The sweet, tart flavor of Pomegranate brings me back to my childhood.
It seems like it was not so long ago, I was tugging at my mother’s shirt asking her where the pomegranates were. Of course back then with my bangs and pigtails, I didn’t understand this delicious fruit was only available during certain seasons, but as I grew up, I realized that when the leaves began to turn, it was pomegranate time.
The Pomegranate a Nutritional Superfood
The term superfood is thrown around a little too loosely these days, however, the pomegranate is one food that rightly deserves this elite classification.
As you can see, the pomegranate fruit is full of a lot more than just flavor. It is high in fiber and also some necessary vitamins and minerals that are sometimes hard to get enough of in today’s diet, which brings it even higher on my list of must-have foods.
Specifically, the pomegranate provides a hefty dose of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Magnesium and much much more. Pomegranates are also thought to contain powerful antioxidants that provide you and your body with numerous health benefits.
11 Possible Health Benefits of the Mighty Pomegranate
- Helps maintain and may even lower blood pressure.
- Helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
- Soothes the stomach by helping to improve digestion.
- Improves HDL (your good cholesterol) levels.
- Provides protection from depression.
- Improves immunity and helps fight allergies.
- Helps in the healing of wounds.
- Helps prevent sunburn.
- Reduces muscle soreness caused by exercise.
- Enhances complexion.
- Helps weight loss.
6 Steps to Deseed a Pomegrante
1.) Cut the top of the pomegranate and score the sides of the pomegranate along the membrane line.
2.) Soak the submerged pomegranate for 10-15 minutes.
3.) Break the pomegranate apart into sections with your hands.
4.) Remove the seeds. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the water, and the peel will float.
5.) Scoop out the peel and strain the seeds.
6.) Enjoy!
How to Properly Store Pomegranates to Make Them Last Longer
Although you do not have much time to buy your pomegranates (they’re only in season for a brief three-month period), they do store well. Here’s some tips to make them last:
To optimally store a pomegranate, place the fruit in your refrigerator crisper drawer. They should last about two months.
You can also freeze pomegranate seeds for the use in smoothies and other recipes.
To freeze pomegranate seeds, clean and dry your pomegranate seeds. Then, flash freeze them for 20 minutes by placing them in a single layer on an aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet in your freezer. Afterwards, you can place in a freezer bag. Please note: frozen pomegranate seeds are best when used within 6 months of freezing.
3 Ways to Get Your Pomegranate
If you are thinking about supplementing your diet with pomegranate or pomegranate juice for the health benefits, you do have a few options.
To reap the full health benefits, here is what to opt for:
Pomegranate extract in capsule form. The least tasty, but likely the most cost-effective way to get the full health benefits of pomegranate is with a pomegranate supplement. Warning: If you are going the supplementation route, be sure to check with your doctor first, because they may interact with certain medications.
Fresh-pressed pomegranate juice. I will warn you now that real pomegranate juice is potent. If you are going to get your pomegranate this way, I suggest diluting one ounce of pomegranate juice in at least 8 ounces of water and drinking it daily. Otherwise…holy tartness! Here is an organic brand of pomegranate juice I happen to enjoy year-round that is also sold locally. It is cold-pressed and not made from concentrate.
The pomegranate fruit itself. I always prefer to get my vitmamins and minerals from whole foods whenever possible, which is why I try to have 1-2 pomegranates each week during their growing season, which is September through February. While you can sometimes find them outside this timeframe, they are never quite as tasty.
Pomegranate Products to Avoid:
Products that contain added sugar, use pomegranate for added flavoring, or come from concentrate, should be limited if not entirely avoided. I’m not saying you can’t occasionally enjoy these, I’m just letting you know that these are not providing you with any real health benefits – just sugar.
Pomegranate Recipes?
This is the point where I would share some tasty pomegranate recipes if I had any, but I am a novice to using pomegranate seeds in recipes – I still like them too much plain! I will definitely include an article with some tasty pomegranate recipes as soon as I am adventurous enough to try some.
So, if you have any good pomegranate seed recipes that you love, please share below!
We have them in the garden, they are very good from new year till easter. We clean them, take the seeds out, put them one night in lemon juice and honey. We eat it before breakfast, or before going to sleep. The juice we don’t freeze, but drink it instantly from the blender. it’s also used with poultry, as a stuffing with garlic and lemon juice.
Wow, that’s awesome! Thanks for the tips. Bethany