Food is not only about survival and nutrition. It is also about taste. We are looking for new flavors, new recipes and all the complexity that food can provide us in a spoonful of ingredients.

Even if pineapple is far from ‘Greek fruit label,’ there is quite a lot of consumption in Greece of that exotic fruit. There is actually a tradition of pineapples in Christmas table – I’m not sure where it came from, however. Also, fruit salads in summer places like beach bars usually include this delicious fruit.

But behind the ‘food fashion’ is it truly worth it? Nutritionally, there are many ingredients worth eating in fresh pineapple. It is a great source of antioxidants and vitamin C. Also, there is a great amount of folate, important for pregnancy. Most of it is water, as is the case with many fruits, but pineapples have a substantial number of calories since 100 g of fresh pineapple has 50 calories.

Generally, it looks like an orange on the nutritional spectrum. But fresh pineapples are far more expensive than oranges, especially is large orange producing countries like Greece in Europe and California in the United States.

From an ecological perspective pineapples, as an ‘exotic’ fruit, grows in ‘exotic places.’ Many countries in Africa, Brazil, and Thailand transform their precious natural environment into vast landscape of industrialized agricultural fields. That is a pity, just for the joy of a particular fruit.

Nature provide human beings with many useful things, including the diversity of foods and the creativity to choose and combine them in enjoyable ways. We can make for mindful choices for the benefit of our daily nutrition, our pockets, and the environment.

* The above is not medical advice but mere suggestions for improving your diet. Before reach herbal use you should consult your doctor, especially those who have health issues, are pregnant or are under the age of 6.

Evropi-Sofia Dalampira holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics and an MSc in Botany-Biology.