Are Pomegranates the “Superman” of Fruits?
When at my in laws last week for Thanksgiving, I had a deep conversation with my 9 year old nephew as he was watching some cartoon with various superheros.
"Uncle Chris, who is your favorite Super Hero?"
Now, granted, I was pulling from the ‘old’ school Super Hero days and not any of the new ones he may know.
Without hesitation I immediately responded, "Superman. He can fly, he’s super strong, and has more powers than any other Super Hero. Who do you think?"
He disagreed and thought Super Mario was a better choice. He’s clearly a big fan of Wii and the Super Mario game, but let’s cut to the chase … Super Mario isn’t REALLY a Super Hero anyway. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, though. .jpg "pomegranate super fruit")
I digress.
So where am I going with this?
Well, as I eating a pomegranate last night … my mind somehow drifted back to that conversation and I then I thought how pomegranates are like the Superman in the conversation I had. Like him, pomegranates have a ton of super powers … I mean, in a different way, but powers nonetheless.
For example, one study out of Case Western University showed that pomegranate juice could wipe away (or at least drastically reduce the severity) of arthritis (at least in mice). Another study showed that pomegranate juice had the highest levels of antioxidants compared to other fruit juices. And there are data showing an improvement in heart health and blood pressure as well.
Now, a lot of the research has been done with Pomegranate Juice, but considering the fruit is actually in season now, you’re going to get a ton of other benefits from eating the actually pomegranate seeds as well (like fiber and even a small amount of heart healthy oil). Basically this dark red color in the seeds means they’re loaded with various antioxidants…antioxidants that provide a ton of different health benefits.
If you’ve never tried one, they are about the size of grapefruits and are red (sometimes called Chinese Apples).
You cut them open (be careful, the red juice stains) and then what you actually eat are the seeds as you can see above in the picture– they look like bright red corn kernels and are loaded with goodness.
We add them to salads, yogurt, oats, cottage cheese and sometimes just grab a handful of them and eat them. Even Ella loves them … give them a try and let us know what you think.
They’re not in season much longer, so snag them up while you can!
December 1st, 2010 at 7:46 am
Try adding them to hummus!! Awesome
[Reply]
Chris and Kara Mohr Reply:
December 1st, 2010 at 7:56 am
Great suggestion! We’ll try it…
[Reply]
December 1st, 2010 at 7:55 am
I loved pomegranites when I was a kid but now living out in the country and the local store never has them. Too bad, I know they are good for you. Thanks for the great info.
[Reply]
December 1st, 2010 at 12:16 pm
I love the way the fruit looks, but to be honest, the seeds are too sweet for me. I think the last time I had them, I actually got dizzy from the intense sweetness! Maybe I’ll try mixing them into the foods you mentioned and see if I can enjoy them more that way.
[Reply]
December 2nd, 2010 at 10:59 am
I love this post. We talk a lot about how naturally fiber-rich foods are like Superman. They look ordinary on the outside but inside they are “super” foods.
[Reply]