Pomegranates

Eating a pomegranate can be challenging, but is well worth the work. You will find that it is easy learn to open the rind and to separate the fleshy seeds and their juices with just a little practice.

An easy way to eat a pomegranate is to put the fruit into a bowl or container of water. After a few minutes, break the pomegranate apart. The seeds will sink to the bottom and the white flesh will float to the top. While the white part of the fruit is edible, it is the seeds that are what we are after.

Strain off the white flesh from the surface of the water and discard it if you do not wish to consume it. Then, pour the water and seeds over a strainer and you will have clean, fresh pomegranate seeds that are ready to eat.

Many choose to eat,supplement, or drink pomegranate juice for their antioxidants. Pomegranate is even richer in polyphenols than blueberry, cranberry, or orange juice. It is also three times more powerful than green tea and red wine in antioxidant value.

In 2004, a study that was published in Clinical Nutrition took 19 people with atherosclerosis and gave them either a placebo, or 50 ml of concentrated pomegranate juice. This is equal to one cup of regular pomegranate juice. Those who consumed the pomegranate had a decrease in systolic blood pressure, and their LDL cholesterol had become more resistant to oxidation. On top of that, the arterial linings decreased at a steady rate. For those who took the placebo, they had an increase in the lining.

There have been numerous promising studies suggesting that there are many cancer preventing phytonutrients in pomegranates. The purified ellagitannins from the pomegranate inhibits the division of cancer cells, stimulates these cells to die, and they help to stop the creation of new blood vessels to feed the growing cancer.

Studies also show that pomegranate juice consumption has a significant beneficial effect for prostate cancer patients and their rising prostate specific antigin levels (PSA). This is important because typically, when PSA increases, it indicates that the cancer is progressing. Men whose PSA levels double in a short amount of time are more likely to die from their cancer.