Introduction to Pomegranate
Before we talk about Health Benefits of Pomegranate and recipes let’s talk about Pomegranate.
Isn’t red your favorite color? I know mine is.
If your favorite color is blue -according to a study that’s the most popular color– then you might change your mind after reading this post.
Look at that beautiful red fruit in the picture, its name is Pomegranate, full of health benefits and easy to include in your diet.
I’ll share with you 4 health benefits and 4 easy to make recipes with Pomegranate.
And I say easy to make recipes because, Pomegranate, you can use it in baking, juice blends, cooking, meals, smoothies, garnishes and even cocktails, the latter is my favorite.
First, let me give you some information about this fruit.
- Its origin, the fruit originated in the territory that now is Iran and also on the territory of what now is Northern India.
- It’s been cultivated for centuries throughout the Mediterranean region and brought to the American continent by Spaniards during the colonization.
- Nowadays is widely cultivated in the Middle East, South East Asia, North and Tropical Africa, and in the Mediterranean shores.
- The name Pomegranate derives from old Latin and it means seeded apple.
Let’s jump right into the topic
Health Benefits of Pomegranate and Recipes
1 It Improves Muscle Performance
When we’re working out our body is put under a lot of pressure, which varies depending on the intensity of the exercises we’re doing.
As a result of this we experience oxidative stress.
Normal oxidative stress outcomes, caused by exercising, are muscle soreness-which might last for days-, exhaustion, inflammation of the joints and increased lactic and acid levels.
Anyone who works out knows, how annoying it is when you get up one morning with all the desire in the world to work out.
But unfortunately, your calves or thighs or any other muscle of your body are just too sored from a previous day of working out.
Now, if this happens to you, the smart thing to do is to rest to give that muscle time to heal.
But wouldn’t it be great if you could speed up that process a little bit? and by doing so, be able to work out more and reach your ideal body shape faster.
That’s where pomegranate helps.
This fruit is full of Quercetin , which is great for reducing inflammation and decreasing cellular damage in the body.
This pretty much means that Pomegranate helps speed up the muscle recovery process after a good work out.
1st Recipe, Pomegranate Juice
This doesn’t take many ingredients, just
- Pomegranate of course
- Some citrus fruits
- Some ginger
- And a bit of Salt
Preparation
- 1 Cut the crown of the pomegranate
- 2 Slice it into 4 pieces (You’ll see the red seeds inside, that’s the good stuff)
- 3 Place the pieces in a bowl and use your hands to separate the seeds from the peel
- 4 In a blender, add the seeds, and squeeze the juice out of your lemons or oranges and pour it into the blender
- 5 Add the ginger and the salt
- 6 Blend it altogether
- 7 Pass the juice through a strainer and into a bowl (use a plastic paddle to push the pulp against the strainer and squeeze out all the juice)
- 8 Serve it in a glass or pour it into a bottle and put in the fridge in case you wanna drink it later.
It’s a good idea to drink Pomegranate juice after working out.
2 Good for Digestion
Pomegranate is loaded with B complex vitamins, how is this helpful for digestion? Well
B vitamins are water soluble, this means that you can not store them in your fat cells, and as they move in your body they’ll help you turn all of those carbohydrates, proteins, and fat you had in your last meal into energy.
- Thiamine or B1, helps turn carbohydrates into energy and regulates appetite.
- Niacin or B3, is vital to break down fats and alcohol
- Biotin, this vitamin helps your digestive system process fatty acids
Also, one whole pomegranate provides 11 grams of fiber, which is way more than the fiber you’ll find in a bowl of cereal.
Both vitamin B and fiber help us avoid conditions related to digestive problems like abdominal pain and bloating.
Both are very uncomfortable situations right?
2nd Recipe, Pomegranate Parfait
For this recipe, I don’t put too much importance on measuring each ingredient.
A parfait should be the easiest thing to make.
I always keep Yogurt, crumbled granola and honey in my kitchen
So whenever I want to make parfait I just go to the supermarket and get
- 1 Pomegranate
- A box of chopped pineaples
- 1 box of ground cherries
Preparation
Super easy, get the seeds of the pomegranate out, cut the pineapple pieces into smaller pieces and smash them a bit, wash the cherries.
Grab a medium size cup, put some granola, then add yogurt and a bit of honey.
Then add pomegranate seeds and pineapple, add another layer of yogurt, pineapple and pomegranate seeds and some more honey.
Top it with the ground cherries.
Note: Removes the leaves on the ground cherries, they only serve a decorative purpose.
3 Improves Fertility on Men and Women
That’s right, this beautiful red fruit will increase your chances of conceiving a beautiful baby.
Pomegranate is high in antioxidants, which makes it the perfect fruit to battle oxidative stress, which is highly related to fertility issues both in men and women.
A state of Oxidative stress can lead to different reproductive diseases such as:
- Endometriosis, a disorder of the female reproductive system, it occurs when endometrial tissues do not exit the body during menstruation, instead, they become attached to organs around the uterus, causing symptoms like abdominal cramps, painful sex, and even infertility.
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, a disorder characterized by higher-than-normal male hormones in women, symptoms include, irregular or no menstrual period, pelvic pain, excess of facial hair and difficulty for getting pregnant.
- Sperm dysfunction, this is the most common cause of men infertility
3rd Recipe, Pomegranate Jam
For this recipe you’ll need
- 4 cups of Pomegranate Juice
- 1/4 lemon Juice
- 5 cups of white cane sugar
- 1 package of sure jell powder pectin
- 6 eight ounce canning jars
To get 4 cups of pomegranate juice you’ll need around 8 pomegranates. An easy way to get the juice out is by putting the pomegranate seeds in a blender and blend them for around 30 seconds.
Pour the juice into a fine mesh strainer and into a bowl, use a spatula to push the pulp against the strainer and extract all the juice.
Preparation
Making jam is easier than you think, and believe me, nothing beats the taste of freshly home-made jam, taking the time to do it is totally worth it.
- 1 Make sure the canning jars are very clean, it is recommendable to pour hot water in them and on the lids to sterilize them.
- 2 In a 6 quart pan, pour the pomegranate juice, lemon juice and the package of sure jell powder
- 3 Bring the mix to a boil, stir constantly.
- 4 When the mix is boiling and it can no longer be boiled down by stirring, then add the sugar, mix it, and let it boil for another 2 minutes.
- 5 Remove from the fire and let it sit for around 1 minute, remove the foam on top.
- 6 Fill jars, wipe the rims and seal tight
If you’re like me and need more of a visual help to get things done then take a look at the video below.
She is not making Pomegranate Jam, but the process is pretty much the same for any kind of fruit jam you wanna make.
The video belongs to The Chopping Block
Alright, now onto the last benefit I’ll mention on this list and one final fun recipe.
The last of the health benefits of pomegranate and recipes I’ll mention in this post
4 Good against Heart Diseases
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the USA alone every year, that is 1 in every 4 deaths.
Their stats also show that heart diseases are the leading cause of death among both men and women.
So how does pomegranate help battle heart diseases?
Well, this red fruit offers many benefits for the cardiovascular system
- Prevents damage of arterial walls
- Improves blood flow to the heart
- It helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure level
- It keeps plaque from building inside the arteries
It’s been proven that Pomegranate can accomplish all of the above, by decreasing the level of oxidative stress in the body.
It supports the synthesis and activity of nitric oxide, and by inhibiting the oxidation of potentially harmful low-density lipoprotein.
4th Recipe, Pomegranate Gin Tonic
Ingredients
- 2 tots of gin
- 250 ml of Ice Cubes or Crushed Ice
- 50 ml of Pomegranate Juice
- 500 ml of Soda Water
- 2 Springs of Rosemary for Decoration (Optional)
Instructions
- Measure your Gin and pour it into a cocktail shaker
- Add the ice and the Pomegranate Juice
- Shake, Shake, Shake
- Pour the mix into a glass and top it with the Soda water.
- Decorate it with Rosemary and some Pomegranate seeds if you have any.
So there you have it, 4 benefits of adding Pomegranate to your diet and 4 easy to make recipes so you can start adding it to your life ASAP, so go to your nearest supermarket and get some of those red fruits.
The Benefits of Cardio and How to Stay Motivated?
I’m so lucky the supermarket near my home sells Pomegranate.
And if you are really way too busy to go and buy fresh Pomegranate and make your own juice, then I would suggest you to get bottled Pomegranate juice.
Even though POM claims their juice is 100% natural and has the same properties as freshly made Pomegranate juice, there are many other people out there claiming it’s not true, you can read more about it online.
I do believe that drinking bottled Pomegranate juice, at least, will help you get acquainted with the taste of Pomegranate (that’s how I started), and once you realize how nice it is you can go and get real fruits and make your own.
Making your own juice will always be better than any bottled or canned juice.
Hope you enjoyed this post, for another post on an amazing root with many health properties please click here