Most weight loss treatments involve big sacrifices, most of all giving up eating many of your favourite foods or dishes. However, no one said that the road to your dream slim figure will be quick and easy, although you can sweeten it a bit. One of the basics to reduce weight to a level consistent with the calculated BMI, or body mass index, is a proper diet, full of what is healthy, mainly vegetables and fruits. The one that should absolutely be in it is pineapple, which contains, among other things, bromelain, a valuable enzyme that aids weight loss and improves overall health.

Who of us has not seen and eaten a pineapple, a tasty, exotic fruit known on our continent since the sixteenth century, which came to Europe from plantations in South America. It is grown in many regions of the world, including Brazil, Mexico, and even in the Far East, the Philippines and the Pacific islands. We can buy it in two forms, fresh fruit and canned, but nutritionists recommend especially the former. Canned pineapples are too fattening due to the huge amount of sugar in the marinade.

The first thing that strikes you about the edible pineapple is its distinctive appearance, an oval fruit with a brownish-yellow thick and spiky skin, topped with a crown of green leaves. The skin is difficult to peel, but once it is peeled the most valuable treasure of the pineapple appears, the tasty, yellow, juicy and sweet flesh, which can be eaten raw or added to many other dishes. It also contains a whole host of valuable nutrients, not only bromelain, but also numerous vitamins and minerals, and their consumption benefits the whole body.

Before we move on to describe the health promoting properties of bromelain, we should know what it actually is. From a strictly chemical and biological point of view, it is an enzyme whose main function in the body is protein digestion, although its action is much broader.

It was first discovered and described in 1891, and hundreds of studies conducted afterwards have fully confirmed its most important properties, such as:

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, pineapple, due to the properties of bromelain, should become an important component of a slimming diet, combined of course with daily physical activity. However, the enzyme will effectively support the process of weight reduction, and its action in this regard consists in:

In order for the use of the enzyme from the fruit and leaves of pineapple to bring positive results, it is necessary to strictly follow the recommendations of specialists regarding its dosage. The recommended daily dose of bromelain is a maximum of 500 mg, preferably divided into 3 portions, which must not be exceeded, and the treatment itself with its participation only for a month. It is also not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as for people who regularly take blood-thinning drugs or suffer from certain lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

Despite the fact that it doesn’t cause serious side effects, allergic reactions, increased heart rate, gastrointestinal problems, vomiting or diarrhea have to be taken into account, but this concerns only bromelain as a component of dietary supplements. Interestingly, no such adverse effects were observed in people who simply ate pineapple, fresh or from a can.

Bromelain is often used as an ingredient in many pills and other dietary supplements not only to aid weight loss, but also to improve our overall health. However, no pills are able to replace the taste of fresh, sweet and juicy pineapple, and some reasons why it is worth introducing it to your diet are:

They are, after all, the basis of our health, and without a daily dose of vitamins or minerals we can forget about losing weight. In pineapple we find such valuable and necessary nutr ients as:

Fresh fruit is also low in calories, a hundred grams is only 50 kcal, and a whole medium-sized pineapple is about 400 – 500 kcal. So you can eat more without the risk of gaining weight. At the same time, it remains fresh for a very long time, so you can store it for several days and during that time it will not lose any of its nutritional properties.

This is a serious disease that affects more and more adults, coming with age, which, if untreated, ends in complete loss of vision. It is manifested by progressive deterioration of vision, especially at night and at close range, dark spots and distortions in the visual field. Vitamin A, or beta, contained in pineapple can stop the process of changes, ensuring good vision until old age.

The content of vitamin C in the fruit, as an antioxidant, also has a beneficial effect on the skin, significantly delaying the aging process. Cosmetics with pineapple also help remove cellulite, acne changes, while strengthening and sealing the walls of blood vessels, which prevents the formation of unsightly spider veins. Skin tone is equalized, discoloration disappears, wrinkles are smoothed out, and the face regains a radiant, youthful appearance.

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