Quick facts: is pineapple good for you?

Pineapple is classified as a fruit by most national food agencies, like the US’ FDA and UK’s Food Standards Agency.

Is pineapple good for you?

Eating fresh pineapple is recommended as part of your daily intake of fresh fruit and vegetables.

The UK’s NHS recommends that everyone eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day and include pineapple within that selection [1].

The US FDA defines pineapple as a food with a long history of safe use [2]. Other food scientists call pineapple a “wonderful tropical fruit with immense health benefits” [3].

An adult portion of fruit is 80g. A single portion of pineapple is roughly “one large slice”.

Each 100g of pineapple contains 50 calories of energy. A whole pineapple typically weighs around 1 kilogram, and will therefore contain 500 calories in a whole pineapple.

Pineapple contains very small amounts (<1g per 100g) of fat, and protein so is suitable for low fat and low protein diets. The fruit is mainly made of carbohydrates, with 13g of carbs per 100g of pineapple, of which sugar is 10g.

What nutrients are found in Pineapple?

The fruit contains a variety of nutritional extras, like calcium, magnesium and potassium. Pineapple is also the only fruit which contains large amounts of bromelain, often used as a dietary supplement and to treat numerous conditions as outlined by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health here.

What are the possible health benefits of eating pineapple?

Bromelain, derived from the core and stem of pineapple, is a popular dietary supplement containing pineapple extracts. Studies have shown that bromelain has a wide variety of health benefits when taken as a therapeutic doses. Studies are not available, however, to show these same potential benefits in relationship to normal intake of pineapple within a normal meal plan [4].

The bromelain contained in fresh pineapple also has reported benefits as an antioxidant. There have been claims for its benefits as part of a weight-reducing diet, though this advice does not seem to be corroborated by serious scientific studies, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s report in 2016. [5].

As with all things, including pineapple, moderation as key. As part of a healthy and balanced diet and presuming contraindications, you can almost certaintly conclude that indeed, pineapple is good for you.