The Health Benefits of Pomegranates

Have you ever eaten delicious organic pomegranate seeds or drink refreshing pomegranate juice? What a great tasting and refreshing snack! This slightly peculiar fruit has held legendary powers for countless centuries.

Persians believe Eve actually ate a pomegranate she plucked from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, not an apple. Ancient Egyptians buried their dead with pomegranates because they believed it offered eternal life.

This fruit is also featured in mythology and tradition as a symbol of good tidings. Greeks break open a pomegranate at wedding celebrations, and the Chinese eat candied pomegranate seeds for good luck.

Current Research into Pomegranates

Researchers are discovering the truth surrounding the pomegranate’s powers, proving why this exotic fruit has claimed such a fabled place in cultures throughout the ages. Scientists conducting research on the many health benefits of pomegranates have made some startling finds.

First, organic pomegranates are full of antioxidants. These are vitamins and enzymes known for keeping low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol from oxidizing and causing atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Organic pomegranate seeds act a lot like aspirin, keeping blood platelets from sticking together and forming dangerous blood clots.

Antioxidants also buffer the effects of free radical damage to your cells caused by oxidation. Free radicals are produced by functions within the body and elements outside the body, such as radiation from the sun. You can’t stop free radical occurrence and oxidation but you can consume foods that help neutralize their potential damage.

Research also shows that eating organic pomegranate seeds and drinking pomegranate juice can increase oxygen levels to the heart.

Other studies reveal that, over time, organic pomegranates might help combat erectile dysfunction. This super fruit might also reduce the inflammation of arthritis by slowing down the enzymes that break down cartilage.

How to Eat Organic Pomegranate

The pomegranate is an intricate fruit containing a maze of seeds inside of inedible flesh that’s covered in a bark-like skin. Still, there is an easy way to get to all those nutritious,sweet and juicy seeds.

1. Cut off the crown (you’ll see it) and throw it away or better yet use it for compost.
2. Score and slice the rind all around, but don’t cut the rind all the way through.
3. Soak the pomegranate face down in cold water for about ten minutes.
4. While the pomegranate is still in the bowl of water, break apart the scored rinds, and remove the seeds from the flesh (the seeds will sink to the bottom of your bowl).
5. Remove the rind and membrane from the bowl with a sieve or spoon.
6. Drain the seeds with a colander and pat dry with a paper towel.

To get the most out of an organic pomegranate, eat the seeds while they’re at their freshest and juiciest, and at the peak of their medicinal powers.

Some people suck the juice out and spit out the seed. It is a personal choice but most of the beneficial fiber comes from the seed so it is beneficial to eat it. Organic pomegranate seeds are bursting with a delicious, pleasant, slightly acidic flavor that has all the sweetness of cranberries without the tartness.

Organic pomegranate seeds are also perfectly delicious eaten all by themselves.

Health Benefits of Organic Pomegranates

Packed with antioxidants equal to those in green tea and red wine, and especially loaded with Vitamin C and Potassium, pomegranates are said to help:

• Lower Risk of Heart Disease
  
• Lower Risk of Cancer, Especially Prostate and Breast
  
• Lessen Symptoms of Diarrhea
  
• Reduce Cholesterol
  
• Control Your Weight
  
• Fight Cell Damage

Pomegranates are one of the few fruits whose juice is just as beneficial as its fruit or seeds. The peel, which you can’t eat, contains the most antioxidants, and they are released in abundance when the fruit is squeezed for juicing.