1. They Taste Good

And that’s the most important of the many reasons you should eat pineapple, right? Pineapple has a pleasant tropical flavor that’s naturally sweet, juicy and delicious. It tastes great on its own, but you can also add pineapple to salsa, smoothies or fruit salad for a flavor that can’t be matched by any other fruit.

2. It’s Easy to Peel

Don’t bypass pineapples because they look hard to prepare. They really aren’t, I promise. Simply cut off both ends, stand the pineapple up and use a sharp knife to slice the peel from top to bottom. Next, cut the pineapple from top to bottom into four chunks. Slice the core from each, then chop it into bite-size pieces. There’s enough to last for several meals. Keep the leftovers in the refrigerator.

3. Vitamin C

Pineapple is absolutely loaded with vitamin C, which your body needs for immunity and wound healing. Getting enough every day means you might just bypass that cold everyone else has right now. A cup of pineapple has pretty much all the vitamin C you need in a day, and you can’t beat that!

4. It’s Low in Calories

A full cup of fresh pineapple has fewer than 100 calories. Surprised? Pineapple is super sweet so it tastes decadent, but you can totally include it in a well balanced diet without worrying about weight gain. A diet low in calories is the perfect way to keep your weight under control, so finding something that tastes as good as pineapple is just icing on the cake. Have it with your lunch or nibble it for a snack.

5. Antioxidants

Antioxidants are found in most fruits and vegetables, and pineapple is no exception. You want to get plenty of antioxidants because they fight free radical damage that plays a role in cancer and heart disease. Free radicals come from a poor diet and environmental toxins so you can’t totally avoid them. Give yourself a bit of insurance by adding pineapple to your meal plan.

6. It’s Versatile

You can do so many things with pineapple, which makes it the perfect choice if you want to shake things up in the kitchen. Chop pineapple and mix with avocado and jalapenos for a garnish that really brings out the flavor in chicken or fish. Combine chunks of pineapple with orange segments, kiwi slices and mango pieces for a tropical fruit salad you’ll never get tired of eating.

7. You Can Cook with It

Pineapple is super tasty raw, but you can cook with it too. It adds a great tang to so many foods. Combine pineapple chunks with chicken breasts and red bell pepper in the slow cooker for a yummy homemade sweet and sour chicken recipe. Or, cook chicken with pineapple juice and teriyaki sauce, shred it up and serve it on buns for a Hawaiian dinner everyone will love. You can also slice and grill pineapple with honey for a yummy dessert that tastes great with ice cream.

Do you like pineapple? Will you buy one next time you get groceries?