Why is pineapple incredible for our gut?
Despite its rough looking appearance, pineapples are sweet and citrusy in taste. Unlike many citrus fruits like lemon and orange, pineapple does not grow from seeds. Although it contains vitamin C and ascorbic acid it does not contain citric acid so it is not actually a citrus fruit. Instead it is a fruit consisting of many berries that have grown together, known as a “collective fruit.” Today, most of the pineapple sold in the U.S is produced from either Hawaii or Puerto Rico. This popular fruit can be found year long in the produce section, canned, or even frozen. However you decide to eat it, it has been used for centuries to treat digestion problems and inflammation.
Pineapples are rich in nutrients and may provide our body with many benefits, especially our gut. Pineapple is rich in vitamin C, manganese, and one cup of pineapple provides 2 grams of #goodgut fiber. The fiber found in pineapples helps to promote digestion of food and nutrients through the digestive system; it is also helpful in maintaining good bowel health and may even possibly prevent hemorrhoids and diverticulitis. Fiber is essential for gut health and can even help in weight loss or weight maintenance because of its promotion of the satiety feeling.
This tropical fruit is great for #goodgut health as it helps aid in digestion and reduces inflammation. Pineapple helps aid in digestion due to it containing the enzyme, bromelain. Bromelain is a protein digesting enzyme found in the fruit and stem of pineapples. Bromelain helps to relieve symptoms of diarrhea because it has been shown to prevent ‘bad’ bacterias from attaching to specific glycoprotein receptors on the gastrointestinal lining. Not only is bromelain great for helping fend off bad bacteria and helping with diarrhea, it also helps the absorption of certain medications, specifically antibiotics. In a study done using mice with gastrointestinal issues, they were given bromelain everyday for over 5 weeks and by the end of the study researchers observed a significant decrease in colonic inflammation. If you haven’t yet tried pineapple because of its intimidating appearance, try it pre cut or canned as you will still reap the #goodgut benefits!
Ways to eat it
Fresh pineapple is great by itself or grilled
Throw it into smoothies or make it into ‘nice’ cream
Recipe: Real Pineapple Whip
Ingredients (Makes 4 Servings):
2 cups pineapple, frozen
2 medium bananas, frozen
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
8 Medjool dates, pitted
1 tsp vanilla extract or powder
Directions:
Add all ingredients to the blender.
Blend and enjoy!
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References
Raman, R. (2018). 8 Impressive Health Benefits of Pineapple. Healthline.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-pineapple.
Pavan, R., Jain, S., Shraddha, & Kumar, A. (2012). Properties and therapeutic application of
bromelain: a review. Biotechnology research international, 2012, 976203. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/976203
Maret G. Traber, Garry R. Buettner, Richard S. Bruno. (2019). The relationship between vitamin
C status, the gut-liver axis, and metabolic syndrome, Redox Biology, Volume 21; 101091, ISSN 2213-2317,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2018.101091.
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