Lifestyle May 7, 2020
Slice it. Puree it. Eat it.
On a lazy summer day, it’s tempting to reach into your fridge and grab a cold, sweet treat. But before you reach in and grab a tub of your favorite flavor of ice cream (and eat it all), consider reaching for pineapple instead.
Yeah, maybe it’s not the first option for some. But juicy pineapple can fulfill your sweet tooth needs while also being a healthier alternative to sugary, processed foods like ice cream.
When breaking down the nutritional information of pineapple you truly get to see where it shines.
One cup of pineapple is about 80 calories, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Meanwhile, the USDA reports that one cup of vanilla ice cream can be about 274 calories.
For someone who is calorie conscious or attempting to adopt healthier choices to their diet, this can be an essential tidbit of information.
Since it is a food found in nature, you also don’t have to worry about ingredients. It doesn’t have any added sugars that you have to worry about, and the same can’t be said for ice cream.
Pineapple also has less sugar when compared to ice cream. One cup of pineapple has about 14 grams of sugar but one cup of vanilla ice cream has 28 grams of sugar, according to the USDA.
Being conscious of the amount of sugar in your diet can be very important. Eating a sweet treat does not necessarily mean that you have to go overboard. A slice of pineapple can still satisfy your needs in the same way that ice cream can.
The USDA shows that one cup of pineapple is very high in Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that can help prevent diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, according to the National Institute of Health.
Pineapple also has enzymes known as bromelain, which helps reduce inflammation and helps with digestion, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Overall, it’s the little lesser-known things about pineapple that truly make it noteworthy. If you get to know what’s going into your body and understanding how it contributes to your health, then you can be cognizant of the food you eat and make better decisions.
There are definitely ways to make compromises with what you eat. There are ways to make ice cream a better and healthier choice.
For instance, why not combine ice cream and pineapple? Making a pineapple puree and playing around with ingredients commonly found in ice cream can make for a possible alternative where you explore the best of both worlds.
At the end of the day, you, of course, get to choose which kind of sweet satisfies your craving. Sometimes you’re going to want that cup of vanilla ice cream and that is okay.
But by recognizing the health benefits of pineapple you may realize it’s a healthy option for those long summer days and occasionally vary your sweet treats with something that can be healthy and good for your body.
