Pomegranates!

​Pomegranates are one of my favorite things about fall and that’s before I even get to the health benefits!

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History

Pomegranates have a long and varied history.  They are a Persian and south Asian native and one of the oldest fruits known to humans. It was brought to China in 126 BC from Kabul, Afghanistan under the Han dynasty.  When the Moors conquered Spain in about 800 AD, they introduced the pomegranate.  The fruit became the emblem of Granada in the heart of Spain.

​Health Benefits

🍃 Pomegranate seeds are loaded with fiber, vitamin K, vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium.

🍃 Pomegranates are cleansing and cooling to the system.

🍃 They are excellent for bladder disorders. They help to dissolve gallstones and kidney stones, nodules, calcifications, and small cysts such as ganglia cysts.

🍃 Pomegranates are great blood builders. They strengthen both red and white cell counts.

🍃 They play an important role in blood sugar, by restoring glucose reserves in the liver, so that the liver can release the glucose into the bloodstream as needed.
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🍃 By restoring the glucose reserves in the liver, pomegranates help protect the adrenal glands as well. If you go several hours without eating and your liver doesn’t have glucose reserves then your adrenals are forced to pump hormones such as cortisol into your blood to keep you going, leading to overactive adrenal glands.

🍃  The high quality glucose of pomegranates also makes them an excellent brain food, helping with focus and concentration.
 
🍃  Pomegranates help regulate hormones by flushing out toxic ones like unproductive estrogens that contribute to cancers.
 
🍃 Pomegranates are a source of antioxidants called flavonols, which act as anti-inflammatory agents.  
 
🍃Pomegranates have traditionally been used to reduce inflammation, especially reducing the severity of arthritis and joint inflammation.  Reference.
 
🍃 Pomegranates have anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties.  Pomegranate extracts been shown to slow down proliferation of breast cancer cells (reference)and prostate cancer cells (reference).   
 
🍃The juice of pomegranates contain antioxidants and polyphenols that have been reported to promote cardiovascular health, including healthy blood pressure levels.  Reference
 
🍃  Pomegranate extracts have been used to treat parasitic and microbial infections, diarrhea, and ulcers since ancient times.  They are suggested to have prebiotic characteristics which may account for their effectiveness with microbial infections.  Reference
 
🍃  There’s even a study of elderly individuals that drank eight ounces of pomegranate juice a day and showed significantly improved markers of verbal and visual memory over those that drank a flavor matched placebo drink!  Reference
 
Important note!  If you have blood pressure issues or are on blood pressure medicine, or blood thinners, or any other prescription medications, be sure to talk to your doctor before consuming pomegranates!
 
🥗  My favorite way to eat pomegranates are sprinkled generously over salads and in chia seed pudding. When opening pomegranates, be sure to wear an apron and change out of your favorite white shirt!

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Please share your favorite ways to eat pomegranates in the comments below.