pineapple diet
How well does pineapple help with weight loss?
© frank60 / Shutterstock
The pineapple diet is a real classic. But can you actually lose weight with it? We will tell you what advantages and disadvantages this diet can have.
What is the pineapple diet?
The pineapple diet is a classic crash diet in which (almost) only pineapple may be consumed. You take large amounts of it throughout the day. Whether in the form of pineapple juice or chunks doesn’t matter, but fresh fruit should be used (sugar is often added to canned pineapples). It is important that no more than around 1,000 calories are consumed per day – that’s about the equivalent of two large fruits. The contained enzyme bromelain, which can split proteins, should be boosted with the pineapple diet fat burning, so you can lose a lot.
Overall, the pineapple diet should be carried out over a period of about three to seven days. Apart from the pineapple itself, there is only a lot of other liquid in the form of water or unsweetened tea on the menu – it should be at least three liters a day. About 90 percent of the pineapple diet is short-chain carbohydrates, while the crash diet lacks protein and healthy fat. As with all mono-diets, in which only one specific food can be consumed, the radical and one-sided change in diet to pineapple is intended to shed many kilos in a short time.
Bromelain in pineapple – what effect does it have?
The enzyme bromelain is considered a small miracle of health: It is contained in both the stalk and the juice of the pineapple and is responsible for the fact that the fruit is considered a real fat killer. Because the enzyme supposedly not only improves fat burning, but also digestion. This has not actually been proven by research. However, studies indicate that it can have an anti-inflammatory effect, which could help with flu-like infections or rheumatism, for example.
What does the pineapple diet bring?
Aside from bromelain, pineapple is also said to help with weight loss because research suggests that people with high levels of vitamin C tend to have smaller waist sizes. And the pineapple has a high vitamin C content: 100 grams of the fruit contain about 20 milligrams of vitamin C, which corresponds to one fifth of the daily requirement). Although there is no study that proves that you can really lose weight. But it is clear that the pineapple diet can help you lose a few kilos in the short term due to the reduced calorie intake alone – and this is water and not fat.
Pineapple Diet Benefits
The following benefits is there in a diet with pineapple:
- Fast weight loss
- Being hydrated is generally healthy
- Pineapple is a healthy and delicious fruit, which makes it easier to keep up (for a crash diet).
Disadvantages of the pineapple diet
Unfortunately, the cons outweigh the cons of the diet with pineapple its advantages:
- Severe nutrient and vitamin deficiency due to an unbalanced diet with pineapple
- Fat and proteins are also missing – the lack of protein can lead to muscle breakdown
- High in fruit acid, which can cause heartburn as well as a sore mouth
- Flatulence and diarrhea are possible because the liver can only process a certain amount of fructose from the pineapple – the remaining fructose reaches the small intestine undigested and thus causes symptoms
- There is no evidence that bromelain actually improves fat burning
- High yo-yo effect risk once diet is over – weight loss is not long-term
Our conclusion on the pineapple diet
Like all crash diets, the pineapple diet is unbalanced and can quickly lead to deficiency symptoms in the body. In addition, it is difficult to sustain due to its one-sidedness. With the pineapple diet you can lose a few kilos in the short term, but they are back quickly after the diet. If at all, this diet is only suitable for a few days at most if you want to lose weight as quickly as possible, for example before going on holiday. Otherwise, we generally advise against a diet with pineapples.
What Really Helps You Lose Weight? You can get tips and tricks in our articles on weight loss tips, bikini figure, losing weight without exercising and losing weight without feeling hungry, as well as the car diet. Another exciting nutritional concept is the Logi method.