Benefits of Pomegranates

This is my favorite time of the year- the holidays are right around the corner, hopefully snow will be here soon. But more importantly, my favorite fruit is back in season!

If you haven’t been introduced yet, meet the pomegranate. This fruit is sweet and refreshing, and, unfortunately, only available in the winter here in Virginia. Therefore, I go pomegranate crazy for the short while they are available.

Pomegranates are a deep red in color, and while the rind is inedible, it is full of red seeds. They also keep for a good while, even after being cut, so I usually buy them in bulk!

You can also buy pomegranate juice year round without the mess.

As if you needed another reason to add these to your holiday diet, they are extremely beneficial to your health. Dietician Joe Leech explains that pomegranates have:

-7 grams of fiber

-3 grams of protein

-30% of your daily-recommended amount of Vitamin C

-36% of your daily-recommended amount of Vitamin K

-16 % of your daily-recommended amount of folate

-12% of your daily-recommended amount of potassium

Short story- pomegranates are anti-inflammatory (read: arthritis, joint pain) and have been linked in studies to slow down and even kill prostate and breast cancer cells. It’s also full of antioxidants- 3 times more the amount of red wine and green tea. That makes for a happy heart.

The only thing to really consider when eating a pomegranate is how. They are sort of a tricky fruit, with their hard rinds, and they stain like no other, so don’t wear white while you’re trying to cut them up or eat them.

Many like to cut the entire pomegranate into wedges and submerge them in water, and wait for the seeds to float to the top, an then scoop them into a bowl and enjoy them a spoonful at a time. I never like to wait for this method to work. I like to take one right out of the fridge so it’s still cold, slice it in half, and then put that half in a bowl. I don’t use any spoons. Instead, I turn the half inside out, so that the seeds are on the outside and the rind is concave on the inside, and simply pick the seeds off and eat a handful at a time.

They are also great for adding to dishes for a pop of color or freshness, they can really be used in anything from salads to roasts.

You can enjoy the flavors of pomegranate any time of the year from pomegranate juice too!

Disclaimer: I wasn’t joking about the stains. They’re for life.

#Health #Nice #Snack #Diet #Fruit #Vegetarian