Fall is my favorite season, so much so that if I ever had a daughter I would probably name her Autumn. I love the crisp air, the leaves, the onset of change both physically and metaphorically and most of all- the pomegranates are back in stores! As a kid I was fascinated with the deep rich color and it's tart rubies They pack a powerful antioxidant punch and has for the last couple of years been considered a wonderfruit for its nutritional assets.
There seems to be some debate over where the fruit actually comes from: Middle East, Africa or Asia. In any case, it is now available worldwide during the fall/winter season earning it the moniker "jewel of winter." They taste a little like cherries and the seeds kind of pop with flavor.
Now let's get down to the benefits:
- Good for blood flow, increasing circulation and protects against heart disease and stroke
- Lowers cholesterol
- High in vitamins A and C, and minerals Potassium and Magnesium contributing to its antioxidant powers which help prevent cancer and are anti-aging.
- Speaking of aging, it also has pantothenic acid- more commonly known as Vitamin B5 which is beneficial for healthy hair, skin and nails as well as metabolizing fats.
The pomegranate is easily bypassed in the stores because so many people are intimidated by how to eat it. Truthfully, it's messy and tedious. That's why it was a genius move for the corner stores and fruit stands to start selling the seeds in a container (already separated). It cost about a $1 more but is so worth it to be able to just take a spoon and dig in.
For those of you not as lucky to have someone separate them, you will have to cut the fruit into sections and just separate the seeds over a bowl. You can also do this in a bowl of water. (Make sure you don't wear anything light.) There is always the option of drinking the juice as there are now brands like Lakewood and POM that
bottle and sell it.
Adding the seeds to a dish gives it a Mediterranean touch. Here's a healthy recipe with salmon as the main course.
http://pomegranates.org/recipes/main_courses/salmon_couscous.html
As mentioned above there are beauty benefits to using pomegranates and can be applied topically. Its antioxidant properties protect against aging, it's anti-inflammatory and promotes collagen and elastin thereby slowing the signs of aging. There are numerous products that have been introduced in the last couple of years and
Weleda has an entire line dedicated to the Pomegrantate including oil, hand creams and body wash.
So if you have not tried it yet, do it now before it's too late, you only have a few months to go before they disappear.
Conscious Ingredient: Pomegranate
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