Pineapple is a delicious and nutritious fruit that can help you meet your recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. You can eat it for snacks, as part of a fruit salad or as part of either sweet or savory dishes. Choose pineapples that are heavy for their size and have dark green leaves, and eat them within two or three days for best results.
Nutrition Facts
Pineapples are cholesterol-free and fat-free. One cup of cubed pineapple contains 80 calories, 2 g of fiber and 1 g of protein. This serving of nutrient-rich fruit also provides you with 40 percent of the daily value for vitamin C; 10 percent of the DV for thiamine; 8 percent of the DV for vitamin B-6; 6 percent of the DV for magnesium; and 4 percent of the DV for riboflavin, folate, niacin and iron.
Possible Health Benefits
The vitamin C in pineapple may help lower your risk for heart disease, gout, cancer, lead toxicity, cataracts and stroke, and increase your immune function. It may also help to treat colds, high blood pressure and diabetes, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. The fiber in pineapple may also provide health benefits, including lowering your risk for obesity.
Nutrient Density
Pineapple is a nutrient-dense food, rather than an energy-dense food. This means that it provides a lot of nutritional benefit for a small amount of calories. Nutrient-dense foods can assist with weight loss. They help you feel full without adding too many calories, and provide you with fiber and a number of essential vitamins and minerals.
Considerations
Pineapple also contains bromelain, an enzyme that may help to treat indigestion, wounds, infected sinuses and arthritis. However, the amount of bromelain in pineapple is not enough to provide medicinal effects, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
References
- Fruits & Veggies More Matters: Pineapple: Nutrition . Selection . Storage
- Nutrient Facts: Pineapple, Raw
- Clemson University: Nutrient Density; November 2006
- Linus Pauling Institute; Vitamin C; Jane Higdon, Ph.D., et al.; November 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Bromelain; Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD; March 14, 2009
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