The Amazing Benefits of Eating Pineapples

There are more health benefits of eating pineapples than it just being absolutely delicious.

Pineapple’s are one of natures sweetest and most tasty fruits you can find year round in your grocery store.

They’re second only to bananas in popularity for good reason.

Nowadays pineapples are becoming increasingly popular in pop culture as they’re even being printed on t-shirts.

I’ve always known pineapples to be a summer fruit, but lately I’ve been eating them year round for their abundant health benefits.

I never knew pineapples are actually made of many individual berries fused together to make a central core.

Ready to find out whether or not pineapples are good for you?

Be sure to keep reading to uncover the truth whether eating pineapples will make you fat or help you burn fat.

Fun Facts On Pineapples

Pineapples where discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe.

Before that they had been spread there by natives of Brazil and Paraguay.

The Europeans tried to cultivate pineapples in numerous locations, but would ultimately fail as you need a tropical climate for them to flourish.

Later in the 16th century Portuguese and Spanish explorers would introduce pineapples to Asian, African and South Pacific colonies.

Finally in the 18th century Hawaii began cultivating pineapples. If you ever make it out to Hawaii check out the Dole Plantation where they have lots of fun activities.

Nowadays, Hawaii produces about 1/3 of the pineapples in the world. They’re also the only state with the climate capable of growing pineapples.

It takes about 18-20 months to harvest pineapples so the next time you eat one think how it took at least a year and half for it to grow!

If you’re having trouble ripening your pineapple a fun tip is to just flip it upside down to ripen faster.

Health Benefits of Eating Pineapples

One of the most popular questions I’ll get as a nutritionist is whether or not pineapples are good for you.

The truth is if you’re really trying to lose weight then you should limit your fruit intake.

All fruit has sugar in it possibly causing you to get fatter.

Of course, the natural sugar in fruit is much better for you than table sugar. The fiber, vitamins and minerals in pineapples help to counter the weight gaining effects.

There are powerful vitamins and minerals that are quite difficult to get into your diet without eating pineapples.

These vital vitamins and minerals enhance your weight loss along with an abundance of other health benefits.

So in small moderation it’ll be to your benefit to eat pineapples if you’re trying to lose more weight.

If you are going to eat pineapples then I would suggest you eat them right after your workout.

This is the time when your body and muscles are starving for sugars and carbohydrates in the form of glycogen.

The freshly eaten sugars from pineapples are more likely to go directly into your muscles as replenishment instead of going to your belly and thighs.

I’ve even included pineapples on my superfoods list.

Here are some more benefits of eating pineapples…

Better Immune Health

Pineapples are very rich source of vitamin C with a single serving providing 150% of your daily requirements.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant in your body fighting off damage caused by free radicals.

We all know the role vitamin C can play in improving your health, and just a single serving of pineapple can cover your bases for the day.

Stronger Bones

One of the hardest vitamins for your body to get is manganese since it’s just not very available in many foods.

This is a shame as manganese is necessary for many biochemical reactions in your body to improve bone strength.

One cup of pineapple provides 77% of your daily requirement of manganese, and most people just don’t get enough of it.

A study found postmenopausal women who supplemented calcium with manganese actually had less bone loss over a two year period than the control group.

Improved Eye Health

When of the worst parts of getting older is slowly losing your eye sight. The next thing you know you’re having trouble reading and need to schedule another trip to the optometrist.

Pineapples contain a high amount of carotenoids helping to reduce the risk of macular degeneration.

Higher intake of carotenoids including vitamin C have been proven to lower the overall risk factor of age-related macular degeneration.

This study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found those who had the highest intake of carotenoids had a 43% lower risk of eye sight degeneration.

The carotenoids in pineapples are what give it its famous yellow color.

No More Belly Bloat

There’s nothing worst than having an upset stomach after eating.

It feels like you just wasted your meal and now have to pay the price.

One of the key ingredients in the benefits of eating pineapples is bromelain.

Bromelain is a key digestive enzyme responsible for breaking down and digesting protein rich foods.

Another huge benefit of eating bromelain is it’ll reduce belly bloat so your stomach won’t bulge out.

Unfortunately, most people aren’t getting enough bromelain since it’s hard to find in a lot of foods.

Bromelain also makes up the digestive fiber found in pineapples with one cup equaling 2.31g.

Adding more dietary fiber to your diet is terrific since it helps to increase the feelings of being full so you won’t eat more than necessary.

The less you eat the less you’ll weigh later.

You’ll also experience improved passage of waste materials through your body improving bowel movements.

Fights Inflammation

Inflammation is one of the biggest if not the biggest cause of chronic diseases and unnecessary accelerated aging in your body.

The key with staying healthy, lean and looking young is to keep the inflammation in your body to an absolute minimum.

Of course, some inflammation such as after an acute injury like spraining your ankle is needed for the healing process.

But most of us with chronic inflammation is being caused by bad diets, lack of exercise, chronic stress and not enough sleep.

The bromelain in pineapples will help to fight off this inflammation in your body.

Inflammation is quite sneaky without you knowing it could build up quickly in your body.

The next thing you know your body is hurting, you’re lacking energy, look much older than you used to and are packing on more pounds.

You can rest easy knowing the bromelain you’re eating in pineapples is helping to fight off this nasty inflammation in your body.

Just another one of the awesome benefits of eating pineapples.

Improved Blood Circulation

The copper in pineapples helps to enhance blood circulation.

Copper is an essential mineral helping to improve your blood circulation via the formation of healthy red blood cells.

These red blood cells deliver oxygen to the organs keeping them performing at the peak potential.

Few foods other than pineapples contain enough natural copper to get the benefits of improved blood circulation.

With better blood circulation you’ll have lower blood pressure and will help to prevent those unsightly varicose veins.

Does Eating Pineapple Make You Fat

Even with all the benefits I’ve listed above you will still have to keep your pineapple intake in moderation if you want to lose weight.

Minimizing your fruit intake while maximizing your green vegetable intake is key to burning fat, keeping lean muscle and staying young.

Fruit helps to satisfy your sweet tooth proving it to be a very important part of weight loss.

Eating fruit with its high fiber content, vitamins and minerals is significantly better for you than getting your sugar fix from a candy bar.

The fiber and vitamins in pineapples (as well as other fruits) are going to help to slow the blood sugar spikes that come with eating sugar.

Pineapples are actually lower in calories than what most people think with a single cup having only 74 calories. On the flip side it also contain 14g of sugars.

Pineapples are also high in B vitamins which are needed for your energy as well as many other critical functions.

Pineapples provide a slight energy boost you’ll hopefully use to workout a little harder. 😉

What Does Pineapple Juice Do For You

Unfortunately, juicing pineapples isn’t going to be near as healthy for you as eating the actual fruit.

When you juice the pineapple you’ll be taking away all of the fiber which helped to stabilize your blood sugar.

After drinking pineapple juice you’ll have a spike in blood sugar causing a hormonal reaction in your body leading to you gaining more fattening weight.

This is how type 2 diabetes begins with these chronic blood sugar spikes and insulin releases.

It’ll be a much better idea to make a pineapple smoothie where you blend the fruit instead of juicing it.

This way you’ll still keep the fiber while still having an easy-to-consume drink.

I’d also stay away from canned pineapples as they usually contains added sugars and preservatives.

Dried pineapple can also be bad for you as they try to sweeten it up by adding sugars.

It’s way to easy to over-eat dried pineapple so it’s best to stay away from it. The servings are so small after it has been dehydrated before you know it you can go through an entire bag.

Growing Pineapple And Picking Tips

You’re only going to be able to grow pineapples in tropical climates such as Hawaii, the Caribbean, Africa and Southeast Asia.

I live in California and it’s no where near the climate needed to grow pineapples so I’m going to have to settle with buying them in the store.

When you’re picking pineapples find one that seems heavy for it’s size. A good rule of thumb is if you pick it up and surprised by its weight then that’s a good one.

Make sure the pineapple smells good, is free from dark spots or softened areas.

Even though I’m a big believer in eating organic food you don’t have to buy organic pineapples all the time.

The skin on pineapples is so thick it prevents the absorption of many of the pesticides used to grow it.

And last time I checked nobody is eating the skin on pineapples. Haha

Healthy Pineapple Whip Recipe

If you’ve ever been to Disneyland you’ll know how incredible popular the Dole Whip soft serve is there.

Even though it’s clearly not very good for you it tastes quite delicious.

It’s one of my favorite treats when I go to Disneyland I have to get it every time.

I wanted to make a healthier version of this famous Dole Whip for home that wouldn’t cause you to pack on the pounds.

It’s super creamy and delicious just about perfect for a warm summer day.

Ingredients:

  • 1 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
  • 1 cup cold organic coconut milk
  • 1/2 lime juice

Keep the pineapple in the freezer for at least a couple hours until it’s cold. Take it out of the freezer and toss it into a blender.

Add the coconut milk and lime juice to the blender as well. Pulse the blender radically to begin mixing everything together.

Keep doing this until the pineapple becomes the consistency of soft serve. If you need to just add some more coconut milk while blending to smooth everything out.

Enjoy!

Conclusion

Pineapples are one of the most delicious fruits in the world and no diet plan should go without them forever.

They’re loaded with beneficial vitamins and minerals needed for your body to run optimally.

The benefits of eating pineapples include everything from improving eye health, reducing belly bloat and lowering inflammation.

You just have to make sure you only eat pineapples and fruits in moderation as it could have an unwanted impact on your weight.

If you’re keeping your fruit intake on the low end and your green vegetable intake high then there’s no reason you have to avoid pineapples.

They’ll help to satisfy your sweet tooth so you don’t ruin your diet by eating candy and sugar.

Plus they taste too darn good.