Everything You Need To Know About Pineapples - Live Eat Learn

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Everything you need to know about pineapple! Why does it hurt your mouth? How do you know when it’s ripe? All your questions answered here!

Eatmail subscribers already know that I am super excited about this spotlight ingredient, because after much deliberation, I think I can say pineapples are my favorite fruit.

But first, we must answer the most pressing question…

Why does pineapple make my mouth hurt?

Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which breaks down proteins. So essentially, the enzyme is working away at your mouth as you chew the pineapple, which can cause some irritation, tingling, or pain.

Once you swallow the pineapple, your stomach has what it needs to protect itself from bromelain, so fear it not! In fact, bromelain may even help reduce inflammation in other areas of the body, like in joints and soft tissue, sinuses, and intestines.

How to pick the perfect pineapple

Contrary to popular belief, pineapples do not ripen after they are picked, which means you’ll want to pick the ripest one when purchasing. There are a few ways to determine if it’s ripe (hint: the external color of the fruit doesn’t necessarily indicate ripeness):

1. Smell the bottom. If it smells strong, sweet, and fragrant, it’s probably ripe. No smell? Not ripe!
2. Pluck a leaf from the center of the crown. If it comes out easily, it’s probably ripe.

How To Store Pineapples

Because pineapples don’t ripen after being picked, they can only get less tasty with age, so proper storage is essential! You can store pineapple in a few ways:

• Room temperature: You can store uncut pineapples at room temperature for about 3 days.
• Refrigerated: You can also store uncut pineapples in the warmest part of your fridge (usually the top), where they will last longer (though the leaves and outer skin may brown slightly). Cut pineapple should always be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Favorite Pineapple Recipes

We love pineapple around these parts. You can find all of our pineapple recipes here, but these are a few of our favorites.

• Pineapple Smoothie
• Grilled Pineapple Salsa
• Pineapple Tepache
• Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes

How do you cut a pineapple?

Whether you’re looking to cut your pineapple into rings or chunks, it can be an intimidating fruit to tackle! We created a whole guide to cutting pineapple here.

pineapple Health Benefits

Pineapple is rich in vitamins and minerals, making it a healthy fruit to enjoy when you’re craving something sweet! The following nutrition information is per 1 cup of pineapple chunks (165 g).

• Calories: 82
• Carbohydrates: 22 g
• Fiber: 2.3 g, 9% of Daily Value (DV)
• Protein: 0.9 g
• Fat: 0.2 g
• 131% DV of Vitamin C: A water-soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant to fight against potentially damaging free radicals (molecules with unshared electrons that float around wreaking havoc) and an important cofactor in collagen synthesis.
• 10% DV of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): A water-soluble vitamin that works behind the scenes as a coenzyme in many important reactions within your body, including protein metabolism and red blood cell formation, among countless other functions.

Is Pineapple Keto Friendly?

No. According to the USDA a single slice (¾” thick) contains 22 grams of carbs. Pineapple will put you out of ketosis faster than you can say “pineapple”!