There is a long-standing myth that fruit is bad for people with blood sugar concerns. The sugar in whole fruit is locked in fiber. Even when those sugar fears are laid to rest people still have doubts. There’s a lot of questions about pineapples and their sugar content. Today, we want to take a closer look at the deliciously sweet and sharp fruit.

Because of its sweet taste, people assume that pineapple must have a very high glycemic index value. However, with a GI of 59, it’s much lower than some other fruit, including apricot, cantaloupe or watermelon, all of which you expect to be lower. Pineapple can certainly be part of a healthy diet in moderation for someone with blood sugar concerns.

Fresh pineapple is far better for you than canned pineapple packed in syrup. A cup of fresh pineapple chunks has 82 calories, 2.3 grams of fiber and 78.9 milligrams of vitamin C. A cup of canned pineapple has 198 calories, two grams of fiber and only 18.8 milligrams of vitamin C. Fresh pineapple has no added sugar while a cup of canned pineapple chunks has 43 grams of sugar. As with any fruit, eating the flesh of the fruit is preferable to drinking juice, which lacks fiber and speeds the body’s absorption of sugar, making it far more likely to spike blood sugar.

Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that helps digestion, especially after surgery. It can also boost the efficacy of antibiotics. Pineapple contains high amounts of manganese, a mineral that aids in developing strong bones and connective tissue. Additionally, manganese is antioxidant, natural anticoagulant and may fight inflammation. One cup of the fruit contains around two milligrams of manganese. According to nutritional guidelines, men need 2.3 milligrams and women need 1.8 milligrams of manganese per day.

Some studies have shown that pineapple can help you lose weight. This has yet to be proven. The fruit is very rich in vitamin C which has been shown to support weight loss. Moreover, pineapple is 86 percent water and 13 percent with fiber, making it filling and adding volume to the snack while slowing digestion to keep you feeling full longer. Studies show that manganese plays a role in metabolizing carbohydrates and fat. This all adds up and researchers believe pineapple can add your diet efforts.

Maybe you have avoided pineapples for their sugar content but, as you can see, there’s no need to cut them out completely. Many of us default to buying prepared pineapple because the idea of cutting up one ourselves might be daunting. If you are ready to start buying fresh, whole pineapples to cut up at home, there are some tricks to choosing the right ones! Pick a pineapple by smell. You want one that smells sweet but not as sweet as hard candy. The scent of extreme sweetness might be a sign of it being overripe. Pineapples that smell musty may have been in storage for a long time.