Pineapples: Long List of Benefits
Pineapple is the common name for an edible tropical plant and also its fruit. It is native to the southern part of Brazil and Paraguay.
This herbaceous perennial plant grows to 1 to 1.5 meters tall with 30 or more trough-shaped and pointed leaves 30 to 100 centimeters long, surrounding a thick stem.
The pineapple is an example of a multiple fruit: spirally-arranged flowers along the axis each produce a fleshy fruit that becomes pressed against the fruits of adjacent flowers, forming what appears to be a single fleshy fruit. Pineapple is commonly used in desserts and other types of fruit dishes, or on its own.
Pineapple is low in fat and cholesterol and rich in calcium, potassium, copper, manganese, fiber and vitamins B1, B6 and C.
Delicious
A good, juicy ripe pineapple can satisfy a sweet craving as well as any chocolate bar. In addition to being a delicious food, pineapple has many health benefits.
The obvious benefits of pineapple are all the vitamins and minerals the fruit is loaded with. Its nutrients include calcium, potassium, fiber and vitamin C. It is low in fat and cholesterol.
The benefits of pineapple can be achieved by eating fresh, canned or frozen pineapple or by drinking its juice.
One of the benefits of pineapple is that it helps build healthy bones. Pineapples are rich in manganese, a trace mineral that is needed for your body to build bone and connective tissues. Just one cup of pineapple provides 73 percent of the daily recommended amount of manganese. The benefits of pineapple can effect the growth of bones in young people and strengthen the bones of older people.
Colds & Coughs
While many people often take extra vitamin C or drink extra orange juices when they have a cold, few consider eating pineapple.
The benefits of pineapple when you have a cold or cough are the same as the benefits of orange juice, but there is an additional benefit of pineapple. Bromelain, which is found in pineapples, has been found to help suppress coughs and loosen mucus.
Medicinal Uses
Pineapple has tonic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and laxative properties. It helps prevent macular degeneration and improves vision.
It helps relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and is good for mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee.
Pineapple is effective in angina because of its effect in removing arterial walls plaques.
It is good for patients with heart disease, as it lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, and prevents atherosclerosis.
Regulating the function of thyroid gland, it is effective in treating goiter. Because of its high vitamin C content, pineapple helps build and repair tissue and promotes wound healing. It also absorbs iron and synthesizes amino acids and collagen.
It helps combat memory loss, depression and melancholy. It is particularly good for women suffering from painful cramps.
Pineapple stem acts as a defense against certain types of cancer such as ovarian, breast, lung, colon and skin malignancies.
Other links:
Olive’s skin, a new chemo preventive agent
Carrots: Nutritional Heroes
Fruits, Veggies May Strengthen Bones
How to Eat Your Vitamins: Vitamin K
Grapefruit: Nutritional Facts
