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  • Daithí Ó Murchú

Amazing Benefits of Pineapples


https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/pineapples.html?utm_source=onesignal24Oct17

The Pineapple, a delicious tropical fruit, has been celebrated for centuries not only for its distinctive taste but also for its wonderful health benefits.

Popular in its native Brazil, as well as throughout the world, pineapple -- sometimes called ananas -- makes up one of the most common fruit exports of the tropics.

The Pineapple is a ‘depot’ of several health benefits due to its treasure of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, including potassium, copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, thiamine (B1), vitamin B6, and folate (B9), as well as soluble and insoluble fibre, and bromelain. (good anti-inflammatory).

Consuming pineapple as part of a balanced diet also supports your active lifestyle, and some of the nutrients found in pineapple benefit the health of your muscles (http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/benefits-pineapple-muscles-19932.html).

Health Benefits of the Pineapple

The pineapple fruit is known to offer several health benefits;

Reduce the inflammation of joints. Pineapple contains a relatively rare proteolytic enzyme called bromelain, which is primarily associated with breaking down of complex proteins and has serious anti-inflammatory effects. Bromelain is also positively correlated with reducing the signs and symptoms of arthritis (https://www.organicfacts.net/home-remedies/home-remedies-for-arthritis.html?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=smartlinks).

Boosts Immunity

A single serving of pineapple has more than 130% of the daily requirement of vitamin C for human beings, making it one of the richest and most delicious sources of ascorbic acid. Vitamin C helps in reducing illnesses and boosting the immune system by stimulating the activity of white blood cells and acting as an antioxidant to defend against the harmful effects of free radicals.

Speeds-up Wound Healing

One of the commonly overlooked benefits of vitamin C is its essential role in creating collagen. This is partly the reason why it is seen as a healing vitamin because collagen is the essential protein base of blood vessel walls, skin, organs, and bones. High vitamin C content in pineapple helps you heal wounds and injuries quickly, along with defending your body against infections and illnesses.

Aids Digestion

Eating pineapple regularly can protect you from a vast amount of health conditions, including constipation, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome, atherosclerosis, and blood clotting, as well as high blood pressure. Pineapple, rich in fibre, promotes the passage of food through the digestive tract at a normal rate and stimulates the release of gastric and digestive juices to help food dissolve

Treats Cough and Cold

Pineapple is rich in both bromelain and vitamin C, therefore eating pineapple helps in preventing and treating respiratory illnesses, and eliminating phlegm and mucus from your body if you’ve already contracted an illness or infection. The immune system boosting property of vitamin C is well known, but that special enzyme, bromelain, is also connected with the reduction of phlegm and mucus build up in the respiratory tracts and sinus cavities.

Improves Bone Health

Although pineapple is not famous for having strong calcium content, which most people immediately associate with bone health, it does have an impressive amount of manganese. Manganese is another trace mineral essential for the strengthening of bones, as well as its growth and repair. It is the most prominent mineral in pineapple, and a single serving can provide you with more than 70% of your daily requirement of this mineral.

Improves Oral Health

Along with the antioxidant compounds that protect against oral cancer, pineapple also has astringent properties, which strengthen gums and teeth. Astringent agents help to tighten up tissues and tone the body so that tooth loss, hair loss, and muscle weakness or skin loosening do not occur. Pineapple is a very powerful astringent and is often prescribed as a natural remedy to fix the loosening of teeth or for the retraction of gums.

Improves Vision

The eye is the most important sensory organ of the human body and pineapple has the ability to improve eye health and prevent other age-related eye diseases. Macular degeneration affects many elderly people, and beta-carotene present in pineapple can help delay this vision problem.

Regulates Blood Pressure

Pineapple is a valuable source of many minerals, and potassium is among them. Potassium deficiency can result in a wide array of health hazards. The vasodilator action of potassium eases the tension and stress of the blood vessels and increases blood circulation to various parts of the body. When your blood vessels relax, the blood pressure is reduced and the flow of blood is less restricted.

Improves Blood Circulation

In a related benefit to the vasodilating potential of potassium, pineapple also provides the body with copper, another essential mineral that functions in a number of enzymatic reactions and compounds in the body. Most notably, copper is a necessary element for the formation of healthy red blood cells. High red blood cell count increases oxygenation to the various organ systems and makes them function at optimal levels.

Word of Caution !!!

The benefits of eating pineapple are clear from the impressive list of qualities that you just read, but any food or fruit should be eaten in moderation, including pineapple. The bromelain enzyme present in pineapple is primarily a meat-tenderizing enzyme, which helps in the digestion of tough foods. This can result in the softening or tenderness of your ‘meat’ as well, meaning that your lips, gums, and tongue may experience some tenderness or sensitivity if you eat too much pineapple. Bromelain and vitamin C are present in high proportions in pineapple, and an “overdose” can lead to vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, and nausea. Also, bromelain has been known to stimulate menstruation, so pregnant women should avoid excessive intake of pineapple in order to prevent any chances of a miscarriage.

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