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Pineapple

• May have an anti-inflammatory effects.
• Used as a meat tenderizer.
• Useful source of vitamin C and potassium.

This week I am going to talk about a healthy juicy yellow fruit which has that tasty tropical flavor, it is pineapple.

Pineapple health benefits

Most people complain about improper digestion due to over indulgence at weekends. Pineapple helps in digestion so if you know that you’re going to over indulge make sure to eat couple of slices of fresh pineapples right after your meal to avoid this discomfort feeling after eating. Fresh pineapple is famous for containing the plant enzyme bromelain, that acts as digestion aid, bromelain breaks down proteins and most is found in the stem rather than the fruit of the plant. Bromelain is used commercially as a meat tenderizer and there has been much interest in its potential medicinal uses as supplement. Bromelain is only found in fresh raw pineapple you will not going to find it in canned or cooked pineapple, so make sure you eat your pineapple fresh.

Canned pineapple are also delicious but I want to encourage you to look carefully on the label some contain antacid with has aluminum that cause kidney stones, it also inhibit mineral and nutrient absorption from our foods but you do have a natural solution and that solution is fresh pineapple.

Pineapple has anti-inflammatory properties to it so it is a very good food to add it to your diet if you suffer from inflammatory issues like arthritis or sinuses or even sore throats or asthma, also pineapple are very high in vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant it also contains manganese and vitamin B1 and B6 and it is very low in calories about 76 calories for a full cup so it is excellent for a snack.

Image source: whfoods.com

How to purchase your pineapples?

Well it is very easy, all you have to do is smell the pineapple it should have a sweet aroma it should also be heavy for its size and if you press it with your thumb it should just give slightly, another thing, you don’ want to bring your pineapple at home unripe because once they are picked they do not ripen anymore.

The best way to eat your pineapple is simply raw, you can add this to your salad or to your smoothies, you can make fruit salad with pineapple, mango, kiwi and papaya for example it will be great. And you can add pineapple slices to your grilled fish with lemon, mustard sauce, or make it as a topping for your cooked chicken, you can make this topping by adding cilantro leaves, some lemon juice, little garlic and some small cubed tomatoes and olive oil to pineapple it would be a very tasty dish.

Pineapple has a medium glycemic index which is 59, make sure you add it to your diet.

I hope you enjoyed food of this week. always take care of your health because it is worth it!