Pineapple (Ananas Comosus)
We all love our occasional pineapple dessert don’t we? Well I do and more so because of the amazing flavour of this fruit which is not just unique but amazingly refreshing and without doubt very healthy.
Pineapple is also called botanically as Ananas Comosus and belongs to Bromeliacea family of plants.
Pineapple originally flourished in South America from where it spread out to the rest of the world. Soon it was carried by sailors on long sea voyage as part of their vitamin C stock, much like tomatoes.
SYNONYMS
- Hindi Name – Ananas
- English name – Pineapple, Custard apple
- Sanskrit name – Anasa
PLANT MORPHOLOGY
Pineapple has a fairly resistant, perennial plant, which has a thick stout stem. Large waxy stipulated leaves spread up to a few feet from the thick stem. The plant bears several long elongated fruits during March to June.
The fruit is compound type with a fibrous core and a juice and fleshy pulp. Each fruit can be as heavy as 1 to 8 pounds and the pulp colour may also be variable ranging from red, yellow, reddish or orange –yellow in colour.
USES
Pineapple is a plant that can add a regular dosage of healthy fibre in diet. This fibre is required by the body on a daily basis to regulate bowel movement and eliminate waste products from the intestines effectively.
People who do not take enough fibre in diet commonly suffer from problems like bloating, indigestion and constipation.
Pineapple is one of the many fruits that help in keeping gut healthy and its great taste can be easily enjoyed on a regular basis for more reasons than one.
A healthy protein-breaking enzyme named Bromelain is found in abundance in pineapple. It works as a powerful anti –oxidant and helps scavenge free radicals in the body preventing development of cancerous conditions and other serious health concerns.
It is rich in vitamins like B –complex, A, C, E etc. which are important for maintaining body’s vitality. Thiamine, pyridoxine, potassium and manganese are other important micronutrients present in this fruit.
Care should be taking when peeling off pineapple fruits so that not too much of the hard fibrous core is consumed. This is because the core is very hard at times if the fruit is partially ripe and the body may not be able to process it as a result of which it gets stuck in the intestine and may lead to grave conditions like intestinal obstruction.
A good option in this case is to opt for freshly squeezed juice of the fruit.
Pineapple is not very high in calories and its sweetness is safe for consumption by Diabetics. It is however important to watch the portion size consumed each day.
It is great for the eyes and skin because of the rich vitamin A content.
Ananas is a fairly healthy plant when it comes to managing fertility. Its richness of vitamins and minerals is what strengthens the reproductive system in both males and females likewise.
It also helps improve digestion and controls hunger levels preventing, anorexia and indigestion. Indigestion as we all know can be related to ama which offers a big pool for the development of harmful diseases in the body.
Patients of varicose veins and other health conditions in which taking blood thinners becomes a necessity, taking pineapple can be very helpful as it can help in the maintenance of healthy blood plasma concentrations and prevent complications that result from blood clotting in the body. Bromelain is the main enzyme that helps prevent clotting of blood and helps dissolve clots already formed in the body quickly.
Pineapples high manganese content can help build healthy bones and muscles and can help relieve muscular fatigue and pain due to work overload and chronic fatigue.
Last but not the least it helps in maintaining a strong and healthy immune system. Vitamin C is one of the main constituents of pineapple in this case which helps to protect the body not only from minor infections like cough and cold but also major problems like cancer.
