Importance of well balance diet
All food contains all of the nutrients we need to be healthy, it is necessary to eat various foods in sufficient amounts. A good diet will include many different foods, and sufficient in quantity and quality to meet an individual’s need for food energy and other micro nutrients.
POMEGRANATES
Typical serving size:
½ cup seeds (3 oz or 87 g)
HOW THEY HARM
Drug interaction
WHAT THEY HEAL
Prostate cancer
High cholesterol
Hypertension
Erectile dysfunction
The word pomegranate is old French for “seeded apple,” a fitting name for this apple-size fruit
filled with jewel-like clusters of red seeds
Pomegranates have a leathery, deep red to purplish rind
The interior is bursting with hundreds of tiny, edible seeds packed into compartments called arils and
separated by bitter, cream-colored membranes
The fruit can be eaten by deeply scoring it vertically
and then breaking it apart
The clusters of juice sacs are then lifted out and eaten
Pomegranates are a
good source of potassium
One fruit contains about 400 mg, more than in most oranges
They also
contain vitamin C and fiber
Pomegranates and their juice are rich in anthocyanins and ellagic acid,
both of which have antioxidant properties
WARNING
!
FOOD-DRUG INTERACTION
Pomegranates can affect how the liver processes medications
Eating a pomegranate or drinking
pomegranate juice can increase the side effects of medications, too
Such medications include
fluoxetine, codeine, and ondansetron
Also, some heart medications, such as ACE inhibitors, can
be affected by pomegranates
Eating pomegrantes while taking blood pressure medication could
cause your blood pressure to go too low
Health Benefits
Helps treat prostate cancer
Researchers at UCLA measured patients’ prostate-specific antigen
(PSA) blood levels, which help indicate the presence of cancer
They found that drinking 8 oz (237
mL) of pomegranate juice daily significantly slowed rising PSA levels in patients previously treated
for the disease
Lowers cholesterol levels
Research has shown that pomegranate juice has two to three times the
antioxidant capacity of equal amounts of red wine or green tea, and anthocyanins make an important
contribution to the pomegranate’s antioxidant power
A recent study suggests that drinking as little as
one-quarter cup of pomegranate juice daily may improve cardiovascular health by significantly
reducing oxidation of LDL cholesterol
Lowers blood pressure
Because of the rich antioxidant levels pomegranate juice provides,
researchers have also found it can play a role in reducing hypertension
Improves erectile dysfunction
A study published in the International Journal of Impotence
Research found that drinking about 8 oz of 100% pomegranate juice each day can help with erectile
dysfunction and impotence
At the end of the study, 47% of the participants reported that their
erections improved with the use of pomegranate juice
Health Risks
Drug interactions
While the benefits of pomegranate juice are clear, there have been a few reports
of the juice causing complications for people taking some heart medications
If you’re under the care
of a physician for heart disease, it’s a good idea to talk with your doctor before drinking regular
amounts of pomegranate juice
Allergies
Add pomegranate seeds to mixed green salads
Make a virgin sangria with pomegranate juice
Stir pomegranate seeds into guacamole
Buying Tip
s
Choose those that are heavy for their size and have a bright, fresh color and blemish-free skin
If purchasing a juice, look for products labeled “100% pure pomegranate juice” for the most nutritional
value
Storing Tips
Refrigerate fresh pomegranates for up to 2 months or store in a cool, dark place for up to a month
QUICK TIP:
Add anti-sun seeds
Tossing some pomegranate seeds onto your summer salads may be good for your skin
Scientists
have discovered that nutrients in pomegranates can reduce the ability of UVB radiation to cause
cancer-promoting damage in skin cells, including alteration of NF-kappa, a pre-cancerous
biomarker