It may seem odd to read a blog post about Pineapple in a self reliance blog from a Canadian city homestead, but I would never for a single minute pretend we in this house eat only those things we produce. Heavens no! What would we eat for the other nine months of the year? There are many wonderful fruits and vegetables that are available to us that can enliven our days and enrich our bodies. I am so glad to live in a country where variety can be part of my life. However, it is still as important to me as ever to eat “in the season” – even though that season may be five thousand miles away. There are ways of ensuring we get the very best nutrition – even out of tropical fruits, and yes, even while living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Pineapples – those wonderful tropical fruits that are so gorgeously delicious – are even more nutritious than you may have believed. I live in Canada, so the pineapple I grew up on was the same as what my parents had available – canned. Dole or Del Monte. We thought that was delicious enough – imagine my delight when I discovered “fresh” pineapple in the produce department when I was all grown up and buying my own groceries! Oh My!
There really is nothing like a ‘fresh’ pineapple. But sadly, the pineapples we buy in most North American grocery stores are nothing like ‘fresh’. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who lives here; they have to travel many thousands of miles to reach us after all. For that reason, pineapples are picked green. Most of the time they’re still green when we buy them. Sigh …. I know. One of the hazards of shipping so far. 
We all know that fruits and vegetables are at their peak of perfection in every way – including nutritionally when they are picked fully ripe – having ripened ON the plant. Harvesting before ripe means of course that the nutrients have not had a chance to fully develop, and so are sadly lacking right from the beginning. Since fruits like pineapples and bananas have to travel half way across the world to reach us, taking two to three weeks minimally before we see them on the grocery store shelf we cannot hope to have them picked ripe. But wait a minute, must they always be less than they should be for those of us who don’t live in tropical countries?
Well, hold that thought. Let’s first talk about all the wonderful goodness that a fully plant-ripened pineapple has to offer. Pineapples are super rich in vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants. They help boost the immune system, build strong bones, aid digestion, reduce inflammation and improve circulation. And, even though they are deliciously sweet, they are surprisingly low in calories.
Immune system, respiratory health and healing:
Pineapple contains a huge amount of Vitamin C and other important antioxidants, along with Vitamin A, beta-carotene and other flavonoid compounds. Did you know that one cup contains 121% of our recommended amount of Vitamin C for the day? I KNOW right!
Since vitamin C is a primary water soluble antioxidant that stimulates your white blood cells to defend your body, it a major player in the fight against many diseases, as well as heart problems and joint pain. Vitamin C and bromelain (the digestive enzyme pineapples are famous for – see below) are both known to reduce mucus in the throat and sinuses, thus they help prevent and treat respiratory illnesses like colds and flu. Heck, pineapple is a regular Super Hero in the whole-food world. If you already have symptoms like excess mucus and phlegm, eat some pineapple! If you feel a cold coming on, feast on some pineapple. Prevent the mucus and phlegm from building up.
Vitamin C helps create collagen, a protein base that is essential for healthy organs, bones, skin and blood vessel walls. Increasing your consumption of pineapple will speed up your wound recovery time and help you fight off infection that may follow an injury.
Bone strength and oral health:
A one cup serving of pineapple contains nearly 75% of the daily recommended amount of MANGANESE (I know right!) which is essential in developing strong bones and connective tissues. Studies suggest that manganese is helpful in preventing osteoporosis in post menopausal women. Teeth are bone, so that same quality of manganese and bromelain is helpful in strengthening teeth. And the high vitamin C content as well as the astringent qualities of many of the natural enzymes tighten tissues in the body from skin to muscles, including your gums. So pineapple is great for good oral health.
Eye health:
Due to its high amount of Vitamin C and other important antioxidants as well as beta-carotene, pineapple is important in helping maintain healthy vision. Additionally, studies show that eating pineapple can help reduce the risk of macular degeneration and other age related eye diseases.
Digestion:
Most fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of dietary fibre, and pineapple is particularly fibrous – which is essential in keeping our intestines clean and healthy. But pineapple is also known as a wonderful source of digestive enzymes, perhaps the most important one being BROMELAIN, an enzyme that breaks down protein, being particularly beneficial in aiding in digestion.
Inflammation and improved blood circulation:
The ability that the proteolytic enzyme bromelain has to break down complex proteins, gives pineapple helpful anti-inflammatory properties. This is especially important when dealing with joint or muscle pain associated with arthritis. A variety of studies associate bromelain with reducing tumor growth and other excessive inflammation often associated with cancer, as well as being helpful in treating osteoarthritis.
Besides being a valuable source of manganese, pineapple is rich in other minerals such as potassium and copper. Potassium can help increase blood flow throughout they body by relaxing blood vessels to allow circulation in a less restricted manner. For this reason, eating pineapple can help prevent blood clots, reducing the risk of artherosclerosis, stroke and heart attack. Copper is essential for red blood cell formation which increases our cognitive abilities and ensures optimum organ function which lowers our chance of neural disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
In short. Eat more Pineapple.
Caution:
The wonderful active enzymes in pineapple make it a great meat tenderizer, but eating too much can result in tenderness of the mouth, including the lips, tongue and cheeks. This is not a long lasting effect and will normally resolve itself within a few hours, but in some unfortunate individuals – a legitimate allergy may exist. You have my deepest sympathy.
Eating unripe pineapple, is not only tasteless and sometimes bitter, but dangerous as it is toxic to humans and can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting. Hint: if it tastes bad, it is bad. Pineapple should be sweet and deliciously refreshing.
Where Pineapple grows and how we get it:
Pineapple can only be grown in tropical regions, but since its discovery in the 15th century by Europeans on the Caribbean Island of Guadalupe it has been introduced to many other tropical regions in Asia, Africa and the south Pacific where it has flourished. 
Since it is so perishable, it was not only a rarity in the early days, but many attempts have been made over the centuries to preserve it so that those of us not living in tropical climates can enjoy it. For centuries it was glazed in a sugar coating and dried as a luxurious treat for those who could afford it.
Pineapple was brought to Hawaii in the 18th century and became a major Hawaiian industry in the early 1900’s with the enterprising efforts of James Dole. Nowadays however, Hawaii produces little more than to keep up with island demand and is no longer a world producer. Other countries that grow commercially include Thailand, the Philippines, China, Brazil and Mexico. Recently California and Florida have begun growing pineapple, but so far, not for export.
Best way to get the BEST pineapple with the MOST natural food value is to pick it ripe of course. How is that possible for you and me? Freeze Dried. The science of freeze drying is bringing the most nutritious food to us all. Wherever we live. While there is nothing that can beat the wonderful juicy deliciousness of that perfect pineapple you occasionally find in the produce department of good grocery stores, for the sake of nutrition – go for freeze dried.
Freeze Dried Pineapple
Although the process of freeze drying is the same no matter who does it, the attention to details like plant ripening, and the urgency of flash freezing within hours of harvest are not the same. Yet these are important, even critical factors in the fruit being at its peak nutrition by the time we eat it. Do your homework. And pay attention to the country of origin to begin with. That is critical information.
Enjoy your pineapple.
Warmly,
Cindy Suelzle