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What Is the Pineapple Diet?
There are several known variations of the pineapple diet. For instance, it can refer to either an extreme plan of eating all or mostly pineapple for several days, or it can refer to the regular practice of incorporating pineapple — and presumably other fresh fruits and healthy foods — into a diet meant to address a particular health issue. Physicians do not generally recommend the pineapple diet in its extreme form. Rather, they assert that people should incorporate pineapple into their diets for its health benefits, provided it is part of an overall healthy eating plan.
Nutritionists have found that eating pineapple has several advantages, from aiding weight loss to fighting high blood pressure and possibly reducing the risk of stroke. Known for its antioxidant properties, pineapple is also rich in Vitamin C and the mineral manganese. It has a high water content, which might help people feel full faster and aid in their appetite control efforts. In addition, pineapple typically helps with digestion and acts as an anti-inflammatory food.
For some people, following a strict pineapple diet might consist of consuming only pineapple and pineapple juice for approximately two days. According to this diet, they then can usually eat regularly for the following few days, and then repeat the pineapple-only routine for another day or two. Some people incorporate small amounts of tuna fish into their pineapple diet as well. In general, however, this form of the diet is considered by many to be a fad or a starvation diet.
In general, it is not recommended that someone eat only a single food, such as pineapple, for days on end. Medical professionals warn that pineapple is high in sugar and that it is acidic, characteristics that may aggravate certain health conditions in diabetics or other people with food sensitivities. Furthermore, there are no definitive scientific studies concluding that a strict pineapple diet for weight loss is either effective or safe. As part of a healthy weight loss plan, however, incorporating pineapple and other fruits into the diet is recommended, as they typically contain beneficial amounts of vitamins and minerals, and they are generally low in calories.
Many popular eating plans, such as the Mediterranean Diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet, advocate cooking with pineapple. Doing so adds a unique flavor to many dishes and incorporates the fruit in a sensible manner. Nutritionists generally agree that these types of diets can encourage weight loss and overall good health.
Discussion Comments
@umbra21 - That's one of the reasons I think pineapple and cheese is such a good snack. Not only do you get all the benefits of the pineapple and the cheese, fiber, calcium, vitamin C and so forth, you also protect your teeth.
Cheese is really good for your teeth and can remove the acid from your mouth so that they stay safe from the pineapple.
Plus it tastes really good and as long as you don't pig out too much, it's a pretty low calorie snack. Just choose a low calorie cheese (although be sure to get a tasty one, or what's the point?) and use fresh pineapple so you don't have to deal with the concentrated sugar from tins.
@Iluviaporos - Just be sure, if you're going to eat more pineapple, to eat fresh pineapple or pineapple that has been preserved in juice.
Fresh is best though, although I believe it can be more likely to be quite acidic. You just have to learn how to pick a pineapple that is perfectly ripe.
And drinking pineapple juice isn't the best thing to do, unfortunately. Not only does it often have added sugar and preservatives, even if it doesn't it's so acidic that it can really wreak havoc on your teeth.
Fruit juices in general are worse for your teeth than soda, since they strip the enamel, but pineapple juice is one of the worst of the lot. By all means, incorporate pineapple into your diet recipes, but don't start guzzling pineapple juice.
I've heard that eating pineapple is really good for bruising. I always try to get my mother to eat pineapple or drink pineapple juice because she bruises if she so much as bumps a door frame.
I didn't realize it has all these other benefits though. I always thought of it as mostly being a kind of treat, since it's so sweet and juicy that it doesn't seem like it could have many nutrients to it.
I might have to start eating more myself, although I'll be sure to avoid the diet plan of eating nothing but pineapple.
I think if you did that you'd end up with an ulcerated mouth, since even eating a small amount of pineapple can do that to me sometimes, it is so acidic.
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