DIETARY TIPS

Pineapples for joints

Our joints play a key role in your quality of life. Healthy joints help you maintain your posture without pain or discomfort, and allow for a range of movement that supports your day-to-day activities. Several lifestyle factors, including exercise and diet, affect your joint health. Pineapples contain essential vitamins and minerals that nourish the tissues that make up your joints.

Vitamin C

Pineapple nourishes your joints because of its vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, content. You need to produce collagen -- a strong, fibrous protein -- to make healthy tissue. Your bones, cartilage, tendons and ligaments all contain collagen in abundance. Vitamin C helps you make the collagen you need to keep your joints strong, while vitamin C deficiency causes joint pain.

Copper

Pineapples also provide a source of copper, an essential mineral important to healthy joints. Copper has an effect on collagen -- it allows your body to properly cross-link collagen molecules, forming a network of proteins that stabilize your tissue. Copper also plays a role in bone growth, nourishing your bones to support joint function. A cup of pineapple chunks contains 182 micrograms of copper -- approximately 20 percent of the copper you need each day.

Bromelain

Pineapples contain several enzymes, collectively called bromelain. Consuming bromelain might help reduce knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis. Bromelain may also help treat tendinitis, an inflammation of your tendons that causes joint discomfort and pain. However, it is not yet fully understood how well bromelain can benefit your joint health.

Bromelainsupplements

Bromelain is a food supplement; an enzyme or phytochemical that may provide an alternative treatment to NSAIDs for patients with osteoarthritis. Currently, bromelain is used for acute inflammation and sports injuries. It also has anti-oedematous property, anti-thrombolytic and fibrinolysis. It also thins the blood and may prevent cardio-vascular conditions.

DIETARY INERVENTION

• Pineapple's sweet taste makes it a delicious snack when consumed on its own.
• Try adding diced pineapple to salsas, or add frozen pineapple chunks to smoothies. Grill sticks of pineapple on the barbeque for a delicious dessert suitable for summer.
• Use pineapple to create joint-healthy meals. Pair it along with fish dishes( the healthy omega-3 fats ) they help fight the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis
• Top your spinach salad with pineapple chunks and chopped walnuts, a vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids
• Pineapple is also a rich source of Manganese, Potassium and Thiamine. Pineapples actually contain over 90% the Daily Value (DV) of Manganese, which is needed for strong bone growth and health – just another reason many athletes regularly drink pineapple juice!
• Bromelain is not exclusively found in pineapple. It is mainly concentrated in the stem and the core of the pineapple more than in the fruit. So don’t throw away that tough, fiberous core! Just chop it up, throw it in a blender with some water and pulse to convert it to juice. Drink this all alone as your arthritis-healing juice, so that the enzymes go straight to work digesting the gunk in your joints.