I recently learned a valuable lesson as someone new to eating raw foods, and that is:
when is a pineapple ripe? The reason I learned this lesson is because I didn't know I was eating it when it wasn't completely ripe! Seems you should have NO GREEN anywhere, anyway, anyhow (
like the one on the left ) before cutting into it. I never realized that just a little green on the top (
near the stem ) meant it wasn't ripe yet!
BUT do you know what happens when you eat a pineapple that is not ripe? IT BURNS! Boy does it burn....and not just the tongue, but the entire throat.....and not right a way. Oh no, that would be to easy. No we have to wait until I've eaten 3/4 of it before my tongue acts up (which made me stop eating it) and when the tongue pain went away (about 20 minutes later) the throat started to BURN badly for about 8 hours! I truly thought I was having an allergic reaction, until I read about what allergic reaction symptoms were (
sinus drainage/infection and fever ) and that wasn't what I was experiencing.
So why can't you eat a pineapple before its ripe? Pineapple contains a
proteolytic enzyme
bromelain, which digests food by breaking down protein. Pineapple juice can thus be used as a marinade and tenderizer for meat. The enzymes in pineapples can interfere with the preparation of some foods, such as jelly or other gelatin-based desserts. There is significant evidence pointing to the anti-inflammatory benefits of
bromelain. Some have claimed that pineapple has benefits for some intestinal disorders while others claim that it helps to induce childbirth when a baby is overdue. These enzymes can be hazardous to someone suffering from certain protein deficiencies or disorders, such as
Ehlers -
Danlos syndrome. It can also be used to enhance digestion. Despite these benefits, fresh pineapple may cause irritation of the tip of the tongue in some cases to
burning in the throat and/or stomach in others . Some describe this sensation as a raw tingling of Vitamin C or a charge from a nine volt battery. However, this condition is only temporary and will most likely resolve itself within an hour to 24 hours depending on the condition of the pineapple and how much eaten.
So here it is 14 hours later and the pain is subsided greatly, but not completely gone. Although I'm sure it will be soon. HUGE lesson learned here as I cannot afford to do this in the future because I talk for a living!
The reason I learned this lesson is because I didn't know I was eating it when it wasn't completely ripe! Seems you should have NO GREEN anywhere, anyway, anyhow ( like the one on the left ) before cutting into it. I never realized that just a little green on the top ( near the stem ) meant it wasn't ripe yet!
BUT do you know what happens when you eat a pineapple that is not ripe? IT BURNS! Boy does it burn....and not just the tongue, but the entire throat.....and not right a way. Oh no, that would be to easy. No we have to wait until I've eaten 3/4 of it before my tongue acts up (which made me stop eating it) and when the tongue pain went away (about 20 minutes later) the throat started to BURN badly for about 8 hours! I truly thought I was having an allergic reaction, until I read about what allergic reaction symptoms were ( sinus drainage/infection and fever ) and that wasn't what I was experiencing.
So why can't you eat a pineapple before its ripe? Pineapple contains a proteolytic enzyme bromelain, which digests food by breaking down protein. Pineapple juice can thus be used as a marinade and tenderizer for meat. The enzymes in pineapples can interfere with the preparation of some foods, such as jelly or other gelatin-based desserts. There is significant evidence pointing to the anti-inflammatory benefits of bromelain. Some have claimed that pineapple has benefits for some intestinal disorders while others claim that it helps to induce childbirth when a baby is overdue. These enzymes can be hazardous to someone suffering from certain protein deficiencies or disorders, such as Ehlers - Danlos syndrome. It can also be used to enhance digestion. Despite these benefits, fresh pineapple may cause irritation of the tip of the tongue in some cases to burning in the throat and/or stomach in others . Some describe this sensation as a raw tingling of Vitamin C or a charge from a nine volt battery. However, this condition is only temporary and will most likely resolve itself within an hour to 24 hours depending on the condition of the pineapple and how much eaten.
So here it is 14 hours later and the pain is subsided greatly, but not completely gone. Although I'm sure it will be soon. HUGE lesson learned here as I cannot afford to do this in the future because I talk for a living!