I had my first pomegranate a few years back and whilst I immediately fell in love with its flavour, I was certainly perplexed by its ‘unusualness’. It looks like a big apple, but good luck trying to eat it like one, and has a pithy skin sort of like an orange, but refuses to peel like one.
This fruit, botanically a berry, consists of an outer leathery skin hiding a labyrinth of ruby red arils (the fleshy lil number containing the seed) separated into segments by spongey white pith. This ancient Mediterranean fruit has a rich, diverse nutrient profile, arming it with the potential to have profound impacts on human physiology and health. Hopefully, the following article will be able to encapsulate the pomegranate's unique brilliance and convince you to more frequently harness its many benefits.
Nutrition…
In complex ways that we’re only beginning to understand, the nutrients of the pom influence systems throughout our bodies, including the endocrine (hormone), nervous, muscular, and digestive systems, and even our microbiota. It achieves all this through its unique chemical makeup.
Pomegranates have antiatherogenic, antihypertensive, and anti-inflammatory effects, contributing to improved cardiovascular health, and managing osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases. In addition, it has been shown to improve wound healing and is beneficial to the reproductive system… round of applause for the pom.
100g of pom...
Interestingly, in addition to their role in general health, certain compounds in pomegranates have been shown to benefit sports performance. Pomegranate polyphenols such as ellagitannins are potent vasodilators, which means they allow blood vessels to expand and therefore improve blood flow to muscles. This makes pomegranate a great pre-workout supplement since it enhances muscular output.
In addition to improving sports performance, pomegranate has been shown to improve post-exercise recovery, reducing muscle soreness, and improving muscle strength after exercise.
Tip – add a helping of >70% dark chocolate to your pomegranate pre-workout for an extra boost.
Now for the eating...
Since the pomegranate is a rather strange fruit that can prove difficult to get at, you might choose to pass it up for an easier option. However, with a few quick tips, getting at the prized pips becomes quick and easy, opening the door to a world of pomegranate possibilities.
1. Over a big bowl half-filled with water, slice the surface into segments and pry open with a knife.
2. Stick your thumb in, pull apart the segments and begin to tear off arils. Fewer popped the better.
3. Arils sink so the pith can be easily removed. With practice, this will become quick and easy.
In terms of what you can actually use the arils for, pomegranate is incredibly versatile - all you need to google is ‘what does pomegranate go with’ to get a billion and one tasty and clever
combinations.
Here are some of my personal favourites: granola & yoghurt, salads, juice, for baking, on their own!
Environmental impact…
Harvested from September to February in the northern hemisphere, pomegranates eaten in the UK come from eastern Mediterranean countries, namely turkey and Israel. Unfortunately, this does mean that during the UK’s summer months, pomegranates must be imported from Latin American countries such as Peru. So, in terms of distance travelled this isn't ideal.
However, its tough build and firm outer shell mean that it is less susceptible to bruising or damaging, and the arils inside are protected for weeks if not months once harvested, especially when kept in the fridge. This, and its draught resistance, means that from farm to fork, very little material gets wasted. Furthermore, the pomegranate is usually sold with only a simple sticker meaning its plastic requirements are low. Finally, pomegranates are not as susceptible to pesticide residues compared to other fruits and vegetables.
(Sources: Cago Handbook, CBI Market Information)
So, are pomegranates a magical cure-all food? Not quite. They are simply a fruit with a physiologically potent array of healthy nutrients that will benefit health and wellbeing. They have limited environmental impact and at the end of the day are relatively inexpensive, so aren’t too harsh on the ol’ budget.
Pomegranates are simply a great tool for your toolkit.
I give Pomegranates 9/10
Cool facts section for nerds like me…
The following is very irrelevant, but I wanted to share it in any way... The pomegranate has a fascinating history. It is mentioned in nearly all ancient mythologies and religions - in Ancient Greek mythology, the pomegranate features prominently in the story of Persephone and her marriage to Hades, the god of the Underworld. In Islam, the Qur’an mentions that pomegranates grow in the gardens of Paradise, and in Hinduism and in Persian and Chinese culture, the pomegranate is also considered a symbol of fertility and procreation, associated with earth goddesses. Spanish sailors took the fruit to America as its tough skin and durability made it a fruit well suited to long sea voyages.
Another interesting fact - The Spanish word for pomegranate - Granada - and the species name (granatum) allude to the many 'grains' (seeds) in the fruit. The hand grenade is said to take its name from the fruit - early grenades resembled pomegranates in shape and in containing many shrapnel 'seeds'.
It’s clearly not just me who’s obsessed with these giant berries – here is a webpage exploring the mathematics of average pomegranate seed number, “With increasing size and weight of a pomegranate, the volume of seeds grows only marginally. This relationship can be well described (high R2 value) by a logarithmic function” !
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