By Dr. med. Claudia Schmiemann
Pineapples (ananas comosus) are in the family of Bromeliaceae. The plant is indigenous to South America.
Being introduced to Europe in the 17th century this fruit became an icon of luxury. From the 19th century on man tried to cultivate it in greenhouses. From the 20th century on the big brands Dole and Del Monte tried to cultivate pineapples in large scales in different countries and also started to process and can the fruits directly after harvesting. The main producers nowadays are Costa Rica, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Besides being high in fiber pineapples contain lots of Vitamin C, A and folic acid. They are rich in an enzyme called Bromelain which brakes down proteins and can be very helpful to manage healing of injuries and compromised tissue. It can be pain reducing for osteoarthritis and inflamed joints. Bromelain is also the reason why we should not prepare dairy with pineapples together and let it sit for too long – the enzyme will start to brake down the protein of dairy and that will alter the taste. So if you want to combine it, make sure that you put it together directly before serving.
Try to go with raw fruit rather than canned ones for the sake of cutting off refined sugar, preservatives and added colors. Remember that -as always- raw fruits have the highest content of vitamins and that enzymes like Bromelain will be denatured when heated above 38 degrees.
Comments