According to the World's Healthiest Foods, a website maintained by the George Mateljan Foundation, pineapples are America's second-favorite tropical fruit. Pineapple season runs from March through June, but pineapples are available year-round. The pineapple has a wide cylindrical shape with scaly brown, yellow, or green skin and a crown of blue-green leaves. The inside of a pineapple is yellow and has a vibrant tropical flavor. The area closest to the base of the pineapple has a higher sugar content, therefore has a sweeter taste. Nutritional values are based on a one cup serving of raw pineapple.
Basic Nutrition
One cup of pineapple contains 83 calories, 21.6g of total carbohydrates and 2.3g of dietary fiber. Based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, these measurements represent 7 percent of the recommended daily value, or DV, for carbohydrates and 9 percent for dietary fiber. One cup of pineapple is high in sugar, with 16.3g of sugars.
Calories and Carbohydrates
One cup of raw pineapple contains 83 calories, or 4 percent of the daily recommended intake. Carbohydrates make up the majority of the calories, with 78 calories. The remaining calories come from protein and fat. Carbohydrates total 21.6g which primarily comes from sugar.
Fats
The total fat content is 0.2g, which represents less than 1 percent of the recommended daily value. One serving provides less than 0.1g of saturated fat and the remaining fat comes from healthy polyunsaturated fats. You'll also gain minimal heart-healthy fatty acids in 28.1mg of Omega-3 fatty acids and 38mg of Omega-6 fatty acids.
Vitamins
One cup of pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C, with 78.9mg, or a large 131 percent DV. It also contains 0.1mg of thiamin, or 9 percent DV, 0.2mg of vitamin B-6, or 9 percent DV and 29.7 mcg of folate, or 7 percent DV. Other vitamins found in pineapple with 2 to 4 percent DV, each, include vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid.
Minerals
Pineapple is a rich source of manganese, with 1.5mg, or 76 percent DV. It also contains 0.2mg of copper, or 9 percent DV, 179.9mg of potassium, or 5 percent DV, 19.8mg of magnesium, or 5 percent DV and 21.5mg of calcium, or 2 percent DV. Other minerals include iron, phosphorus and zinc. There is very little sodium in pineapple. One cup contains only 2mg, or less than 1 percent of the daily recommended value.
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