The Benefits and properties of pineapple Are numerous: it reduces the risk of macular degeneration, improves digestion, prevents aging, reduces the risk of asthma, lowers blood pressure, is diuretic, among others.
Despite what many believe, the origin of the pineapple is not found on the beaches of Hawaii, but on the island of Guadalupe.
Christopher Columbus, in one of his expeditions in the area, brought pineapples to Europe. Faced with its success, it would later be extended to a large number of countries.
In its beginnings, it was understood as a luxury food with health benefits, worthy of banquets and special celebrations.
To this day, pineapple is an everyday food in our diets that has large Benefits, properties, Nutrients and vitamins, and that is usually used as a dessert or snack fundamentally.
Apart from its flavor, throughout history, this delicious fruit has been used for its medicinal properties to treat digestive problems and inflammations.
Nutritive Properties of Pineapple
- 85% water.
- Fiber
- Vitamins: C-lot-B6, B1 and E.
- Minerals: Magnesium, Iodine, Copper, Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium and Manganese.
- Carbohydrates.
- Folic acid, citric, malic and oxalic.
- Enzymes: Bromelain.
Benefits of Pineapple for Health
1-Reduces the risk of macular degeneration
As children, they always told us how good vegetables (and specifically carrots) were for us to have an optimal vision in the future. Well, it turns out that it is as much, or more important, the pineapple in this field.
According to data published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, consuming 3 or more servings of fruit per day can reduce the risk of Advanced Macular Degeneration with Age (DMAE).
The study notes that it is reduced by 36% the possibility of suffering from taking 3 pieces of fruit a day compared to those who only take 1.5 parts a day. DMAE is the leading cause of vision loss in adults.
The research, which was carried out on more than 110,000 men and women, determined that vegetables, antioxidant vitamins, and Carotenoids Were not closely related to the incidence on AMD, and yes the fruit.
A priori, many people can sound a lot of 3 pieces of fruit a day, but the easy mixing of the pineapple like smoothie, including salads, yogurts, or anything you can think of, will make it easier for you to get it.
2-Improves digestion thanks to bromelain
Pineapple has a digestive enzyme called Bromelain , Which is extracted from the stem, and raw pineapple.
Bromelain in turn contains several enzymes called proteinases that have been demonstrated both in laboratories and in animal and human studies, their anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, anti-oedematous, and fibronolytic properties.
Bromelain has been shown to be an anti-inflammatory agent capable of reducing diseases that among their symptoms lead to inflammation. This is the case of diseases such as acute sinusitis, arthritis, sore throat, or gout.
Being a good anti-inflammatory agent, it is a good choice in cases of scarring of small muscle injuries such as sprains or sprains.
There are as yet unproven indications that bromelain - being anti-inflammatory - has anticancer agents.
Bromelain also works as a natural anticoagulant, although there are also indications that it can cause beneficial changes in white blood cells, which improve the immune system.
3-High antioxidant content
Pineapple is a fruit with a high content of vitamin C . This is the body's major water-soluble antioxidant vitamin, and defends all the body's aqueous areas of harmful microorganisms that are found daily.
Pineapple is also one of the foods that best fights the common cold, the flu, and all the diseases that come as a result of the cold as it strengthens the immune system.
Vitamin C deals with the defense of all the body's watery areas against free radicals (substances that attack healthy cells).
In addition, pineapple is a source of diet rich in iodine, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium, useful for thyroid And nerve cells.
Diseases such as Atherosclerosis Diseases linked to the heart, or diabetes, may be caused by the accumulation of free radicals.
4-Reduces the risks of asthma
The risks of developing asthma Are lower in people who consume a large amount of certain nutrients such as Beta-carotene , Which is found in plant foods such as pineapple, mango, papaya, apricots, broccoli, melon, squash and carrots.
Diets rich in beta-carotene may also play a protective role against prostate cancer, according to a study by the Nutrition Department of the Harvard School of Public Health.
Research has been shown to have an inverse relationship with the development of colon cancer in the study of the Japanese population.
5-Reduces blood pressure
Pineapples are a valuable source of minerals like potassium. This is one of the most important minerals in our body, and its scarcity in our body can lead to a wide variety of health risks.
One of the most important functions of potassium is that of vasodilator, which means it relieves tension and stress of blood vessels, promoting blood circulation to different parts of the body.
When the blood vessels relax, the blood pressure Is reduced, and blood flow is normal.
This can prevent clot formation and blockage of blood flow. It also reduces plaque buildup in arteries and vessels.
This helps prevent diseases such as atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes.
6-Pineapple as diuretic and detoxifying
In our body a lot of toxins and wastes accumulate as a result of the bad nutrition , Pollution, or the use of chemicals, among other factors.
Pineapple has diuretic and detoxifying qualities that drive the elimination of all those substances that can affect health if they are not expelled properly and in due course.
In this regard, you can talk about the pineapple diet as a plan to detoxify the body at specific times:
Pineapple Diet
It should be made clear that the pineapple diet is not a diet plan to use every day. Its use should be limited to a maximum of 5 days, and be performed two or three times a year.
This diet is intended to encourage the disposal of waste, and retained liquids. As a collateral element, it helps you lose weight quickly when you have healthy lifestyle habits.
Example of pineapple diet:
- Breakfast : 2 or 3 slices of pineapple with a tea or infusion.
- Midmorning : A pineapple soda. The procedure to prepare it is as follows: place the pineapple peels in 2 liters of water, let it stand and strain it. Place the liquid in the refrigerator and then consume it as a soda.
- lunch : A broth using 4 leeks, 2 turnips, 1 little celery, 1 carrot and 3 artichokes. Then some chicken or grilled fish and two slices of pineapple.
- Snack : Refresh pineapple and a natural yogurt.
- Dinner 4 or 5 slices of pineapple.
Precautions
Because the pineapple is a great meat tenderizer, eating it excessively can give rise to some tenderness of the mouth, including the lips, tongue and cheeks.
These effects are usually easily detected, but if you do not, or if you experience a rash, hives, or difficulty breathing, you should seek immediate medical help because you may have a pineapple allergy.
Due to the high amount of vitamin C contained in pineapples, their consumption in large quantities can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or heartburn.
Also, high doses of bromelain can cause excess blood in the menstrual period of women, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Bromelain may also interact negatively with certain medications. Those who take antibiotics, anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, barbiturates, Benzodiazepines , Sleeping pills, and Tricyclic antidepressants They should be careful not to eat too much pineapple.
Eating green pineapple, or drinking unripe pineapple juice, is dangerous according to the horticulture department of Purdue University (USA).
In this state, pineapple juice is toxic to humans, and can lead to severe diarrhea and vomiting.
Interesting facts about pineapple
The pineapples were discovered by a Spanish expedition in 1493 on the Caribbean island of Guadalupe.
The first attempts on the part of the Europeans to cultivate the fruit failed until they realized that it needed a tropical climate to flourish.
At the end of the 16th century, Portuguese and Spanish explorers introduced the pineapples into their colonies in Asia, Africa and the South Pacific.
Because pineapples are very perishable foods, fresh pineapples were then a rarity for American settlers, who interpreted it as a luxury food and a symbol of social prestige.
Pineapples were first cultivated in Hawaii in the 18th century. This is the only part of USA. In which they continue to cultivate.
Other countries that commercially grow pineapples are Thailand, the Philippines, China, Brazil and Mexico.
Pineapple canneries use all of their components, and it takes almost three years for the pineapple to mature.
Skin, or juice, is used to make a wide variety of products, including vinegar, alcohol and animal feed.