BBQ Desserts

Now that BBQ season is finally here, thank you summer, figuring out different foods to BBQ is always an adventure. There are some foods that are obviously made for BBQs, one such example are ribs, another is steak, but what unique foods can one experiment with on the BBQ?

Fruit is a fun food to experiment with and listed below is a good recipe to try:

Pineapple
Take a ripe pineapple and holding the stem portion you can cut off the sides (vertically) then once you have just the fruit showing slice the pineapple into circles (horizontally).
These slices can then be placed on the BBQ grill cook evenly on each side for approximately 30 seconds to one minute, just enough for the edges to get browned slightly. Then while it is still hot sprinkle cinnamon on top and enjoy!

Health Benefits of Pineapple:
Pineapple’s contain a bioactive polysaccharides (carbohydrates) which according to a recent pubmed article, "showed significant antitumor cell proliferation activities against breast carcinoma cells and strong antioxidant activities"¹.
Pineapple also contains bromelain, which are enzymes that have anti-inflammatory properties and the studies have shown help to reduce inflammation, nasal swelling, and also aid in the healing of wounds and burns^2,3,5. It’s also been linked to helping improve digestion and has historically been used in Central and South American countries to treat digestive disorders³. Too much inflammation can lead to many diseases, including coronary artery disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's, but there is some hope according to Harvard Health Publishing, a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods, such as pineapple, can help reduce the amount of inflammation in the body⁴.

References:

1. J Sci Food Agric. 2015 Sep;95(12):2554-61. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.7185. Epub 2015 Apr 10
2. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/bromelain Opens in new window
3. https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/8-reasons-eat-pineapple/ Opens in new window
4. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Inflammation_A_unifying_theory_of_disease Opens in new window
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4998156/ Opens in new window