Don’t give up before you have started!
I hear you! Yes… it is laborious and tedious! Yes… no doubt you need a good distraction while fiddling with the fruit to get its seeds out. I always plan ahead… watching something nice on TV or Netflix. In my last session, I de-seeded 5 pomegranates in under one hour! If I can do it… so can you. Yes, it seems like a lot of work, but once you get the hang out of it… it’s like with anything else… practice makes it easier. Please consider the pomegranate juice benefits and its amazing taste before making any decision.
History
Pomegranate is a Middle Eastern fruit that has been used for thousands of years as medicine. It was first discovered in Persia as far back as 4,000 BC. Today, people from around the world love the fruit for its high nutrient and antioxidant content.
Nutritional facts
Pomegranate juice contains more than 100 phytochemicals, and it’s high of antioxidants and polyphenols. Please see my article on these components for a better understanding. Antioxidants help to remove free radicals, protect cells from damage, and reduce inflammation throughout the body. Not any other fruit juice out there contains as much high levels of antioxidants as pomegranate juice. It’s one of the most heart-healthy juices out there. Main nutritional components:
- Antioxidants (anti-inflammatory)
- Phytochemicals
- Polyphenols (vibrant red hue, protects against oxidative stress, reduces bad cholesterol)
- Flavonols
- B Vitamins (to synthesize and help repair DNA)
- Vitamin C (35% of daily requirement)
- Vitamin E (helps with hair growth)
- Vitamin K (helps with red blood cell formation)
- Thiamine
- Riboflavin
- Niacin
- Folate (25% of the daily requirement, helps with red blood cell formation)
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Phosphorus
- Zinc
Pomegranate juice benefits the skin, the hair, and everything else ;-)). The benefits are enormous, from maintaining blood sugar and blood pressure, strengthening the bones, improving digestion to slowing down the aging process… it’s a miraculous fruit… and a wonderful drink that keeps your stomach and liver healthy.
Side Effects
Always please double-check if you have allergies or if you take medicines that may interfere with pomegranate juice. This juice is high in sugar and may increase the blood sugar level in a diabetic patient. Even though, studies have shown… daily consumption of a moderate amount does not increase the blood sugar level any more than other fruits.
Extracting the kernels
As stated above, juicing pomegranate is not as easy as any other fruit. First, you have to make your way to free the juicy kernels! This is not for everyone… but common… it’s so rewarding! Making your own juice without additives and pesticides, but the full benefits? This cannot be topped! Here are three ways to get to them quickly:
- Under the water
- Cut off the top (the part with the stem), cut the fruit in 4 sections
- Place section into a bowl of water and roll the seeds out of the membrane
- The tapping method
- Slice it in the middle, hold the opening over a bowl
- Tap the hell out of it (the Martha Stewart method)
- My take on it
- Cut the top off, slice the sides (but not deep), use your hands (with gloves on) to separate the sections
- Gently pull out the seeds over a bowl Watch TV or YouTube!
Bottom Line
Juice doesn’t have to be green or full of spinach to be healthy! Out there are so many alternatives. Please take away one key point in understanding what makes a juice a healthy juice. It has to be fresh and purely organic. Avoid most prepacked juices which, contrary to the conventional belief, are not healthy. Mostly, they are heated (to prolong shelf life while destroying all vitamins, and yes, they still contain vitamins… artificial vitamins, which were added after the heating process) and contain all sorts of chemicals which were sprayed and added while being cultivated and prepared for sale. If you must buy, look for some cold-pressed juices in health stores instead… or ask them to freshly prepare juice and take it home to freeze. Enjoy!
