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Caribbean tourism now bouncing back

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 14:40:01 +0000

Caribbean tourism now bouncing back

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admin Mon, 06/20/2022 - 14:40

Thursday, June 2, 2022

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Caribbean tourism now bouncing back

The Caribbean’s tourism renaissance is well underway, with some destinations approaching or exceeding record visitor arrival numbers.

Tourism officials cite pent-up traveller demand, the elimination or significant reduction in travel restrictions, the return of airlift, attractive deals and packages being offered by hotels, and a range of destination and hotel choices and upgrades that are now in place as key factors for the rebound.

Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) President Nicola Madden-Greig applauded the region’s tourism, health and government leaders for their work over the past two years to position the region’s largest industry to recover from the pandemic.

Madden-Greig pointed to the announcement last month by the World Travel and Tourism Council at its global summit in Manila, recognising the Caribbean and Latin America as leading the global tourism recovery.

“Today’s traveller has many choices when planning a Caribbean getaway, thanks to the efforts of so many. Over the past decade we’ve seen an explosion of new and upgraded hotels and infrastructure improvements.

During the pandemic many hotels and attractions used the time to improve on their product and service offerings, also recognising the changing needs of the discerning traveller.

“We continue to offer accommodation experiences which appeal to the full range of traveller interests. Beyond our world-famous beaches and waters, travellers can experience our diverse cultural, culinary and historic treasures. And we’ve worked diligently to put in place health safety protocols which are effective and as nonintrusive as possible,” she stated.

Madden-Greig noted that on average, hotels and resorts in the Caribbean will approach close to 80 per cent of their record pre-pandemic performance this year, with some destinations setting all-time records.

Cruise ships are returning, which is especially important to attractions, transportation providers such as independent taxis, and small- and medium-sized vendors. In addition, investment in new and upgraded hotels and resorts has not slowed.

“These are all great indicators which point to traveller confidence and demand for the Caribbean. We are seeing the fruits of years of hard work by the industry and governments throughout the region to invest in our tourism product and our people, and to broaden our appeal as we find new ways to provide a diverse and exciting experience for our visitors,” said Madden-Greig.

“Travellers to the Caribbean can discover our diverse offerings by land or sea, by a cruise vacation, or a coveted, longer in-destination stay for a more immersive experience.

“It has never been easier to do the Caribbean ‘your way’ and there are options for every interest and every budget. From high-end luxury accommodations on land or on sea to cozy cottages and apartments,” she added.

CHTA’s Acting CEO and Director General Vanessa Ledesma echoed these thoughts recently at the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS). Pointing to data from ForwardKeys, Ledesma highlighted the strong interest in the region for summer and fall travel.

“This is reflective of the travellers’ mindset with the accessibility of the region, brand identity and management of the pandemic being key elements that are driving demand,” she said.

ForwardKeys, CHTA’s data partner, recently reported that the Caribbean and Latin America were leading the summer outlook in terms of the return of leisure travel, noting that five destinations – Aruba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Mexico and The Bahamas – were among the “most resilient” based on confirmed arrivals for the summer.

Developer confidence is also evident in STR’s most current pipeline report, with close to 30,000 rooms in development or under construction over the next five years.

Madden-Greig pointed to new challenges facing the industry, as inflation is resulting in higher operating and travel costs and the uncertainty in Eastern Europe impacts travel.

“While the cost of travel increases worldwide due to these and other factors, we will continue to focus on providing value and exceptional traveler experiences,” said the CHTA leader.

“This is particularly important in our highly competitive global marketplace. Despite these challenges, we anticipate over the coming weeks and months to see a proliferation of deals and special offers by the industry to continue to appeal to travellers’ desire to come to the Caribbean,” she said. (PR)

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America’s mess

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 19:40:01 +0000

America’s mess

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Friday, June 17, 2022

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America’s mess

Anyone who has never worried or thought about the future of the US must be doing so following the revelations of the January 6 panel on the US Capitol riots, which so far reveal what has been an attempted political coup. Something of course which the US has condemned in the ‘s-hole’ countries as Trump had described some countries of the world. And why should we be concerned about what is happening in the US? For one, the US still has a commanding position in the world, and whenever it sneezes many countries catch a cold. It has played a leading role in organising a coalition among European countries to defend Ukraine as it faced and is still facing an invasion by Russia. Certainly not a ‘Special Operation’! Already we are facing, like the rest of the world, increased prices that are creating enormous problems for our people. There is a shortage, among other things, of wheat, affecting particularly many African countries.

When the Ninth Summit of the Americas took place in California from June 7-10 one of the talking points was the exclusion of three countries of the Americas. The host country apparently reserves the right to decide which countries should attend and the Biden administration decided to exclude Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela because it claims to be concerned about strengthening democratic rule in the Americas. Some leaders stayed away in protest, including our own Prime Minister, who was recently awarded Cuba’s highest National Award, the Order of José Marti. Prime Minister Mia Motley of Barbados who attended spoke to the issue of exclusion of countries. She did not sock it to them, but politely drew attention to the matter, stating that it was wrong to exclude the countries and decried the policy of talking at rather than with each other.

But where am I going with this? While the Biden administration professes to be concerned about democracy in the Americas, the US is facing an assault on its own democracy. So, the US needs to clean its house first before urging others to do so. In fact, it has a history of ‘shacking up’, metaphorically speaking, with countries to which democracy is a bad word. Isn’t he supposed to visit Saudi Arabia, an authoritarian regime, as it is described by human rights activists. Has the Crown Prince not been linked to the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi?

There is much more. Former president, Donald Trump is seen as the one behind the attempted coup, an effort on his part to remain in power. The findings of the January 6 Panel are revealing a dark side of the US. Now we know that many of Trump’s closest allies had been warning him about his claims of election fraud. His former Attorney General, William Barr indicated to him that his claims about an election stolen from him “were completely bogus and silly and usually based on complete misinformation; . . . the stuff that his people were shovelling out to the public was ‘bullshit’ – I mean that the claims of fraud were bullshit . . . “

His efforts to take those claims to Court were all dismissed even by his own appointed judges. Hopefully justice will take its place and Trump will have to defend himself in Court. But it goes beyond Trump. His continuing claims about stolen elections have found a home among many Americans. In recent Republican Primary elections, over 100 of the GOP winners are backing Trump’s false claims of election fraud. One can only hope that in November elections most of them fail. But a number of States have already put in place measures to control the outcome of the elections. In New Mexico over the past week State Commissioners refused to approve tallies from ‘primary’ elections. Fortunately, the New Mexico Supreme Court has ordered the Commissioners to certify the election results and they were given until today to do so. Would they comply or continue their political shenanigans as dictated by Trump?

This year’s Congressional Elections and State Elections will reveal a lot. Control of both houses of Congress by Republicans will admit a number of persons who still maintain that the last presidential election was stolen from their man, while all the evidence indicate otherwise. But the real story of American democracy has never truly been told when one looks at the difficulties over the years experienced by Blacks and minorities, including the indigenous people.
There will be more startling revelations by the January 6 Panel. We already know that there is some method to Trump’s apparent madness since he has been profiting financially from his “Big Lie”. We have to stay tuned!

Dr Adrian Fraser is a social commentator and historian

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The Summit of the Americas – Picking and Choosing Attendees

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 19:40:01 +0000

The Summit of the Americas – Picking and Choosing Attendees

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The Summit of the Americas – Picking and Choosing Attendees

I WAS THINKING about the most recent edition of the Summit of the Americas, which closed on June 10 in Los Angeles, USA.

Who did not attend –

Not in attendance were the official leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. They were not invited. Also, not in attendance, by choice, were the heads of government of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Their absence constituted a protest or a statement of principle, regarding the non-invitation of the aforementioned “Excluded Three”.

This story made regional news headlines and hit global news networks as well. It had the makings of a controversy that would have diminished the intended purpose of this hemispheric gathering. Yet, the Summit went on as scheduled.

It seems that they got some work done in relation to migration, climate change and general hemispheric collaboration. At least, they arrived at a position on these matters, along with accompanying action plans.

Clearly, if they want meaningful results, on the matter of immigration at least, discussions must take place with those who stayed away. Let us see what happens in the upcoming months.

The Gonsalves Stance –

I am a bit ambivalent about the position that CARICOM should have taken in relation to participating in the Summit. On the one hand, I can appreciate Dr Gonsalves’s decision to stay away. The Americas is for and about all countries and peoples who are in this hemisphere.
The Biden/Blinken administration should not decide whom to be invited or not invited because it does not agree with their political systems or the politics of their leaders. Although you may ask yourself whether you want to break bread with a leader (Daniel Ortega) who incarcerated the major opposition leaders and barred them from participating in presidential elections.

Principle versus Pragmatism –

Principle must not clash with pragmatism. There are those who argue that the Biden policies towards Latin America and the Caribbean are a bit more accommodating than those of his predecessor – there is greater dialogue between the USA and Cuba today. Whether for the right or wrong reason, since Putin’s troops have set foot on Ukrainian soil, there have been strong murmurs of USA and the Maduro government returning to the negotiating table to discuss the lifting of sanctions and increased oil production.

But whether these actions have taken place or not, I will not hold it against those CARICOM leaders for attending, with the aim of dealing with the over-arching matters. While there, they could have opted to speak on the US government invitation faux-pas, making it clear that the best way to deal with hemispheric bugbears is to talk straight-up, face to face with those you oppose or with those who oppose you.

The same view applies to those who deliberately stayed away.

An Ease in Covid-19 Protocols –

At the time of writing, the number of known active cases in SVG is fewer than 200, and currently trending downwards. Although, new cases are riding a roller-coaster, the mean number is not alarming. However, we have to keep our finger on the pulse of what is happening.

I get the impression that many persons feel that the pandemic is all but gone and life should return to normal – “tings nice agen!“

Border health in the UK and in the USA are no longer tasked with checking on travellers with vaccination certificates and Covid tests. This is a significant relief for those who are heading off/ back to any one of those countries during the upcoming weeks. It has been quite a stressor for both visitors and port health officials, over the last two years.

SVG Health’s position –

It is a bit different in SVG. At this time, SVG Health is telling the unvaccinated (only), to come with a valid Covid test and be quarantined for five days at an approved facility. Some persons are not happy with the country’s position. But, as the figures show, Covid has not yet left our shores. With Vincy Mas coming up in a matter of days, we run the risk of another major spike.

I am quite comfortable with this requirement. If you are going to SVG anytime soon, don’t stress yourself, get vaccinated within the requisite time frame and then enjoy the country’s delights, without the pre-travel bureaucratic hassle.

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Mexican government prodding its farmers to grow more food

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 17:10:01 +0000

Mexican government prodding its farmers to grow more food

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 17:10

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

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Mexican government prodding its farmers to grow more food

The corn has begun to sprout on the hillsides south of Mexico’s capital, though it’s unclear whether these shoots will have enough water to grow or whether the farmer will be able to afford the increasingly expensive fertiliser. What is known is...

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To Beat INEC’s Deadline, Tinubu Quietly Submits Forms, Includes ‘Place Holder’ as Running Mate

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 04:40:01 +0000

To Beat INEC’s Deadline, Tinubu Quietly Submits Forms, Includes ‘Place Holder’ as Running Mate

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Thursday, June 16, 2022

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To Beat INEC’s Deadline, Tinubu Quietly Submits Forms, Includes ‘Place Holder’ …

•PDP screens vice-presidential nominees today

•Party’s NWC meets over c’ttee’s recommendations on running mate

•Atiku speaks on how to free up funds for social investments

Iyobosa Uwugiaren and Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Desperate to beat deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has quietly submitted his forms, with the inclusion of a ‘place holder’ as running mate.

At the same time, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has constituted a 12-man committee-led by Chief Tom Ikimi, to screen the presidential nominees of the party.

Also, following the meetings of the various elders and consultative committees of the party, on the choice of a vice presidential candidate, the National Working Committee (NWC), of the PDP, met to decide on the recommendations made by the various committees.

This is as the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said his main objective was to have Nigerians, who would be the beneficiaries of his policy framework to interrogate the policies on how to reduce infrastructure deficit and free up funds for social investments in the country.

An insider in the ruling APC told THISDAY last night in Abuja that the action by Tinubu and the APC was aimed at meeting the statutory requirement and beat the Friday, June 17, 2022 deadline by INEC for presidential candidates to submit names of their deputies to the commission.

But the choice of running mate is yet to be resolved hence the decision to include a “place holder” instead as vice-presidential candidate, while Tinubu and the APC were still making consultations for a suitable deputy that would enhance the party’s victory in 2023.

The controversy over the suitability of the APC running with a Muslim-Muslim ticket or otherwise, has been very intense in the last few days.

“The name of the running mate submitted would be changed for another northern politician in the next few weeks. The one submitted is just holding the ticket in trust for another candidate to be picked by Tinubu and the party in the next few weeks.

“The candidate is still widely consulting, because the issues around the choice of running mate are many and he is yet to address them all. So, he is still asking for more time to look into it all – whether he is running a Muslim-Muslim or a Muslim-Christian ticket.

“He personally thinks there’s a need for more consultation and that’s what he is doing. The debate on the choice of deputy has assumed a level that is currently greater than the party and the candidate, hence the need for comprehensive consultation, which is what he is doing,” a reliable party source hinted last night.

Though some names had been mentioned as possible running-mate to the former Lagos state, it was gathered that no compromise have been reached yet.

A source in the Tinubu’s camp told THISDAY that all the northern governors want the position.

The source added that if Tinubu had his way, he would have loved to pick the former Governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima as his running-mate, but he wanted the president and the governors to pick.

The source said: “All northern governors want it. If Tinubu has his way, it will be Senator Kashim. But he wants the president and governors to pick for him.”

Asked why Tinubu does not want to pick his running mate himself, the source stressed he didn’t want to be a winner takes it all.

“He does not want to be the winner takes it all. You need to respect the president. Buhari did not choose VP for himself in 2015.”

From the PDP camp, a credible party source, had disclosed that after an extensive deliberation, where Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and sacked former Imo State governor, Emeka Ihedioha, were considered, the vice-presidential nomination committee, settled for one of the governors.

A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, however, named Dr. Akilu Indabawa, as the Committee Secretary while Mr. Sunday Omobo, was nominated as Administrative Secretary.

“Pursuant to Part VI, Paragraph 14 of the the Electoral Guidelines of our great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Working Committee (NWC), has approved the nomination of the following party members to serve on the Vice Presidential Candidate Screening Committee for the screening/verifying of the nominated Vice Presidential Candidate of our Party for the 2023 general election,” the statement stated.

Other members of the committee, the statement listed, were Chief Osita Chidoka, Member; Rt. Hon. Binta Bello, Member; Chief Mrs. Alh. Mutiat Adedoja, Member; Rt. Hon. Austin Opara, Member; Prof. Aisha Madawaki, Member; Mrs. Ayotunde George-Ologun, Member; Chief Mrs. Chidiebelu Mofus, Member; and H.E. Fidelis Tapgun, Member.

The party said the screening exercise would hold at the National Working Committee (NWC) Hall, PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, today, June 16, 2022. at 10am.

Deadline for the submission of presidential candidates and the vice-presidential candidates ends tomorrow, June 17, as the INEC website shuts down automatically by 6pm.

Also, deadline for the submission of governorship and state assembly candidates ended yesterday, Wednesday, June 15, while the submission for National Assembly candidates ends tomorrow, Friday June 17.

Sources close to the party informed THISDAY that the NWC will submit the names of three vice presidential nominees to Atiku for his consideration.

The three nominees were of South South and South East zones.

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America’s mess

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 15:00:02 +0000

America’s mess

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Friday, June 17, 2022

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America’s mess

Dr Adrian Fraser is a social commentator and historian

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The Summit of the Americas – Picking and Choosing Attendees

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 14:50:01 +0000

The Summit of the Americas – Picking and Choosing Attendees

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Friday, June 17, 2022

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The Summit of the Americas – Picking and Choosing Attendees

I WAS THINKING about the most recent edition of the Summit of the Americas, which closed on June 10 in Los Angeles, USA.

Who did not attend –

Clearly, if they want meaningful results, on the matter of immigration at least, discussions must take place with those who stayed away. Let us see what happens in the upcoming months.

The Gonsalves Stance –

Principle versus Pragmatism –

The same view applies to those who deliberately stayed away.

An Ease in Covid-19 Protocols –

I get the impression that many persons feel that the pandemic is all but gone and life should return to normal – “tings nice agen!“

SVG Health’s position –

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Bahamas is more competitive with testing, health visa removal, says Baha Mar president

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 11:40:01 +0000

Bahamas is more competitive with testing, health visa removal, says Baha Mar president admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 11:40

Friday, June 17, 2022

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The Nassau Guardian

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Bahamas is more competitive with testing, health visa removal, says Baha Mar pr…

The removal of the COVID-19 testing requirement for vaccinated individuals entering The Bahamas and the discontinuation of the Bahamas travel health visa means savings in the cost of travel to this country and a more level playing field with competitive destinations in the region, Baha Mar President Graeme Davis told Guardian Business yesterday.

Davis said those savings will go a long way, as travelers decide which destination in the region they will spend their vacation time.

He said the government’s decision on Wednesday to remove both the testing requirement and the visa now makes The Bahamas more competitive when weighed against destinations like Aruba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, which have removed testing requirements.

The Bahamas visa and testing requirements will go away this Sunday.

“We’re very pleased with the government’s approach to support the decision to remove the testing requirement for vaccinated visitors to The Bahamas and certainly the removal of the health visa,” said Davis.

“This removes an impediment for those wanting to travel, but with the cost of inflation and the cost to travel, having these additional expenses removed certainly puts us on a more level playing field against the competitive destinations across the Caribbean, by removing these requirements and these fees that are associated with the cost of those COVID requirements.

“So we’re extremely pleased with the government’s approach. Obviously it’s important that we continue to maintain a safe environment for our associates, for our guests, and for the community.”

Davis explained that 72 percent of Baha Mar’s staff are now vaccinated and the resort continues to promote vaccinations and offer them to staff through the government’s vaccination program.

The resort’s Travel With Confidence program was discontinued after the US made the decision to remove its testing requirement for individuals coming through its borders.

Caribbean

Junior rowers prepare for CanAmMex Regatta

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 11:40:01 +0000

Junior rowers prepare for CanAmMex Regatta admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 11:40

Friday, June 17, 2022

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Junior rowers prepare for CanAmMex Regatta

Local junior rowers have been putting in the work on Lake Cunningham as they prepare for competition at the 2022 CanAmMex International Regatta to be held on Fanshawe Lake in London, Ontario, Canada. It is set for July 11-12.

The Bahamas’ participation in the regatta is via a collaboration of two clubs – the Nassau Rowing Club (NRC) and the Windsor Rowing Club (WRC). An 11-member team includes Jessica Proffitt, Poppy Proffitt, Breanna Gayle, Crachante Laing, Kenneth Hart, Kameron Taylor, Matthias Simms, Isaiah Ellis, William Watson, Harrison Schindel and the spare is Tasneem Karabas. They will be competing in four different races – the women’s quadruple sculls, the men’s quadruple sculls, the women’s double sculls and the men’s double sculls.

The head coach of the team is Canadian Olympian Andrea Proske. The team manager and assistant coach is Beatrise Bethel. WRC coach, Olympian Rob Gibson, is also supporting the team.

CanAmMex is one of the biggest junior rowing national team events that has Canada, the United States of America and Mexico rowing against each other. It usually encompasses junior rowers who narrowly missed the world championships. This year, The Bahamas got an invitation to compete – the first time a fourth country was invited in its 15-plus years of competition.

Proske, 2020 Olympic Champion in the women’s eights for Canada, said now that school is closed for the summer, they will take training up a notch as they gear up for preparation camp.

“The training has been harder than anything that these athletes have ever done,” Proske said. “Up until now, they have fitted training around school, so it meant a lot of time not spent doing other things. The athletes are stepping up and gaining fitness that they have never had before. They are doing distance and speed that they have never had before.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for them because not only do they get an opportunity to represent The Bahamas internationally, for many of them this will be the biggest regatta they have ever been to. This is also a great stepping stone for those who want to go off for school.”

Collegiate scouts are expected to be in attendance. The rowers will get an opportunity to leave not only with medals but with new friendships as well.

President of NRC Kyle Chea said that he hopes the regatta helps the rowers develop their passion for the sport.

“The regatta has presented an incredible opportunity for rowers across New Providence to come together to represent the country through athletic excellence. We hope that this opportunity lights a fire in our athletes to start their own Olympic journey to represent The Bahamas at more competitive regattas in the future,” Chea said.

Proske believes in the rowers and believes that if they achieve their personal best they will return home with some hardware.

“I expect the athletes to be very clear about what our definition of success is. The definition of success is to cross the finish line knowing that we turned over every stone and that we had a personal best. I do believe that these rowers’ personal best will be enough to land us among the top two spots,” Proske said.

The team is sponsored by King’s College, Marlin Capital Partners, Damianos Sotheby’s International Realty, Isles of Knight, Agriculture and Energy Carriers, the New Providence Development Company and Biosteel.

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Pineapple, a delicious tropical boost for your well-being

admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 10:30:01 +0000

Pineapple, a delicious tropical boost for your well-being

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admin Thu, 02/24/2022 - 10:30

Sunday, February 13, 2022

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Local – Dominican Today

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Pineapple, a delicious tropical boost for your well-being

EFE

“The edible portion of pineapple is 57 out of every 100 grams of the fresh product, and its main component is water, being a low-calorie food, and with a high content of vitamins C and A, potassium and iodine,” he points out. Sonia Peinado is an expert dietitian in clinical and sports nutrition.

“This fruit is useful to avoid dehydration and its consequences, such as fatigue, dizziness or mental confusion. It also helps eliminate body fluids and reduce the formation of edema (swelling caused by the accumulation of fluids)”, according to nutritionist Carmen Escalada.

In addition to being a fruit rich in nutrients and highly appreciated in gastronomy, pineapple (Ananas sativus) is a food that can offer numerous benefits for health and diet, many of which are often little known by consumers.

This fruit, from the botanical family of bromeliads, bears fruit once every three years, producing a single fragrant and sweet fruit, but due to the varied location of its production, it is usually available all year round, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) Spanish.

Known as ‘matzatli’ in Mexico and Central America, and called ‘pineapple’ in the Anglo-Saxon world, “the tropical pineapple comes from South America, specifically from Brazil, where it is called ananá,” Sonia Peinado, an expert dietitian in clinical nutrition and sport of the European Medical Institute of Obesity (IMEO).

According to the MAPA, it is a fruit formed by the union of the fruits of several flowers around a sizeable fleshy axis, whose pulp is yellowish, aromatic, and sweet with acid tints.

Delicious tropical fruit is packed with nutrients, antioxidants, and beneficial compounds, such as enzymes that help fight inflammation. It has also been linked to multiple health benefits, such as aiding digestion, boosting immunity, and speeding recovery after a bout of surgery, according to the medical website Healthline (www.healthline.com).

Few calories, many virtues

“The edible portion of pineapple is 57 out of every 100 grams of fresh product, and its main component, as in most fruits, is water (86%), hence it is a very low food. in calories”, points out the IMEO nutritionist (https://imeoobesidad.com).

Peinado explains that “the pineapple only ripens satisfactorily on the plant and in the last weeks of ripening the fruit doubles its content of active ingredients and sugar.”

Those specimens removed prematurely are poorer in nutrients, in addition to being more acidic”, he points out.

Regarding the nutritional compounds of pineapple, Peinado highlights its concentration of vitamin C (about 12 milligrams or mg. every 100 grams or g.), which protects our cells against oxidative damage, as well as its content in vitamin A (or retinol), which favors the formation of bones, teeth, and soft tissues.

Regarding minerals, its high concentration of potassium stands out, necessary to develop muscle function, control the balance between acid and alkaline substances, and the heart’s electrical activity.

“Pineapple also contains significant amounts of iodine, which is involved in the regulation of thyroid hormones, and magnesium, a mineral necessary to regulate blood sugar levels or blood pressure,” he says.

Bromelain, a key enzyme

Also, the pineapple contains a substance called bromelain in its fruit and skin, a substance called bromelain “which helps digest proteins and has an anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic effect; that is, it helps prevent inflation and the formation of blood clots, respectively,” according to nutritionist Peinado.

“However, in order to benefit from these beneficial effects, it is important not to expose the fruit to heat (which would produce an inhibition of bromelain), but to consume it fresh,” he warns.

For her part, Carmen Escalada, a clinical nutritionist at the IMEO, points out that the pineapple’s high content of water and micronutrients means that its consumption has important health benefits. “The high concentration of water in this fruit makes it ideal for avoiding dehydration and its consequences such as fatigue, dizziness, or mental confusion.

For this same reason, it also helps eliminate body fluids and, thereby, reduce the formation of edema (swelling of a part of the body caused by the accumulation of fluids),” he adds.

Escalada explains that having very few calories (about 50 kilocalories or Kcal per 100 grams), the consumption of this fruit can be helpful to prevent overweight and obesity, so this expert recommends those who want to lose weight “include it in their daily diet.” “Pineapple is also rich in potassium, which helps prevent muscle cramps after exercise,” she notes.

Pineapple’s vitamin C content can also help prevent diseases such as atherosclerosis, cardiovascular episodes, or vision loss, according to Escalada.

He adds that the bromelain content of pineapple “makes its consumption in moderate amounts beneficial, in the case of suffering from dyspepsia or laborious and imperfect digestion.”

“Because of its texture and flavor, pineapple can be our great ally in the kitchen, being able to use it in many dishes, taking advantage of its healthy nutritional properties,” says Escalada.

He points out that this fruit can be used in desserts such as smoothies or carrot cake to give them juiciness and texture and salads or as an ingredient in sauces such as curry.

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