Health Benefits of Pineapple, Risks and Tips

Native to South America, pineapples are now grown in tropical areas worldwide. They are available in frozen and dried forms, but the majority of the crop is reserved for canned varieties, juices, or fresh fruit. The sweet and tangy flavor makes fresh pineapple a delicious choice: It can be added to fruit salads, and grilled or baked with seafood, ham, poultry, or other meats.

Health Benefits

Curbs cancer risk.
Pineapple is a good source of ferulic acid, a plant chemical that helps prevent the formation of cancer-causing substances.

Helps prevent heart attack and stroke.
Bromelain, an enzyme in pineapples, is an anti-inflammatory. Preliminary research suggests that it may reduce the risk of blood clots, thereby lowering the risk for heart attack and stroke. This is surprising because, being a protein, bromelain is mostly broken down in the digestive tract before it can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Aids metabolism.
Pineapple is an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese, which the body needs for a number of important enzymes to work properly. Manganese plays a role in the metabolism of fats, cholesterol, and protein as well as in building bones and healing wounds.

Health Risks

Allergic reactions.
Despite its potential to help control swelling, a chemical in pineapples, bromelain, can also cause skin irritation or allergic dermatitis in susceptible people if they come in contact with pineapples.

Canker sores.
If you’re prone to these painful mouth sores, steer clear of pineapples.

Eating Tips
• Drizzle grilled pineapple slices with caramel sauce.
• Stir pineapple chunks into chicken salad.
• Thread fresh pineapple chunks on shrimp and bell pepper kebabs.

QUICK TIP:
Use pineapple as a meat tenderizer
Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that dissolves proteins. Consequently, fresh pineapple is a natural meat and poultry tenderizer when it is added to stews or marinades.

Buying Tips
• After picking, a pineapple will not ripen further.
• When buying a pineapple, look for one that exudes a fragrant odor and has light yellow or white flesh.
• If you are buying the fruit whole, make sure that it seems dense and heavy for its size and that the leaves are green.
• When buying canned pineapple, opt for 100 percent fruit juice, as opposed to heavy syrup. Pineapple in heavy syrup has almost three times the calories and sugar content of pineapple in 100 percent juice.
• Although pineapples are available year-round, their peak season takes place during June and July.

Storing Tips
• Fresh pineapples will keep for a few days on the counter at room temperature.
• Refrigerate cut portions in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Brown patches indicate spoilage.