Pineapple
Why pineapple is anti-inflammatory
Pineapple is anti-inflammatory, and nearly all of that comes down to bromelain, an enzyme whose job is to cut protein apart. You can feel it working: a few slices of fresh pineapple make your tongue prickle, because the enzyme acts on the soft lining of your mouth. It stops the moment you swallow.
Part of the bromelain you swallow survives digestion, which most proteins do not. In laboratory work it quietens the chemical messengers immune cells send out when they are inflamed. The human evidence comes from capsules rather than fruit, and they are made from the woody stem, at strengths a plate of pineapple never reaches. In people recovering from wisdom tooth surgery, the capsules brought the pain down.
Bromelain is a protein, and heat destroys proteins. Canned pineapple is cooked inside the tin, so the enzyme is gone before you open it, and much of it sits in syrup. Grilling and roasting do the same thing. In a fresh pineapple the enzyme is most concentrated in the tough core, the part almost everyone cuts out and bins.
Pineapple scores 2 out of 10 on the inflammation scale because the part that does the work is fragile, and most of the pineapple people eat has lost it.
Buy it fresh and keep some of the core, blended into a smoothie if the texture puts you off. Juicing throws the fibre away and keeps the sugar. Bromelain may also add to the effect of blood-thinning medication, so ask your doctor if you take one.
Pineapple on the AIP diet
Pineapple is allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol in every phase, elimination included. It is a fruit, so it clears the seeds, grains, legumes, nightshades and dairy that AIP takes out, and it is one of the few things the protocol leaves that still tastes like a treat. The limit is the sugar: pineapple is one of the sweeter fruits, so a cup uses up a fair share of the daily budget.
Benefits
- Carries bromelain, an enzyme that calms the chemical messengers inflamed immune cells send out
- Part of the bromelain you swallow survives digestion, which most proteins do not
- Taken as a supplement after surgery, it brings postoperative pain down
- One cup covers most of a day's vitamin C and nearly all of the manganese
Watch out for
- Canned pineapple is cooked in the tin, so the bromelain is gone and much sits in syrup
- One of the sweeter fruits, and juicing throws away the fibre while keeping the sugar
- A few slices can leave your tongue stinging, which is the enzyme working on you
- It may add to blood-thinning medication, so ask your doctor first
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Frequently asked
Is pineapple inflammatory?
No, pineapple is anti-inflammatory. It carries bromelain, an enzyme that breaks protein apart and quiets the chemical messengers immune cells send out when they are inflamed. Fresh pineapple is the version that still has it, because heat destroys the enzyme.
Is canned pineapple as good as fresh?
Not for inflammation. Canned pineapple is cooked inside the tin, and bromelain is a protein that heat destroys, so the enzyme is gone before you open it. You keep the vitamin C and the fibre, but not the part pineapple is known for. Check the label too, because a lot of it is packed in syrup.
Why does pineapple make my tongue sting?
Because the enzyme is doing exactly what it does, which is break down protein, including the soft lining of your mouth. It is harmless and it fades within minutes. It is also the clearest sign you can get that the bromelain in that fruit is still active.
Is pineapple allowed on the AIP diet?
Yes, in every phase. It is a fruit, so it avoids the seeds, grains, legumes, nightshades and dairy that AIP removes. The one thing to watch is the sugar, since the protocol asks you to keep fruit sugar modest across the day and pineapple is one of the sweeter fruits.
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