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By Dr. Lloyd Berg, PhD.

As a mission of our on-going blog series, our goal is to educate consumers about the health benefits of fresh pineapples. The third installment in this series, today we focus on the importance of antioxidants and pineapples as an excellent antioxidant source!

Fresh pineapples contain vitamins A and C, flavonoids and manganese – all important antioxidants. But what exactly are antioxidants and why should thinking about them be a part of our produce purchasing process?

Without proposing a college-level lecture, the most basic explanation we can give goes a little something like this: Our body is made up of billions of cells and each cell can be trillions of molecules. Our cells are what make up the organs and systems our body requires to operate in a healthy way. So the best way to keep our organs functioning and healthy is to take care of them at a cellular level.

Think of antioxidants this way: a cell’s molecules can be harmed at any time for a variety of reasons. The harm comes in a form called “free radical.” Antioxidants protect the body from damage created by these free radicals. In fact, cells can be so badly damaged that they could eventually die off – of course, never to be replaced. This kind of stress to your body’s cells seems to play a significant role in many diseases, including cancers. In essence, if we add antioxidants to our diets we have a natural defense system against some of the most serious health risks.

Pineapples are a price source for antioxidants. They are nearly at the top of the list of manganese and Vitamin C sources – all needed to serve many important functions in the body. In addition to serving as antioxidants, these vitamins and minerals similarly build and repair bodily tissue, help with bones development and promote wound healing.

So if you want a natural way to enhance your body’s healing mechanisms, promote overall good health and tantalize your taste buds, fresh pineapples are the way to go. Just dice them up and help defend your health one bite at a time!

This blog entry is part of a multi-post series on the potential benefits of pineapples. For more information about pineapple consumption, please contact us at info@chfusa.com.

By Dr. Lloyd Berg, PhD.

While the beginning of November is just a few weeks away from “the most wonderful time of the year,” it also marks the beginning of a rather less favorable period – flu season.

With flu activity most commonly peaking between December and February, most Americans take extra precautions in making sure the festive holidays are met without any setbacks. Being proactive about your health and taking preventative measures is probably the best way to fight the common cold. And by taking a natural approach, using fresh pineapple juice might just be your best defense!

Pineapples contain bromelain, an enzyme with anti-inflammatory properties. It fights infections and kills bacteria. Pineapples are also abundant in vitamin C, which we all know is the secret ingredient in any over the counter immunity boosters.

In fact, it’s been documented by holistic wellness practitioners that the juice from fresh pineapples can suppress coughs five times more effectively than cough syrup. With one cup of pineapple juice containing nearly 50% of the daily requirement for vitamin C intake, drinking a glass of fresh pineapple juice can help soothe a sore throat and aid the body to expel any oncoming mucous easily.

This flu season, make sure to prepare by keeping your immunity up and your kitchen stocked. Natural approaches to drugstore medicine are not only better for your overall health, but can be cheaper. So next time you’re in the produce aisle, remind yourself to pick up some ingredients for dinner, as well as a few back-ups for medicine cabinet.

This blog entry is part of a multi-post series on the potential benefits of pineapples. For more information about pineapple consumption, please contact us at info@chfusa.com.

By Dr. Lloyd Berg, PhD.

“How is pineapple good for you again?”  If you find yourself asking this question, it might be time to visit the produce aisle.

As part of a multi-part blog series, we’d like to educate our customers on how consuming “The Perfect Pineapple®” can bear fruit to improvements in overall well-being.  And while pineapples have a plethora of health benefits, our inaugural blog post’s focus (super-charged, we might add) is on how just a few bites a day can potentially improve brain health.

Studies have found that consuming pineapple can improve your memory.  Along with Vitamin B1 and manganese naturally found within the fruit, research shows the enzyme “bromelain” can play a key role in promoting cognitive functions.

The core of the findings is found – well, actually, at the core of the crop.  The center core of a pineapple fruit is an extension of the stalk where the bromelain is concentrated. Bromelain is known to stimulate blood flow to the brain and make one more alert. So much so that pineapples has often been cited as the fruit of choice by musicians, singers and actors, because of the need to memorize sheet music, lyrics and script lines.

Yet, some may forget (we’ll take our chances and bet on those not consuming enough pineapple) that bromelain has been used for hundreds of years in folk medicine as a treatment to various health problems since its discovery on the island of Guadeloupe in 1493 by Christopher Columbus.

Needless to say, with its potent mix of vitamins, antioxidants, and enzymes—in particular, bromelain—pineapple is an all-body anti-inflammation cocktail; one that – hopefully – you’ll remember to add to your grocery list tonight.

This blog entry is part of a multi-post series on the potential benefits of pineapples. For more information about pineapple consumption, please contact us at info@chfusa.com