Fresh pineapple is a great way to spice up a fruit salad or come up with new ideas for a dessert. However, its skin and thorny top make it a pain to cook. Canned pineapple may be ready in a matter of seconds if you want to keep things easy in the kitchen. But is canned pineapple healthy?
Nutritional basics
Pineapple chunks provide 82 calories, 21.7 grams of carbs, 2.3 grams of fiber, and 16.3 grams of sugar in a cup of fresh pineapple. 109 calories, 28.2 grams of carbohydrates, 2.4 grams of fiber, and 25.8 grams of sugar are found in one cup of drained, canned pineapple chunks. Fresh pineapple has less calories, carbohydrates, and sugar than canned pineapple, which is usually packed in fruit juice.
Minerals
In terms of magnesium, calcium, and potassium, canned pineapple offers a modest advantage over fresh pineapple per cup. Both pineapple varieties have the same amounts of phosphorus and sodium, as well as almost comparable amounts of iron and zinc. Overall, the mineral values of pineapple don’t help you meet your daily required quantities in a substantial way. When it comes to calcium, a cup of fresh or canned pineapple provides 21 or 29 milligrams per serving, respectively. Adults need around 1,000 mg or milligrams of calcium every day.
Vitamins
Vitamin C levels in fresh and canned pineapple are vastly different. A whole cup of fresh pineapple provides 789 milligrams of vitamin C compared to 17 milligrams in a cup of canned pineapple. Vitamin C consumption for women should not exceed 75 milligrams per day, while for males the recommended daily dosage is 90 milligrams per day. Fresh pineapple has 30 micrograms of folate and 0.8 milligrams of niacin, whereas canned pineapple has 9 micrograms and 0.5 milligrams. A daily niacin intake of 14 mg for women and 16 mg for males is recommended. For healthy adults, 400 micrograms of folate per day is recommended.
Choosing the Right One
Think about how each form of pineapple affects your own particular health decisions before making a decision on whether to consume fresh or canned pineapple. Fresh pineapple is a better option if you’re trying to stick to a low-sugar or low-carb diet and if you don’t eat a lot of vitamin C-rich foods like fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.