grab a pineapple, and plant its crown for cultivating a multi-floral fruitlet for a healthy diet.
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