We eat pineapple at home not only on holidays
The homeland of pineapple is South America, and the usual habitat of the culture is not the moisture-rich tropics, but the dry plains. And it is even surprising that a plant that forms a powerful, up to two meters in diameter, rosette of thorny hard leaves has such a juicy and sweet fruit. The taste of pineapple was appreciated by man for a very long time, long before the discovery of America and its conquest by troops of conquistadors.
Today pineapples are grown not only in their historical homeland, but also in many Asian countries. Even at home, pineapple can be grown on a windowsill.
The value of pineapple for the body
Like many other fresh fruits, ripe pineapple will delight gourmets and supporters of a healthy diet with an abundance of vitamins and minerals. The absolute leader among vitamins is vitamin C, which in the pulp per 100 grams accounts for up to 50 mg. In addition, pineapple contains B vitamins, PP and carotene. The fruit's sweet and sour taste is due to organic acids, sucrose and fructose in the pulp, as well as aromatic and essential oils that determine the recognizable aroma of pineapple.
For the body, pineapple is a source of calcium, phosphorus and iron, zinc, iodine and iron, mania, potassium and manganese, copper. In recent years, a complex of plant enzymes has been actively studied, which received the name bromeliads thanks to the bromeliad family.
The energy value of a 100 gram portion is 48–52 kcal. This takes into account fresh pulp, but if compote, candied fruit or jam is made from pineapple in industrial conditions or at home, the calorie content can increase significantly due to the addition of sugar.
With a fairly low calorie content of fresh fruits, 100 grams of pulp accounts for:
- 0.3 grams of protein;
- 0.1 grams of fat;
- 11.5 grams of carbohydrates;
- 0.3 grams of ash;
- 85.5 grams of water.
Indeed, the plant tried to accumulate water, which gives the pulp juiciness, and other substances that determine the beneficial properties of pineapple for the human body, in the infructescence rising above the outlet.
The beneficial effects of pineapple on the human body
Including fresh pineapple slices or juice from this fruit in your daily menu will help revitalize your digestive processes. Due to the high concentration of acids and the presence of unique enzymes, pineapple eaten as a dessert will help get rid of heaviness in the stomachs and literally make the body digest the food eaten faster. This effect of the enzyme complex has been appreciated by people who want to lose weight. Today pineapple is included in dietary nutrition, and biologically active means for weight loss are produced on its basis.
Pineapple is especially useful for the body if a person suffers from low acidity, or, for some reason, does not produce enough of his own enzymes. In this case, a tasty natural remedy can easily replace medications.
Hypertensive patients well know how valuable pineapple is for men and women with high blood pressure. The fruit is actively used as a prophylactic agent to reduce it, as well as to remove harmful cholesterol, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and improve the efficiency of the entire cardiovascular system.
Pineapple has another interesting property. The pulp and juice of an exotic fruit make the blood thin, which not only reduces the risks of diseases of the cardiovascular system and the risk of stroke, but becomes a good help in the treatment of thrombosis and varicose veins.
Speaking about the benefits of pineapple for the human body, one cannot fail to mention its effectiveness during the period of massive respiratory diseases. Fruit rich vitamin C, will not only replenish the body with energy, but also strengthen the immune system, help to resist viral and bacterial infections.
Pineapple promotes the removal of excess fluid from the body. This property is used for diseases of the genitourinary sphere, for hypertension, as well as during pregnancy.
Women who are expecting a baby and other categories of pineapple consumers will appreciate the ability of its pulp to gently affect the mood and the entire nervous system. Pineapple for both women and men can be considered a natural energetic and antidepressant. It energizes, helps fight insomnia and stress, depression and chronic fatigue. It is recommended to include pineapple in the menu in case of weakened immunity and anemia.
The effect of pineapple juice and pulp on the skin
This fruit is able not only to protect the body from external influences, but also to rejuvenate it. The substances in the pineapple pulp act as a natural antioxidant on the body. Moreover, this happens when the fruit is eaten, and when its pulp is used externally.
If you use gruel from fresh fruit in the composition of masks or apply ice from the pulp, the skin after pineapple loses its oily sheen, tightens and brightens. After using cosmetics with pineapple, the skin gets rid of dead cells, mimic wrinkles are smoothed out. Anti-inflammatory properties help to cope with purulent formations on the skin, under the influence of this natural remedy, regeneration is improved.
Only if you are prone to allergic reactions, as well as if you have damaged or dry skin, it is better not to use pineapple, or you should test on your wrist before the procedure.
The beneficial effects of pineapple on women
If a healthy woman feels only pleasure and health benefits from eating pineapple, then the expectant mother should be very careful to include exotic fruits in her menu. During pregnancy, pineapple and other foods that can actively affect the female and child's body are recommended by doctors either to be excluded from the diet altogether, or to be used in food with extreme caution. With pineapple, such concerns and precautions are very important as the product is listed as an active allergen. As a result, the body responds to the ingestion of a foreign protein with rather violent and painful reactions, expressed in respiratory phenomena, edema of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx and all respiratory organs, digestive disorders, skin rashes and itching.
This means that even in the absence of signs of fruit intolerance in the mother, there is a potential danger of pineapple for children. If pineapple was in the diet of a pregnant woman before, and the woman after taking it did not feel a change in well-being:
- in the first trimester, it is still better to remove the fruit from the menu;
- in the II and III trimesters, you can pamper yourself with a couple of slices of your favorite delicacy.
In this case, you need to strictly monitor your own reaction to pineapple and the behavior of the fetus.
It is better to exclude pineapple from the menu of a nursing woman in the first months altogether, so as not to provoke the development of unwanted reactions to the fruit in the baby.
It is because of the high risk of allergies or food intolerances that pineapple is not given to children under the age of three. If the baby has a predisposition to such reactions, then it is better not to introduce the child to the sunny fruit until 6-7 years old.
Is pineapple good for the endometrium?
Today, you can often hear about the benefits of pineapple for the endometrium, that is, the inner lining of the uterus, which plays an important role in the process of pregnancy and further, during its development. It is this layer that grows during the cycle that receives the fertilized egg. If this does not happen, then the endometrium dies off and is excreted from the body along with menstrual blood. With the beginning of a new cycle, the process is repeated
Women whose endometrium does not have sufficient thickness, as doctors say, more often experience difficulties not only with bearing a baby, but also with conceiving.
Therefore, women who want to become a mother use all the possibilities so that the endometrium reaches the desired indicators. There is an opinion that for the endometrium, pineapple is almost an elixir that stimulates development. However, doctors refute this statement. In fact, no such medical research has been conducted, and speaking of the benefits of pineapple for women, nutritionists can note the presence in the pulp:
- a wide range of vitamins;
- antioxidants;
- organic acids.
But other fruits have the same set of active substances. But the allergenicity of pineapple for a pregnant woman cannot do any good!
To change the thickness of the endometrium, doctors advise paying attention to foods containing beta-carotene and vitamin E, as well as selenium:
- And here the leaders in vitamin A content are not pineapples, but carrot and tomatoes, liver and watermelons, as well as red oranges and peaches.
- The source of vitamin E for women is not pineapples, but nuts and bran, cereals and vegetable oils.
- You can replenish the body with selenium by including mackerel dishes and bread with bran, broccoli and tomatoes in the diet.
The benefits of pineapple for men
Listing the beneficial qualities of pineapple for men, nutritionists must say the ability of this fruit to quickly restore energy, nourish a person's vitamin and mineral reserves. Since for many of the stronger sex, today's life daily prepares serious mental and physical stress, the inclusion of pineapple in the diet will neutralize the negative consequences of overwork. For a man, pineapple will strengthen the immune and nervous system, will manifest its effect as an effective antioxidant. This cannot but affect the general well-being and the sexual activity of a man.
Possible contraindications and necessary caution
Despite the undeniable benefits of pineapple for the male and female body, it is impossible to abuse this fruit and be thoughtless about such an active product.
Firstly, pineapple should be discarded if you are prone to food intolerances and allergies. This fruit precaution applies to all ages. At the same time, you do not need to include pineapple in the menu for children under three years old, as well as nursing women and expectant mothers during the first half of pregnancy. The danger of eating pineapple for pregnant women is that the fruit can provoke sudden labor activity.
Since this product has a rather high glycemic index, then the use of pineapple with diabetes should be accompanied by all precautions. Unpleasant symptoms after eating pineapple and a deterioration in well-being await a sick person suffering from peptic ulcer and gastritis with high acidity.The increased content of active acids in the pulp negatively affects the enamel of the teeth, so after eating fresh fruit, it is worth rinsing your mouth and brushing your teeth.