Not all of them have enough time in our daily life to follow a strict workout and exercise routine. Moreover, because of unhealthy eating habits, many of us suffer from obesity. If you’re suffering from the same situation, and want to get a fit and healthy body, then it’s time to start consuming healthy, cooling, and hydrating foods. One of the best additions that can also help you greatly in losing weight is pineapple. You can add it to your daily eating routine to start getting the health benefits that it has to offer.
What Does Pineapple Contain?
Pineapple comes with an incredibly impressive profile and the specifications of 165 grams or one cup of pineapple are as followed:
- Calories: 82.5
- Protein: 1 gram
- Fats: 1.7 grams
- Fiber: 2.3 grams
- Carbohydrates: 21.6 grams
- Manganese: 76 percent of the recommended daily intake
- Vitamin C: 131 percent of the recommended daily intake
- Vitamin B6: 9 percent of the recommended daily intake
- Copper: 9 percent of the recommended daily intake
- Folate: 7 percent of the recommended daily intake
- Thiamin: 9 percent of the recommended daily intake
- Magnesium: 5 percent of the recommended daily intake
- Pantothenic Acid: 4 percent of the recommended daily intake
- Niacin: 4 percent of the recommended daily intake
- Iron: 3 percent of the recommended daily intake
- Riboflavin: 3 percent of the recommended daily intake
Pineapple also comes with Vitamin K, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, and Vitamin A in trace amounts. It’s essential for development and growth and allows your body to absorb iron from your food. Moreover, it also provides a healthy immune system with improved metabolism that allows you to lose weight naturally, thanks to manganese. Not to mention its antioxidant properties that keep your overall body healthy.
How Can Pineapple Help You Lose Weight?
Pineapple is so much more than tropical fruit and since ancient times, it has been used in folk medicine (1). It’s grown in most of the tropical regions of the world and it’s also native to America (2). It’s an excellent source of B vitamins, Vitamin C, and fiber. It’s also rich in different types of minerals such as zinc, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, folate, etcetera. These properties not only help you to lose weight but also bring significant health benefits to keep you active and more productive all day long.
You can find pineapple in different forms (canned, frozen, fresh) which means you can have it in your daily eating routine throughout the year. It also contains fructose which is a natural source of sugar and it’s better to avoid the products that pack pineapple in artificial syrup. That’s because the syrup contains added sugar that usually increases your sugar intake for the day. You can enjoy this fruit in so many different ways such as adding the frozen pineapple chunks into your smoothie or grilling the slices to eat with meat.
Regardless of your seating preference, you need to add pineapple to your daily diet, and here’s how it helps you to lose weight.
The Abundance of Always Needed Vitamin C
The most significant nutrient in pineapple is undoubtedly vitamin C that not only provides antioxidant benefits but also supports your immune system. One small cup of pineapple contains about 79 milligrams of vitamin C (3). It is more than the daily recommended intake for women which is 75 milligrams per day. It’s also closer to the daily recommended intake for men which is 90 milligrams a day (4).
Vitamin C is one of the most important nutrients that your body needs to boost healing and growth across the whole body. It plays an essential role from weight loss to iron adoption and wound repair. Pineapple also offers antioxidants properties that improve and enhance your immune system. It encourages your body to eliminate free radicals and keep you from oxidative stress.
Increases the Fat Breakdown and Decreases the Fat Formation
There are many studies that back the claim that pineapple helps your body to break down fats and decrease fat formation as well (5). It helps your body to boost metabolism and along with minerals and vitamins, it’s also low in calories. There are no trans fats or even saturated fats that are present in pineapple. Although it doesn’t have the properties to directly cause weight loss it indirectly helps your body to achieve it without bringing more calories. If you start eating more pineapple as a part of your well-balanced diet then your calorie intake will decrease dramatically.
If you have a sweet tooth then you can start consuming pineapple instead of your high-calorie nightly desserts or ice cream. This way your body will have fewer calories that will help you to lose weight. It has 82.5 calories in one slice and four percent of those calories are carbohydrates. Although it’s a little higher only when you compare it to other fruits, generally it’s still very low.
Better Digestion and Better Metabolism
Another important component that pineapple contains is bromelain. It’s basically a mixture of different enzymes that reduce nasal swelling and also mitigates inflammation. Moreover, it also helps in healing burns and wounds (6) but one of the most important benefits that this compound brings is improved digestion. That’s one of the reasons why pineapple has been used as a treatment for digestive disorders throughout history in South and Central American countries (7). Improved digestion keeps you active and also encourages weight loss. Another research by Biotechnology Research International states that pineapple also helps to treat and keeps your body from diarrhea (8).
The enzymes that bromelain contains break down the protein molecules into their building blocks which makes it easy for the small intestine to absorb them. This property is very helpful for people who are suffering from pancreatic insufficiency. It’s the condition in which the pancreas stops creating enough natural enzymes to break down the protein. In simple words, it means that pineapple not only helps people to have better digestion but it also treats some problems associated with digestion.
Your metabolism gets improved if your digestive system is working properly, which of course helps you to lose some extra kilograms. Moreover, it can also help you a great deal to reduce bloating.
Burns Belly Fat
Pineapple is rich in proteolytic enzymes that directly target your belly fats. It’s again bromelain that not only helps your body to break down protein but also helps you to gain lean body mass. Other than that, bromelain also comes with proteolytic and lipolytic effects that also boost the process of burning belly fat. Moreover, the results are pronounced if you combine pineapple with your lifestyle and diet changes.
Pineapple is also equipped with copper, folate, B12, thiamine, and other dietary fibers. These minerals and fibers boost your digestion and allow you to add more healthy compounds to your bloodstream. Resultantly you get a slimmer and fitter body.
Additionally, the fruit contains 87 percent water with a delicious sweet taste that you crave without adding cholesterol and calories.
Curbs Your Appetite
Pineapple comes with 2.3 grams of fiber in one cup (165 grams) (9) both insoluble and soluble. Not only will it suppress your hunger but it’ll also control the sugar level in your blood (10). It makes you feel fuller for a longer period of time and makes you feel satiety. The fruit is also filled with water as mentioned earlier that keeps you hydrated as well. When you’re hydrated, you don’t feel hungry which keeps you from bingeing.
If you live somewhere with a hot climate, then you’ll enjoy even more benefits from this fruit. You’ll stay cool from within and one glass of pineapple juice between your daily meals will tame your cravings. This way, it controls your bad eating habits and curbs your appetite. It’s important to keep in mind that the excess of everything is bad for your health. So, you need to make sure that you consume pineapple in moderation. otherwise, the fructose will increase the sugar and calorie level in your blood that can bring unwanted results.
Pineapple is Rich Manganese that Improves Holistic Weight Loss
Other than being the top food source that contains many essential minerals, pineapple is a great source of manganese (11). A study by Oregon State University states that a single cup or 165 grams of pineapple contains around 76 percent of the amount of manganese which is recommended as the daily intake (12). But you have to make sure that you don’t take more than 11 milligrams of manganese in a single day. Taking more than that can cause cognitive disorders. But you don’t need to worry as long as pineapple is your source of manganese. That’s because one cup or 165 grams of pineapple only contains 2 milligrams of manganese.
According to a recent study, metabolic syndrome and abdominal fat are inversely proportional to the dietary intake of manganese (13). It simply means that the more quantity of manganese you will consume the more the chances of having a slimmer and sleek body.
Manganese also helps regulate the metabolism of carbs and fats in your body that improves your holistic weight loss (14). It is also known to control your elevated blood sugar level and blood pressure and makes your bones stronger according to the study conducted at the University of the Rochester Medical Center (15). Moreover, pineapple also contains different nutrients and other compounds that help your overall health by regulating body functions.
Minimizes Inflammation and Eliminates Free Radicals
Pineapple comes with the properties of a powerful antioxidant especially Vitamin C, flavonoids, and phenolics. These compounds help your body to eliminate free radicals and mitigate inflammation according to a scientific study (16). Another study conducted by NCCIH (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health) states that free radicals and other such molecules damage your body’s cells and cause many health problems such as Alzheimer's, type two diabetes, eye problems, and heart diseases.
Pineapple plays a great role in fighting these free radicals and other harmful compounds.
On the other hand, the antioxidant properties of pineapple help your body to fight against bad cells that prevent cancer. A study conducted at the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that if your bloodstream has a high concentration of antioxidants it means you have a lower risk of cancer (17).
How to Take Pineapple?
As mentioned, there are many ways to add pineapple to your daily diet. Some of the easiest ways are mentioned below.
Pineapple Juice
It won’t take more than five minutes to prepare pineapple juice as you need to have the following ingredients:
- Lime juice (of half a lime)
- Himalayan pink salt according to your preference
- Organic honey one tablespoon
- 1 cup (165 grams) of chopped pineapple
Preparation
- Put all the ingredients mentioned above into your blender
- Once blended, pour the mixture into a glass and put it in your refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes
Pineapple with Cucumber Juice
Preparing this recipe will only take about 10 minutes and you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup or 165 grams of chopped pineapple
- 2 medium-sized cucumbers
- Grated ginger and Black salt according to your taste
- 5 celery sticks
Preparation
- Put all the ingredients mentioned above in your juicer
- Add a little water and salt as desired
- Pour it in glass and put it in your refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes
Pineapple Iced Tea
Preparing pineapple iced tea takes about 10 to 15 minutes to prepare and you require the following ingredients:
- 7 tea bags
- 4 cups of water
- Half cup of lemon juice
- 1 cup or 165 grams of fresh pineapple juice
Preparation
- Boil water in a large saucepan for about 2 to 3 minutes
- Dip the tea bags in the boiling water after removing the saucepan from the stove
- Let the tea and water do their magic for about 5 to 7 minutes
- Add your pineapple juice to the mixture and stir well for about a minute or two
- Pour it in glass and put it in your refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes
Pineapple Smoothie
Preparing a pineapple smoothie only takes about 5 to 10 minutes and you’ll need the following ingredients:
- half cup or of chopped pineapple
- half cup of pineapple juice
- 1 normal sized banana
- A three-fourth cup of Greek yogurt
Preparation
- Put all the ingredients in the blender
- Blend the mixture until the smooth consistency is achieved (you can also add a little water as well if required)
- Pour it in your glass and add chopped pineapple (if you want)
- Put it in your refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes
Conclusion
Pineapple contains a wide range of enzymes and nutrients which helps your whole body in so many ways. One of the most significant benefits of adding pineapple to your daily diet is weight loss. It’s soothing and refreshing that keeps you active throughout the day. It helps you shed those extra kilos most quickly and healthily.
So, start taking the pineapple juice or slices as your weight loss diet moderately yet regularly. But we recommend you consult with your doctor before adding it to your daily diet because it can cause an allergic reaction in some people.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27602208
- https://nccih.nih.gov/health/bromelain
- https://www.preventionaus.com.au/article/foods-with-more-vitamin-c-than-an-orange-445251
- https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002404.htm
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30319853
- https://nccih.nih.gov/health/bromelain
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/digestive-health/common-digestive-conditions-from-top-bottom/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3529416/
- https://www.buehlers.com/10-pineapple-health-facts#:~:text=One%20cup%20(165%20grams)%20of,least%20not%20in%20healthy%20people
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814699001491
- https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/manganese
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4983775/
- https://www.healthshots.com/healthy-eating/nutrition/did-you-know-satvik-food-can-boost-your-immunity-and-aid-weight-loss-heres-how/
- https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=19&contentid=Manganese
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24959679
- https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/108/5/1069/5201459
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