Pomegranates Are a Key to Healthy Eating and to Good Nutrition

I grew up in the countries of Afghanistan and Iran where my father was an English teacher. I have fond memories of eating pomegranates in the summer and drinking the delicious invigorating juice during long mountain hikes. In Persian, they are called "anar." I've always loved the taste of pomegranates and their red ruby color. The little seed casings, called "arils," look like beautiful red jewels to me.

Pomegranates can be quite messy to eat, but I learned that the best way to eat them is to first cut them in quarters with a knife, and then pick out the seeds and eat them. Be careful because the seed casings can squirt red juice on your clothes and stain them easily. I also make juice out of them by rolling the pomegranate on the counter top roughly, until I have crushed the seed casings into juice. Then I carefully cut a hole in the side and squeeze out the juice. The seed casings also make a great garnish on top of soups and salads.

Pomegranates have been prized since antiquity for their legendary health-imparting nutritional properties and their delicious tangy flavor. Eating pomegranates and drinking fresh unprocessed natural pomegranate juice are a key to good nutrition and healthy eating.

This amazing healthy fruit first appeared in Greek mythology as having been planted on the island of Cyprus by Aphrodite, the goddess of love. According to legend, pomegranates are associated with long life, abundance and procreation.

They were grown in the ancient capital city of Samarkand, a major crossroads on the Silk Road, and spread along trading routes from ancient Persia to the Indian subcontinent. It was highly valued by desert caravans for its thirst-quenching, cooling, and nourishing juice. In Spanish, the pomegranate is referred to as "Granada" and appears on the coat of arms of the city of Granada.

Pomegranates have many powerful nutritional benefits for the human body. Here is a list of a few of them; however, for more details, see the link below. First, pomegranates are potent providers of protective antioxidants known as polyphenols. Second, they are loaded with nutrients like Vitamin C and are good sources essential minerals such as iron and potassium. Third, pomegranates have been shown to have protective properties against many of today's major illnesses. If you're interested in which illnesses, you'll have to do your own research on the internet to find the specific ones because they cannot be mentioned in this posting for compliance reasons.

For more information on the culinary use, history of, and nutritional properties of pomegranates, please view this Wikipedia link:
More Information About Pomegranates