Ok so last week we talk about the benefits of wolfberries. Now lets learn a little about my favorite fruit...the pomegranate!
Growing up, pomegranates were one of the many fruits that we had, expecially during the months of October-February (when they are in season). I remember my mom used to buy about 20+ pomegranates and spend hours getting the seeds out. One of the many things I took for granted haha, because now, I'm the one who has to do that and let me tell you...it can be very time consuming!
Well, as I got older, I started noticing that a lot of my friends had no idea what a pomegranate fruit was. I even had someone say they don't like it because the fruit is bitter...little did I know that they were eating the white peel and not the actual fruit!
So, now that we are on our cold and flu series, I wanted to share with yall why I love this fruit and how it can help boost your immune system!
Did you know:
That the pomegranate originated in the region extending from modern-day Iran to northern India.
The edible fruit is a berry with seeds and pulp produced from the ovary of a single flower.
A 100 g (3.5 oz) serving of pomegranate arils provides 12% of the daily value (DV) for vitamin C, 16% DV for vitamin Kand 10% DV for folate.Iran is the second largest producer and largest exporter of pomegranates in the world.
Pomegranate seeds are a rich source of dietary fiber (20% DV) which is entirely contained in the edible seeds.
Pomegranates contain Punicalagins: are extremely potent antioxidants found in pomegranate juice and peel. They’re so powerful that pomegranate juice has been found to have three times the antioxidant activity of red wine and green tea.
Pomegranates also contain Punic acid: it's found in the seed oil, and is themain fatty acid in the arils. It’s a type of conjugated linoleic acid with potent biological effects.
Pomegranates have potent anti-inflammatory properties, which are largely mediated by the antioxidant properties of the punicalagins.
One 12-week study in people with diabetes found that 1.1 cups (250 ml) of pomegranate juice per day lowered the inflammatory markers CRP and interleukin-6 by 32% and 30%, respectively.
In one study, people with hypertension had a significant reduction in blood pressure after consuming 5 ounces (150 ml) of pomegranate juice daily for two weeks.
The plant compounds in pomegranate can help fight harmful microorganisms.
Pomegranates are one of the healthiest foods on the planet, packed with nutrients and powerful plant compounds!
Here is another article that talks about more benefits of my beloved fruit, enjoy :)
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318385.php#Bottom-line
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24949028
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ptr.4977
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18590349
