Pineapple is more than just a delicious tropical fruit — it offers significant health benefits as well. In fact, it’s been used in folk medicine since ancient times. It could calm hayfever, aid digestion, supports the immune system, contains a nutrient powerhouse of it’s anti-inflammatory as well as antioxidant elements, being super versatile and can work well in any meal.

Let’s have a look at all these wonderful benefits in more detail and try a delicious recipe at the end.

1. It could help calm hayfever symptoms

Although we've not long entered spring, for some people troublesome hayfever symptoms have already started to crop up. Depending on which types of pollen you are most sensitive too, you could find you are affected at different times of the year.

Tree pollens tend to be highest nearer the start of the hayfever season (from as early as March), whereas grass pollen comes into its own at the height of the summer months (July-August time).

However, if like many you're keen not to have to take medications on an ongoing basis, could some dietary additions help to keep some of your bothersome symptoms under control instead?

Pineapple, for one, boasts some impressive natural anti-histamine properties as a result of its bromelain content. The enzyme bromelain from pineapple has been found in some preliminary research to display anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties, which could literally help desensitise your airways to allergens.

2. It's a digestive aid

Rather than just what we eat, how our digestion is functioning is a crucial predictor of our overall health. So, in many instances of ill-health or tricky conditions where nothing seems to help, paying a little attention to our digestive can be a sure place to start.

Previously mentioned – bromelain also acts as a natural digestive enzyme complex, working in a similar way to your gastric acid or pancreatic enzymes to help break down components of your diet into its simplest units, particularly proteins.

This could ultimately allow for more efficient digestion and, in theory, make it less likely that troublesome digestive symptoms such as indigestion are going to crop up.

3. It’s an all-round nutrient powerhouse

The beauty of eating wholefoods, much like using fresh herbal remedies, is that they often contain a whole complex of ingredients and phytonutrients which work beautifully in combination together, in order to offer us some unique benefits. On the nutrient front, pineapple certainly doesn't disappoint in this respect.

The vitamin C content of pineapple is arguably its most impressive feature. Just one portion of pineapple could see you get your vitamin C fix for the whole day, plus, it nearly ticks off the full range of B vitamins too.

Pineapple contains many important minerals, such as manganese, copper, potassium, magnesium and some iron too, with some smaller amounts of zinc and calcium making it a nice all-rounder.

4. It’s anti-inflammatory plus antioxidant

Many of the health benefits and components of pineapple, mentioned here already, make it obvious that this fruit is brimming with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Bromelain is arguably the most obvious anti-inflammatory agent contained in pineapple. It's also encouraging that the whole fruit has been subject to research and been found to indeed exert some benefits, rather than just solely bromelain supplements.

Next, onto antioxidants. Vitamin C is a hugely powerful antioxidant and, luckily for us, pineapple is bursting at the seams with it! See, antioxidants help to protect our cells from damage by free radicals which overtime can risk contributing to the process of aging and disease processes, such as those involved in degenerative structural conditions or even cancers.

5. It’s super versatile and so can be added to any meal

Pineapple is obviously sweet and can be a lovely tasty snack in its own right. However, if you're keen to include pineapple more often in your diet, you might fancy getting a little more experimental with it.

Pineapple can literally be incorporated into any meal. As a unique twist try one easy recipe bellow:

Baked Spiced Pineapple with Cinnamon Yogurt Recipe

Ingredients:

Baked Pineapple

• ¼ pineapple cut into long segments

• 1 tbsp honey

• ¼ tsp cinnamon

• Zest and juice of ½ lime
  
  

Cinnamon Yoghurt

• 2-3 tablespoons whole, Greek Yoghurt

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

  
  

Preparation:

1. Place the pineapple strips into a small oven dish.

2.Mix the honey, cinnamon and juice of the lime together and drizzle over the pineapple.

3.Bake in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes.

4.Meanwhile, mix the cinnamon into the Greek Yoghurt.

5.Serve the warm pineapple with your yoghurt mix and top with a sprinkling of lime zest to finish.

Enjoy and stay healthy! We look forward to seeing you at our classes! Xoxo

Source: avogel.com