The Health Benefits of Eating Pineapple: A Diuretic Fruit
Pineapple, like other fruits and vegetables, is a great source of fiber and nutrients. It’s also low in calories and contains no fat. However, what else do we know about this fruit?
In fact, pineapple is one of the most popular tropical fruits in the world. It has a unique, delicious taste, and its high water content makes it a refreshing option that’s easy to combine with other ingredients.
Many people believe that pineapple is great for weight loss. In fact, because it’s a diuretic, they believe that it helps you keep your belly flat by eliminating excess water.
Is eating pineapple beneficial for your health?
Pineapple contains a large amount of vitamin C, B1, B6, folic acid, and minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and iron.
It also contains an enzyme called bromelain, which improves digestion and has the ability to destroy intestinal parasites.
Therefore, the answer is yes, pineapple is beneficial for your health.
You might like to read: The Best Fruits for Digestion
What’s bromelain and why’s it so good for you?
Bromelain is a compound that’s extracted from pineapple stems. It’s a peptidase, which means that it has the ability to destroy the peptide bonds between the amino acids that form proteins. However, that’s not its only property.
A study from the University of New South Wales looked at the effect of bromelain as a contributory element in cancer treatment. The study found that bromelain can improve the efficacy of 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin, common drugs used in different kinds of chemotherapy.
Another study from Sri Ramachandra University (India) points to bromelain’s anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, anti-edema, and fibrinolytic properties. For example, the anti-inflammatory properties of pineapple can help in treating illnesses that cause inflammation, like acute sinusitis, bronchitis, or arthritis.
The antioxidant benefits of pineapple
Pineapple is a rich source of antioxidants like vitamin C, iodine, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium.
The high vitamin C content of pineapple makes it a powerful ally in the fight against free radicals. For this reason, eating pineapple is a good way to get a high dose of antioxidants.
How to get the full health benefits of eating pineapple
Pineapple smoothie (for a snack)
Ingredients
- 1 cup of pineapple.
- Water.
- The juice of 2 oranges.
- 1 cup of carrot.
- 2 tablespoons of chia seeds.
Method
- Cut the pineapple into cubes, grate the carrots, and mix them with the rest of the ingredients in a blender.
- Blend well until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and then drink the smoothie without straining it.
A balanced diet with pineapple
As part of a balanced diet, you can include this wonderful fruit. Here are some ideas.
- Breakfast. 2 or 3 slices of pineapple with tea or an infusion.
- Mid-morning. Fresh pineapple juice, which you prepare like this. Bring the skin of a pineapple to a boil in 2 liters (64 ounces) of water, let stand, and then strain. Place the liquid in the refrigerator and then drink it as fresh juice.
- Lunch. Prepare a cleansing broth using 4 leeks, 2 turnips, 1 stalk of celery, 1 carrot, and 3 artichokes. Afterward, you can eat grilled chicken or fish and then two slices of pineapple.
- Mid-afternoon. Pineapple juice and natural yogurt.
- Dinner.: 4 or 5 slices of pineapple.
You might also like to read: 3 Salads with Pineapple That Are Perfect for Dinner
Final note
You must bear in mind that you shouldn’t follow this diet for more than five days. That’s because, by itself, it doesn’t provide you with all of your nutritional needs. Furthermore, over the course of the year, you shouldn’t do it more than two times.
When you eat pineapple as part of a balanced diet, you can stimulate the elimination of waste through your urine. This will prevent bloating in your abdomen and help you lose weight quickly. Finally, remember you must live a healthy lifestyle if you want your weight loss results to last.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Hale, Laura P et al. ”Dietary supplementation with fresh pineapple juice decreases inflammation and colonic neoplasia in IL-10-deficient mice with colitis”. Inflammatory bowel diseases vol. 16,12 (2010): 2012-21.
- Parle, Milind & Goel, Pooja. (2010). ”Eat pineapple a day to keep depression at bay”. International Journal of Research in Ayurveda and Pharmacy. 1.
- Kumakura S, Yamashita M, Tsurufuji S. ”Effect of bromelain on kaolin-induced inflammation in rats”. Eur J Pharmacol. 1988 Jun 10;150(3):295-301.
- Rathnavelu, V., Alitheen, N. B., Sohila, S., Kanagesan, S. and Ramesh, R. (2016). Potential role of bromelain in clinical and therapeutic applications. Biomedical reports, 5(3), 283–288. https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2016.720
- Pillai, K., Akhter, J., Chua, T. C. and Morris D. L. (2013). Anticancer property of bromelain with therapeutic potential in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Cancer Investigation, 31(4), 241-250. https://doi.org/10.3109/07357907.2013.784777
