SEVEN BENEFITS OF PINEAPPLE

BENEFITS OF PINEAPPLES

Pineapples are a delicious tropical fruit that have been celebrated for centuries not only for their unique taste, but also for their seemingly great health benefits. Their health and therapeutic benefits include their ability to improve respiratory health , decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, prevent cancer, improve heart disease, improve oral health, aid in digestion, cure coughs and colds, help you lose weight, strengthen bones, boost eye health ( clearer vision), reduce inflammation, improve the immune system and increase circulation and also promotes a healthy complexion and hair, and more energy.

Pineapples belong to the Bromeliaceae family and are actually a composite fruit made of coalesced berries that grow at the crown of a fruiting tree.

Nutritional Importance of Pineapples

Pineapple is also  storehouse of great health benefits due to its wealth of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, such as calcium Ca, magnesium Mg, vitamin C, potassium K , copper Cu,  manganese, beta carotene,  thiamin, B6, and folate, as well as soluble and insoluble fiber, and bromelain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.     DIGESTION: Pineapples are a rich source of fiber, but they are special in the way that they contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. This means that eating a healthy amount of pineapples can protect you from a vast amount of health conditions, including constipation, blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, atherosclerosis and blood clotting. Fiber also strips the blood vessels clean of excess cholesterol and eliminate it from the body, thereby boosting cardiovascular health. Fiber can bulk up stool, which stimulates the release of gastric and digestive juices to help food dissolve. Furthermore, it bulks up loose stool, which helps with irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea.

2.     ARTHRITIS MANAGEMENT:  Pineapples contain a relatively rare proteolytic enzyme called bromelain, which is primarily associated with breaking down complex proteins, but it also has serious anti-inflammatory effects, and has been positively correlated with reducing the signs and symptoms of arthritis in many test subjects. Most of this inflammation occurs at the joint and muscle.

3.     CANCER PREVENTION: Pineapples are rich in various other antioxidants, including vitamin A, bromelain, flavonoid compounds, and beta carotene, which is an important co-factor of superoxide dismutase, an extremely potent free radical scavenger that has been associated with a number of different cancers. Pineapple has been directly related to preventing cancers of the breast, mouth, and throat.

4.     EYE HEALTH: The eye is one of the most important senses for human beings, and pineapples have been directly connected to improving eye health and preventing the age-related eye deficiencies that often occur. Macular degeneration affects many elderly people, and beta carotene can help delay this vision problem. Keeping proper amounts of beta-carotene in your diet from fruits and vegetables is important if you want to see properly when you are old.

5.     BLOOD CIRCULATION: Pineapples provides the body with copper, another essential mineral that functions in a numerous enzymatic reactions and compounds in the body. Most notably, copper (cu) is a necessary element for the formation of healthy red blood cells (RBC). High red blood cell count increases oxygenation to the various organ systems and makes them function at optimal levels. It also increases cognitive abilities and can maintain neural pathways to prevent neural disorders like dementia (lost of memory) and Alzheimer’s disease.

6.     BONE HEALTH: Although pineapples are not famous for having strong calcium content, it does have an impressive amount of manganese, which is another trace mineral that is essential in the strengthening of bones, as well as their growth and repair. Manganese is the most prominent mineral in pineapple.

7.     COUGHS AND COLDS: Bromelain is the normal immune system yielding power of vitamin C, is also connected with the reduction of phlegm and mucus build up in the respiratory tracts and sinus cavities. It therefore prevents the illnesses that cause phlegm and mucus build-up, while also treating them by loosening those materials and helping you eliminate them from your body if you’ve already contracted an illness or infection.

CAUTION:

Bromelain is a powerful chemical, as is vitamin C, if taken in excess. Both of these are in high proportions in pineapple, and an “overdose” can lead to vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, and nausea. Also, bromelain has been known to stimulate menstruation, so pregnant women should avoid excessive pineapple, as the high levels of bromelain can actually lead to a miscarriage in rare cases.