The pineapple is indigenous to the South American countries Brazil and Paraguay. Pineapple was well distributed throughout Latin America by the indigenous population before Columbus found it and took it back to Spain.
Attempts to cultivate pineapple in Europe failed due to the fruit’s need for a tropical climate in order to grow. Portuguese and Spanish explorers carried pineapples aboard their ships as protection against scurvy, and soon introduced them into Africa and Asia where they flourished.
|Nutritional value per
100 g (3.5 oz)
|Energy||202 kJ (48 kcal)|
|* Carbohydrates||12.63 g|
|Dietary fiber||1.4 g|
|* Fat||0.12 g|
|* Protein||0.54 g|
|Thiamine (Vit. B1)||0.079 mg|
|Riboflavin (Vit. B2)||0.031 mg|
|Niacin (Vit. B3)||0.489 mg|
|Pantothenic acid (B5)||0.205 mg|
|* Vitamin B6||0.110 mg|
|* Folate (Vit. B9)||15 ?g|
|* Vitamin C||36.2 mg|
|* Calcium||13 mg|
|* Iron||0.28 mg|
|* Magnesium||12 mg|
A comprehensive breakdown of nutrients can be found in the Nutrition Database where this food can also be added to a meal planner.
In a clinical trial involving patients with periarthritis of the shoulder, and also patients suffering from painful osteoarthritis of the knee, pain reduction with the treatment of proteolytic enzymes such as bromelain was comparable to those treated with NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
Bromelain, which breaks down proteins, may cause irritant dermatitis. Pineapples may also cause allergic dermatitis. (Irritant dermatitis may occur in anyone who touches a pineapple; allergic dermatitis occurs only in an individual who is sensitive to a particular substance).
1. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno.
2. Benders’ Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology.
3. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
4. Massimiliano R, Pietro R, Paolo S, Sara P, Michele F. Role of bromelain in the treatment of patients with pityriasis lichenoides chronica. J Dermatolog Treat. 2007;18(4):219-22. PMID: 17671882.
5. Walker AF, Bundy R, Hicks SM, Middleton RW. Bromelain reduces mild acute knee pain and improves well-being in a dose-dependent fashion in an open study of otherwise healthy adults. Phytomedicine. 2002 Dec;9(8):681-6. PMID: 12587686.
6. Felton GE. Fibrinolytic and antithrombotic action of bromelain may eliminate thrombosis in heart patients. Med Hypotheses. 1980 Nov;6(11):1123-33. PMID: 6256612.
7. Klein G, Kullich W. [Reducing pain by oral enzyme therapy in rheumatic diseases]. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1999;149(21-22):577-80. PMID: 10666820.
8. Braun JM, Schneider B, Beuth HJ. Therapeutic use, efficiency and safety of the proteolytic pineapple enzyme Bromelain-POS in children with acute sinusitis in Germany. In Vivo. 2005 Mar-Apr;19(2):417-21. PMID: 15796206.
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