Pineapple is now in season. Check with your local grocer for a juicy pineapple, the delicious, nutritious fruit that brings the feeling of summer. Fresh pineapple is naturally super-sweet and a great way to satisfy a sugary craving with a healthful snack. One serving (two slices) contains only 60 calories and a quarter of your daily recommended vitamin C, in addition to containing very little sodium. Jim Dole thought pineapple was so great that he founded the Hawaiian Pineapple company in 1901, with the mission of making pineapple available in every grocery store in the United States!
Pineapple doesn’t ripen any further after it is picked, so it can be enjoyed immediately after purchase. The most flavorful pineapples will be heavy for their size with dry, crisp shells and dark green crown leaves. After washing, remove the pineapple’s outer shell by slicing lengthwise with a sharp knife. Then cut the fruit away from the fibrous core. Your scrumptious snack is ready to eat! Pineapple will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-5 days in a sealed container, which makes it easy to have available for daily snacks.
Wash. Cut. Eat. (how easy is that?) Take Pineapple With You!
• Make skewers or a fruit salad with pineapple, grapes, strawberries and any other yummy fruit of your choice.
• Dip slices into low-fat yogurt for a quick snack.
• Add fresh chunks of pineapple to vanilla frozen yogurt for a good-for-you treat!
Read the Pick-a-Better-Snack April Newsletter
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Pick a better snack™ was developed in partnership with the Iowa Nutrition Network and the USDA’s Food Stamp Program and Team Nutrition – equal opportunity providers and employers. For more information about the Iowa Nutrition Network, call the Iowa Department of Public Health at (800) 532-1579.