The Healing Benefits of Pineapple
Fruit for Thought: Pineapple
The Pineapple* (Ananas Comosus*) is a tropical plant with edible fruit. It has a bright yellow fibrous inner flesh that is naturally very sweet and best when ripe. Its aroma is pleasant, and the juice thirst quenching. Pineapple does not ripen well post-harvest, and it is available year-round.
**Botanical name:
**Ananas comosus, the most economically significant plant in the Bromeliaceae family.
**Native to:
**The plant is indigenous to South America and is said to originate from the area between Southern Brazil and Paraguay. Columbus encountered the pineapple in 1493 on the Leeward island of Guadeloupe. He called it piña de Indias, meaning “pine of the Indians,” and brought it back with him to Europe, thus making the pineapple the first bromeliad to leave the New World. Many say the fruit was first introduced in Hawaii when a Spanish ship brought them there in the 1500s. The fruit was cultivated successfully in European hothouses beginning in 1720.
Healing Benefits:
As a very subtle healer of many body ailments, below is a list of some of the benefits of pineapple:
- Its most essential ingredient is bromelain, a natural anti-inflammatory and painkiller. In the upper respiratory tract, bromelain fights bronchitis and sinusitis. Bromelain is effective in healing stomach ulcers and repairing body tissues.
- Pineapple juice contains natural collagen which boosts the immune system.
- Damaged, chapped or burnt skin can be reconditioned by drinking pineapple juice.
- Pineapple contains detoxifying elements and chemicals that stimulate kidney functions.
- Helpful in treating bruises, cuts, muscle pain, arthritis, joint pain, sprains, and back pain. Pineapple has proven to positively supplement recovery from knee injury, reduce fever, body wrinkles, and aid digestion.
- Consuming pineapple often drastically reduces recovery after surgery.
- Excellent antidote for cardio-vascular disease due to its ability to break-down cholesterol compounds.
**CAUTION:
**Children should not eat it in excess as it can cause gingivitis in children.
Recipe: Spiced Tropical Fruit Compote
Makes: 6 servings, 2/3 cup each Active Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes
Whole spices give a subtle but distinct flavor to this tropical fruit compote. Here the fruit is not cooked in the syrup, but simply macerated so that the taste remains fresh and distinct. The spiced syrup is also a wonderful sweetener for hot tea or as a base for a veggie-stir-fry.
**Ingredients: **
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice, (2 limes)
10 whole cardamom pods
8 whole allspice berries
8 whole black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
2 mangoes or papayas, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
2 seedless tangerines or small oranges, peeled and sliced
2 star fruit (carambolas), thinly sliced
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 banana, peeled and cut into thick slices
Directions:
- Combine sugar, pineapple juice, lime zest and juice in a small saucepan.
- Tie the spices in a small cheesecloth bag and add it to the saucepan.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Toss all the fruit in a serving bowl.
- Add syrup and stir gently.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Remove spice bag and serve.
About the Author
Healthy Vegan Fats and Foods: Vegan Diet Essentials
Many people new to veganism, especially in Western countries, overlook the nuances that come with this healthy diet. Perhaps they decide to become vegan after discovering yoga but don’t fully understand how to live out their new eating plan. For example, they might reject almost all fats, including unsaturated varieties. They’re unaware of or ignore the potential benefits of incorporating these important nutrients in their diet.
What are Good Vegan Fats?
The health benefits of consuming a sufficient amount of fat in the right forms and proper proportions have been shown to be immensely important in an endless number of areas impacting the state of body and mind.Â
Among other things, it can strengthen the immune system, enhance brain and nervous systems functions such as mood, intelligence, and behavior, greatly reduce cardiovascular disease, increase energy and performance, grow healthy skin, hair, and nails, regulate body weight, and improve organ and gland function.
Good Fat Versus Bad Fat
In the landscape of fats, it can be challenging to distinguish the good from the bad. In general, saturated fats, most of which come from meat and dairy products, raise the amount of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in your blood.
According to the American Heart Association, the sustained consumption of saturated fats makes it more likely you’ll suffer from a stroke or heart disease. Blood type and disease risk should also be considered. By choosing to be vegan, you’re automatically reducing your saturated fat intake.
It’s worth noting that some plant-based foods, such as coconuts, palm oil, and cocoa butter, do contain saturated fat. Because there are so many tasty and healthy foods rich in unsaturated fat, it’s best to avoid eating these few plants that are high in saturated fat.Â
However, if you’re impressed with the potential benefits of coconut oil, make sure it comprises 30 percent or less of the fat you eat. That’s the widely accepted dietary limit for saturated fat, regardless of the source.
