Sweet and sour tropical guest - Crested pineapple has long taken root in our kitchen. Children love wonderful taste, women hope to lose weight, and men who like to pamper women, children and themselves loved ones enjoy eating pineapple slices in salads and cakes.
Doctors say that a few pineapple rings, eaten daily, bring great benefits to the body.
Is it so? Is the use of pineapple exaggerated? Do not have to pay for the pleasure of too high a price?
Pineapple: how to choose the right
Pineapple, which is rightly called the fruit, in fact - just tall grass, chose the arid areas of South America. Today, a Brazilian guest can get to Russia not only from their historic homeland, but also from Africa, Hawaii, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The path is not long, so you should choose the right fruit when buying. What to look for?
• Weight. The main feature of the pineapple is its ability to accumulate a large amount of water. About ninety percent of its structure is occupied by water, in which useful substances are dissolved. That juiciness makes pineapple pineapple, so one of the main secrets is as follows. The fruit should be a little deceiving the eye, be harder than it seems. If the fruit is too light, alas: it is dry and will not please with juiciness.
• Colour. No need to think that the ripe fruit has a yellow skin, and look for just such a pineapple among the gathering. Nothing of the sort: under the green skin can hide no less juicy, sweet and sour flesh.
• Crest. But what you should pay attention to is the crest. Bright green, lush, he literally screams about his ripeness, good quality and willingness to serve the good of the human body. So choose the impudent pineapple type: it will surely prove to be delicious. And one more secret: a green pineapple in a ripe pineapple is drawn out very easily.
• Density. Selecting vending impudent, push it. A good pineapple should be pressed a little under pressure. The formed dent is hinting at good, but short-term taste prospects: such a fruit clearly overcame, so you can buy it, but you will have to eat it immediately.
• Stains. No whitish (moldy), no dark or brown spots on the body of a good pineapple should not be. Only smooth, beautiful, fresh gnarled peel guarantees decent taste.
• Pulp color. The ripe pineapple has a rich yellow flesh, the unripe has a whitish, very pale color. The use of pineapple "a la pale" is questionable.
The fruit aroma is considered to be another sign by which selection can be made. But honestly, this is a very subjective criterion. To feel the gentle, sweet aroma in the conditions of the supermarket is difficult. And nevertheless it is better to understand: if the smell is very intrusive, then the fruit, most likely, has long and irrevocably overripe. Such a pineapple benefit is unlikely.
Pineapple: what's the use?
What are we talking about when we talk about the benefits of pineapple? Several positions make a tropical fruit not only highly desirable on our table, but simply irreplaceable.
1. The structure of the fruit. The first and most important thing: the unique pulp of the "pine apple" (namely, the approximate translation of the word "pineapple" into Russian) is 86 percent water and the remaining 14 percent is fruit acids and monosaccharides. Sour taste is given by apple, tartaric, citric acid, and sweet - glucose, fructose and sucrose. The abundance of water contributes to the dilution of the blood, and therefore, prevents thrombosis.
2. Virtually indigestible fiber, from which the products of processing, toxins and harmful elements are removed from the body. The structure of the internal hard fibers of the pineapple fruit is so tough that in the long past they were made of coarse fabric — something like jute bags.
3. The presence of a special enzyme - the same mysterious bromelain, which should be said separately.
In fact, pineapple is a big natural water jug, in which potassium and magnesium most useful for the heart (plus sodium, iron, manganese, pyridoxine and other minerals and trace elements), miraculous vitamins (A, PP, C, B, folic acid), organic acids are dissolved.
The presence of antioxidants makes pineapple an indispensable tool to combat the impending aging. Eating a piece or two a day, we create free radicals in the literal sense of unbearable living conditions. Radicals die, we do not age, because the cells are not damaged.
but main pineapple bonusthe benefit of which is unconditional is bromelain (or bromelain). What it is? From the point of view of science, it is a special plant enzyme - proteases. It is very useful, but not at all for the reason that many girls gnaw slices at night, in the morning and in general at every opportunity. Bromelain does not affect the breakdown of fat, so its fat burning properties are a vulgar myth.
Another thing is that the prosthesis is really able to break down, literally dissolve protein compounds, which, of course, contributes to a better digestion of a dense meat lunch. But what is a cancer cell? Cancer cell, friends, is the same amino acid complex, that is, protein. So, eating pineapples, we really minimize the risk of getting sick with cancer. This is a real miracle and a real benefit.
What else can be said about the benefits of pineapple? Quite a bit of.
• Antioxidants not only reduce the rate of aging, but also the level of cholesterol, and therefore really fight the disease of the century - atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular problems, gout and arthritis recede under their healthy anti-inflammatory onslaught.
• Manganese, which is rich in juicy pineapple flesh, strengthens the structure of bones and connective tissues.
• Regular consumption of a wonderful fruit strengthens the gums, so that you do not have to hide a healthy smile.
• The presence of beta-carotene beneficial for the retina, prevents its incurable dystrophy.
• Ascorbic acid, contained in large quantities in pineapple, strengthens the immune system.
The anti-inflammatory properties of the sun-flavored fruit can be successfully used as part of therapy in the treatment of severe bronchitis or for recovery after surgery. Decongestant properties will help those suffering from kidney and heart disease.
Now about the main thing: How much to eat pineapple or drink pineapple juice (freshly squeezed, of course). The recommended amount is half a fruit or one glass of juice. At the same time, the pulp, of course, is preferable: it contains such plant fiber that is so necessary for the body.
If the store does not have fresh pineapples, you can do with canned (most importantly, not in sugar syrup!). There is also no benefit in them, although it is impossible to compare the preservation with fresh fruit. Bromelain in pineapples from a can, for example, no, most of the vitamins are lost.
Pineapple: what's the harm?
The anthem of a tropical berry (or a pine cone or an apple) cannot be infinite. It's time to dilute it with healthy skepticism. Indeed, what could be the harm of pineapple?
• An obvious problem is the presence of high-level organic acids. It is clear that too sour food, which includes pineapple, especially fresh, can seriously damage the gastric mucosa. Therefore, it is impossible to exceed the recommended dose. Any excess is harm, pineapple is no exception.
• For the same reason (too sour), pineapple will have to be abandoned by all those suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. Gastritis, ulcers, intestinal damage - all this puts a taboo on pineapple delights.
• If you overdo it, the tooth enamel of a juicy pineapple will cause harm no less than caries or tartar. The reason is still acid.
• It is strictly forbidden to use the sour-sweet flesh of a tropical fruit, however low-calorie and tasty it may be, for mono-diets. The harm of pineapple in this case is no longer just strong: such a diet is simply dangerous to health.
Pineapple for children, pregnant and lactating mothers: the benefits and harm
The colossal benefits of the southern fruit to strengthen the immune system is obvious. It would seem that children just need to stuff juicy sweet flesh, not forgetting about themselves. But not everything is so simple.
Unusual for Russian kids food is fraught with considerable danger. All alien, grown not in the native land is a potential allergen. It is especially dangerous to give pineapple rings crumbs. For the first feeding, pineapple juice or mashed potatoes just do not fit. And generally up to five or six years old children, prone to allergic diseases, familiarity with pineapple is not the way. Doctors allergists, immunologists, for example, against.
For the same reason breastfeeding women should also refrain from exotic foodsin particular, from pineapple rings - though fresh, though canned. You can provoke diathesis, intestinal disorders in the infant, all that is mom, gets into breast milk.
With extreme caution it is worth to use the fruit for pregnant women. If you really want to pamper yourself with exotic, you need to carefully select the fruit. Immature or overripe, it is capable of provoking a spontaneous abortion. The harm of pineapple in this case is obvious.
On the other hand, the antioxidants contained in the pulp of an overseas fruit, increase the chances of getting pregnant. Therefore, if a couple decides to have a child in their life, she needs to eat not only the fruits of passion, but other fruits as well. Pineapples, for example.
Pineapple: good for weight loss
Lose weight thanks to bromelain will not work. But otherwise Pineapple on a diet is some kind of miracle! Moreover, with high sweetness, it has a rather low calorie content (about 50-60 kilocalories per hundred grams of weight). Pineapple also reduces hunger, which contributes to weight loss. And he is considered a natural antidepressant, so that they can seize sadness for as long as they wish: you won't get better, but your mood will surely rise.
Fiber contained in pineapple in the form of coarse dietary fiber, improves digestion and, from this point of view, actually contributes to weight loss. But in any case, it is impossible to exceed the recommended amount.
By the way, about the diet. Dried pineapples (sold as fruit chips) is a calorie bomb. Think a hundred times before you master the whole package: the caloric content of one hundred grams of the product is 260 kcal.
Eating pineapple, you can forget about many health problems, strengthen the immune system, improve tone and mood. But any excess is evil. Enjoy the delicious fruit, but without fanaticism.
