There is nothing like a couple of nice chilled slices of fresh pineapple to end a meal or just have as a snack anytime day or night. It has a very sweet and unique taste to it unlike any other fruit. And if you feel yourself running down during the day, a nice cold glass of fresh pineapple juice right out of the refrigerator can give you a real burst of energy. What I am trying to say is, pineapples and pineapple juice taste great. However, this article is not about the taste of pineapples (even though it is hard not to talk about it), it is about pineapple health benefits.

There is not very many fruits that are not good for you. In fact, any nutritionist will tell you not to eat less than five serving of fruit a day if you want to stay healthy. There are lots of people like myself who have no problem doing this. I just love fruit of all kinds. Most days I even eat more than the suggested five servings. There are so many varieties of different fruit that some days I have a hard time deciding which ones to buy. They all have their own special taste, and they all have their own special health benefits.

When it comes to pineapple, it seems the health benefits it is most noted for is its bromelain and vitamin C content. Bromelain is an important enzyme that helps the body in a number of different ways. Bromelain is in found in all parts of the pineapple, but the enzyme concentrate comes mainly from the stems. To produce the concentrate, the stem is peeled, crushed and pressed, after which the liquid goes through a purification process to further concentrate it. This extract is used in weight loss programs, is great for the digestive system, and gives fast relief to individuals with laryngitis or sore throats. When it comes to pineapple health benefits, pineapple bromelain extract should go somewhere near the top of the list.

Aside from the bromelain content in the stems, the bromelain in the edible part of the plant is important, too. When you consume pineapple, you are consuming an enzyme that can act as an anti-inflammatory to reduce the pain of illnesses such as arthritis and goiter. Its ability to reduce swelling caused by inflammation also makes it useful in the treatment of sprains and bruises. One thing that needs to be noted here is that bromelain loses its effectiveness when it is canned, so to gain all of its healthy benefits you need to eat it while it is fresh. Hey, that works for me.

Another one of the well known pineapple health benefits is its huge content of vitamin C. I am sure everyone is aware of how essential this vitamin is for the body, but you may not know exactly what it does. Vitamin C is used by the body in a number of ways. For one thing it boosts the immune system and helps it in its fight to ward off colds and infections. It can also help build and repair damaged body tissue and aid in its healing. Some of the other pineapple health benefits include strengthening the bones and connective tissues, helping in the recovery of individuals with asthma, pneumonia and bronchitis by dissolving the bothersome mucus that makes it hard to breathe, and reduce the chances of blood clots.

I hope this article has given you some useful information about the health benefits of pineapples. We are planning on adding articles weekly to give up to date information on a huge number of fruits. We are also going to have pick out some of the very best recipes for each one and put them on this website for our vistors. If you would, kindly bookmark our page and come back for a visit in around a month or so and you will find lots of new additions.