Pomegranates

Pomegranates are not only delicious and beautiful, they’re also one of the most nutritious fruits you can eat.

Pomegranate has quickly become one of the most talked about health foods in the past year. Not only is it popular among the health conscious crowd, pomegranate fruits are also becoming widely used as hot trendy home decor in more and more home decorating television programs!

High in vitamin C and potassium, a good source of fiber and low in calories. Pomegranate juice is high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidants. The three types - tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid - are present in many fruits, but pomegranate juice contains particularly high amounts of all three. As antioxidants, they are credited with helping in the prevention of cancer and heart disease.

Preliminary evidence suggests that drinking concentrated pomegranate juice may reduce cholesterol. Israeli researchers, published a small clinical study in June 2004 in Clinical Nutrition, suggested that drinking a glass of pomegranate juice a day for one year reduced blood pressure (particularly systolic pressure) and slowed down LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) oxidation. Pomegranate fruits contain polyphenols, tannins and anthocyanins - all are beneficial antioxidants. Interestingly, pomegranate juice contains high levels of antioxidants - higher than most other fruit juices, red wine or green tea.

So, whether you crunch fresh pomegranate seeds or drink the juice, feel guilt-free as you enjoy each delicious mouthful- you're doing your body a favour!