Why Am I Craving Pineapple? 9 Reasons Why

The reason you might be craving pineapple could be because you have low blood sugar, you’re not drinking enough water, you’re going through hormonal changes because of your period or pregnancy, or you just feel like eating something sweet and it happens to be pineapple.

There could be many other reasons too.

When it comes to wanting a certain food, it’s hard to say exactly why because it could be from body signals, what we see others eating, or just feeling really hungry.

But don’t worry, as a nutritionist, I’m here to help you figure it out.

In this article, I will go over all the possible reasons you might be craving pineapple. Some reasons might be more common than others. So, let’s start.

1. You have low blood sugar

If you find yourself craving pineapple a lot, especially between meals, it could be a sign that your blood sugar is low. Your body might be looking for food that’s rich in carbs to help bring your blood sugar back to a normal level.

Let’s say you had a light breakfast, like a muffin and some fruit juice. This kind of meal is full of carbs, which can make your blood sugar go up quickly.

But, this also means you might end up feeling a drop in your blood sugar about two hours after eating.

This happens because when you eat foods that are full of carbs but low in fiber, your body breaks these carbs down into sugar, which then goes into your blood.

Your body needs this sugar to be moved into your cells to be used for energy. For this to happen, your body releases insulin.

But, when you eat a lot of carbs with not much fiber, your body releases a lot of insulin, and it quickly moves the sugar from your blood to your cells. This can make your blood sugar low.

And when your blood sugar gets low, your body starts looking for quick sources of carbs to bring it back up. For you, that might be to consume pineapple.

For someone else, it might be bananas. It really depends on what you’re used to eating and your lifestyle.

2. You might be thirsty

Sometimes, we think we’re hungry when we’re actually just thirsty.

If you look at the nutritional composition of pineapples, they are made up of 86% water, 13% carbs, 0.5% protein, and a little bit of fat.

This means pineapples have a lot of water in them. So, when you crave pineapple or specifically crave pineapple juice, it might be your body’s way of saying it wants water, but with a bit of taste.

Why does hydrating yourself have to be boring, right?

In fact, sometimes when I come back home from being out in the sun, I often crave something like watermelon or grapes.

I could just drink a glass of water, but it feels like my body wants water that tastes like something, so sometimes I go with that craving.

The main thing is, if you haven’t drunk much water, are out in the sun, or if it’s just hot where you live, you might just need to drink more fluids. And pineapple is a tasty way to do that

3. Your pineapple cravings may have been triggered by external cues

Wanting pineapple can also happen because of things around us, like what we see, smell, or hear about pineapple.

For example, you might start wanting pineapple after you see it in a movie, or smell it in a store or restaurant.

These things can make your brain think about rewards and make you really want pineapple. Let me tell you about two common ways this can happen:

When You See Something Fruity on TV

Imagine you’re watching a show like “Masterchef,” or maybe a video of someone visiting Indonesia, and you see them eating a fruit salad with pineapple in it.

Or maybe you see a movie with lots of food scenes, and they have pineapple. These kinds of things from outside can stick in your brain without you noticing.

You might start wanting pineapple right when you see it on TV, or the feeling might come up later when you’re not expecting it.

When You See a Pineapple Seller on the Street

This is something you might see more in Asia than in North America and Europe.

You’re just walking, doing your own thing, maybe it’s hot outside, and suddenly, you see sellers with carts full of cut-up fruit salad, including pineapple.

Maybe you didn’t stop because you were late, didn’t have money, or were on your way to work. You might not buy it, but the craving for pineapple can stay with you.

It might come back later until you finally eat some pineapple like what you saw.

And it’s not just about seeing; if you smell pineapple from someone else eating it near you, that smell can make you want pineapple too, either right then or later on.

4. Hormonal changes due to pregnancy and menstruation

It’s interesting to note that many pregnant women report having intense pineapple cravings at different times during their pregnancy.

For example, Kate Stroud, who writes for the We Have Kids blog, mentioned she started wanting pickles and pineapple as early as week four of her pregnancy.

Even though some of her cravings went away, she said she always ended up wanting something new throughout her entire pregnancy.

Actually, I found a whole group of pregnant women on Reddit who also reported having a strong pineapple craving, whether it’s the whole fruit or just pineapple juice, as shown in the picture below.

Another time women might crave pineapple is during their menstrual period.

This makes it pretty clear that changes in women’s hormones definitely lead to more cravings for certain foods, and this is even supported by a study in the “Journal of Affective Disorders.“

But, experts still aren’t sure why these hormonal changes make women crave certain foods.

One theory is that these hormonal changes might alter women’s sense of smell and taste, which could be why they start craving certain foods and not liking others.

So, if you’re going through hormonal changes because of pregnancy, your menstrual cycle, or a medical condition, it’s likely you might start craving certain foods more, including pineapple.

5. You simply crave it for its taste

The reason you might be craving pineapple can be as simple as enjoying its taste.

Let’s face it, pineapple has a unique sweet and tangy flavor that many people find delicious. Is there a reason not to like something both sweet and tangy?

Personally, I often find myself wanting grapes because I enjoy their flavor. In fact, grapes are pretty much the only fruit I crave, because they’re what I usually eat. I like their taste, so I choose them over other fruits.

This leads to a cycle: you crave pineapple because you enjoy its taste, and you eat it because you crave it. That’s how it naturally happens.

6. You can’t or arent allowed to eat it for whatever reason

Have you ever heard the saying, “You want what you can’t have”? This might be why you’re craving pineapple.

It could be because you’re not allowed to or can’t eat it right now. Here are 2 reasons this might be happening:

You’re on a restrictive diet

If you’re on a diet that doesn’t allow foods with a lot of carbs or fruits, like the keto diet or the carnivore diet, you won’t be able to eat pineapple even if you used to enjoy it before starting your diet.

Because of this, you might find yourself craving pineapple just because you know you’re not supposed to have it.

Even just seeing pineapple or smelling it can make you crave it.

Pineapples aren’t in season

Depending on where you live, it might be hard to find fresh pineapples all the time.

For example, in the USA, pineapples are usually best and most available from March to May.

That’s when they’re at their freshest, sweetest, and juiciest. When it’s not the peak season, the quality of the pineapples, like how sweet or juicy they are, might not be as good.

This could make you miss and crave the really good pineapples you had when they were in season.

Or, based on where you are, you might not be able to get them at all during certain times of the year, which leads to craving them.

7. You have an emotional association with pineapple

When you have strong feelings about a certain food because of happy times, you might want that food when you’re really just missing those feelings.

For instance, if you have fun memories of drinking pineapple juice at get-togethers with your family or friends, you might find yourself having pineapple juice cravings when you’re feeling lonely.

Let’s take another example when you were at a close relative’s wedding, having a great time moving from one food station to another with your cousins.

You all enjoyed a fruit salad that had pineapple chunks in it while you talked, joked, laughed, and took photos together.

If you start missing those happy moments with your cousins, you might end up craving pineapples.

If family gatherings often featured apple pie, you might find yourself craving apples when loneliness hits.

This kind of craving is what people call emotional eating. It’s good to give in to your fruit cravings because fruit is healthy.

But it’s also important to understand why you’re eating. Eating because of your emotions, not hunger can become a habit.

If this habit leads to craving less healthy foods like pizza or chips, it could end up being bad for your health.

8. You might be stressed

When you are stressed, your food cravings may lean towards sweet foods, such as pineapple, because these foods are enjoyable and can quickly make you feel better.

And this is not just limited to a bowl of fresh pineapple or canned pineapple, you could also be craving pineapple juice.

A study shows that when people are stressed, they might eat more, especially something sweet in nature.

Research shows that chocolate is the number one food craved by people followed by pineapple.

Pineapple is high in natural sugars, providing a fast energy boost and a temporary lift in mood.

This is due to the release of dopamine, a brain chemical associated with pleasure when we eat sweet things. This dopamine release helps to counteract the negative feelings of stress.

Therefore, craving pineapple when stressed can be seen as the body’s way of trying to self-soothe by seeking out foods that offer immediate pleasure and a temporary emotional boost.

This behavior is a part of the broader psychological and physiological response to stress, indicating how our eating habits can change in response to our emotional state.

9. You may be low on certain nutrients (not a reason I like)

I have read this theory time and again which says that if you’re missing certain nutrients, your body will start wanting foods that have those nutrients.

So, if you’re not getting enough vitamin C, your body might make you crave pineapple because pineapple has a lot of vitamin C.

After eating pineapple and getting more vitamin C, everything is supposed to be okay again.

But here’s why I doubt this theory:

Unclear why the body would crave one specific food over others

First, our bodies can’t really tell which food has what nutrients. Even if, just for talking, our bodies could know, why would they pick pineapple for vitamin C?

Other foods have more vitamin C than pineapple. For example, kale has 93 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams, while pineapple has 79 mg per 100 grams.

If we’re looking for the food with the most vitamin C, Kakadu plums have 2,907 mg per 100 grams. Then there are Acerola cherries with 1,680 mg per 100 grams and guavas with 228 mg per 100 grams.

There are many foods with more vitamin C than pineapple, so it doesn’t make sense for the body to just want pineapples for this nutrient.

It is difficult to be deficient in Vitamin C

Second, not getting enough vitamin C is actually pretty rare unless you hardly eat any fruits or veggies.

Adults don’t need much vitamin C every day—As per the RDA men need 90 mg and women need 75 mg.

Since lots of foods have vitamin C, eating a variety of foods, even just a few fruits or vegetables, can meet these needs.

Vitamin deficiency is a real issue

Third, if our bodies really could tell us to eat certain foods because we’re low on a nutrient, an average person who can afford everything he needs wouldn’t have nutrient deficiencies.

But, in the U.S., the top three nutrients people are deficient in are Vitamin B6, Vitamin D, and iron.

Often, people don’t even know they’re missing a nutrient until they get a blood test.

As a nutritionist, I’ve seen clients who were surprised by their blood test results.

They felt fine and had no idea they were low on a nutrient because their bodies didn’t crave foods rich in that missing nutrient.

So, as of yet, there’s no definite proof that our bodies tell us to eat specific foods to get a nutrient we’re lacking.

Conclusion

So, these are the real reasons why you might really want pineapple. I know some of these reasons aren’t as common as others.

But what’s important is, if you find yourself wanting pineapple a lot, it’s good to try and understand why that is happening.

Because, when it comes down to it, your food cravings shouldn’t be in control of you; it should be the other way around. The way you feel about any food you like, including pineapple, should be healthy.

You shouldn’t feel forced or guilty about wanting it, as having uncontrolled cravings can end up being more harmful than helpful in the long run.

FAQ

Why do I want to eat pineapple?

You may want to eat pineapple because it is a delicious tropical fruit that has a sweet and tangy flavor, a juicy and refreshing texture, and a bright and cheerful color. Pineapple is also a good source of vitamin C, which can boost your immune system and skin health. You may also want to eat pineapple because it contains bromelain, an enzyme that can help with digestion and inflammation.

Why do females eat a lot of pineapple?

Females may eat a lot of pineapple for various reasons, such as hormonal changes, nutritional needs, or psychological associations. For example, some females may crave pineapple during pregnancy or menstruation, because it can provide them with vitamin C, iron, and fiber, which are important nutrients for their health. Some females may also eat pineapple because it can make them feel happier, relaxed, or satisfied, thanks to its delicious taste.

What does eating a lot of pineapple do to your body?

Eating a lot of pineapple can have both positive and negative effects on your body, depending on the amount and frequency of consumption. On the positive side, eating pineapple can provide you with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that can support your health and well-being. On the negative side, eating too much pineapple can cause some side effects, such as mouth irritation, stomach upset, diarrhea, or allergic reactions.

Why do I crave pineapple on my period?

You may crave pineapple on your period because of hormonal fluctuations that affect your appetite and mood. Pineapple can help you cope with some of the symptoms of your period, such as nausea, bloating, or cramps, by providing you with vitamin C, iron, and bromelain.

Why do I feel better after eating pineapple?

You may feel better after eating pineapple because it can improve your digestion, immunity, and mood. Pineapple can help you digest your food better, thanks to its bromelain content, which can break down proteins and fats. This fruit can also help you fight off infections and inflammation, thanks to its vitamin C and manganese content, which can boost your antioxidant defenses.

Is it good to eat a lot of pineapple?

It is good to eat pineapple in moderation, as part of a balanced and varied diet. Pineapple is a nutritious and delicious fruit that can offer many health benefits, but it can also cause some problems if you eat too much of it. Eating too much pineapple can lead to excess sugar intake, which can raise your blood sugar and calorie levels, and increase your risk of weight gain, diabetes, and tooth decay. Eating too much pineapple can also lead to mouth irritation, stomach upset, diarrhea, or allergic reactions, especially if you are sensitive to its acidity or bromelain content.

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