What’s in Season? Pick pineapples!
While sweet-tart succulent pineapples are available all year, their optimum season is right now: from March to July. In-season fruit is fresher, tastes better, and has more nutrients than produce that’s been in long-term storage, or transported in cooler trucks. As weather changes around the world, so do growing seasons. Each season offers an abundance of juicy choices.
Think about those magnificent, fragrant, deep red Big Boy tomatoes available in July, versus the paler options at the grocer now. Still good, but not as ripe/sun-kissed/flavorful as their summer cousins.
Eating seasonal produce is usually cheaper too, as the storage costs are much less. And the micronutrients are higher, as they haven’t had time to dissipate. One fruit expert believes that in-season produce supports our body’s nutritional needs by providing what we need best, when we need it most. For example, vitamin C-rich citrus fruits are in season during the winter, to help ward off colds. In the summer, markets are flush with stone fruits, such as peaches and nectarines. These fruits contain beta-carotenes that protect people from sun damage. With that being said, you might ask is juicing healthy? Or can you give me juicing recipes for energy?
As a Juice Therapist, I will tell you that pineapples have loads of vitamins and nutrients, which is why my typical weekly grocery bill includes 25 pineapples, in addition to other fruit and veggies to feed my family of four. Yes 25 pineapples, and we don’t have leftovers. (Aldi calls me the fruit lady!). How do I use them? I juice them for a burst of golden sunshine in a glass, chock-full of potassium, vitamin C, manganese, copper, folate, vitamin B-6, and magnesium. It’s great for digestion, heart health, and reduced inflammation.
Healthline documents that nutrients in pineapples support bone health, immunity, wound healing, and energy production. Pineapple juice also contains trace amounts of iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, choline, vitamin K, and antioxidants.
It’s named a pineapple because it looks like a pinecone. It’s neither part of the pine or apple family. It takes a pineapple plant about 2 years to produce one pineapple. Hawaii is the only state in America that produces them; pineapples also come from Mexico, Thailand, and Costa Rica.
According to Love Big Island, pineapples are not a single fruit, but a group of berries that have fused together, making it a “collective fruit.” Pineapples contain an enzyme called bromelain that breaks down proteins in your mouth; once in your stomach, your body takes care of the rest.
And excellent juice! I just remove the top of my pineapples, and feed chunks into the juicer for glasses of greatness. You don’t have to buy 25 pineapples to reap the benefits of this superfood: start with one and enjoy!
Ready to taste those luscious pineapples? ? Ready to feel energized? Then download your free copy of Evie’s Enlivening Juice List featuring my enlightened list of juicing essentials plus some of my favorite recipes.