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09/13/2007: "The Mighty Pomegranate"
If I were to plant or have any fruit tree I wanted, it would have to be the Pomegranate. President Bush even brought it up in his meeting in May 2005 with Afghanistan President Karzai, suggesting they grow these trees rather than poppies. The more I read, the more this fruit impresses me. I remember being a kid and getting pomegranates off of someone’s tree. We would sit there and take it apart eating the little nuggets of fruit inside. By the time we got home, everything was red. Our faces were stained and so were our t-shirts.
As you may know, the pomegranate is a great polyphenol antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It is even better than grapes, green tea or blueberries. Research has shown that just “about everyone may benefit from drinking an 8 oz. glass of pomegranate juice daily. It’s 60% better than other juices at preventing the formation of plaque-forming oxidized LDL in the arteries. And a single pomegranate provides 40 per cent of an adult's recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, and is a good source of folic acid and vitamins A and E.
This month’s Natural Health magazine has an article on skin care products using the oils from pomegranate seeds. Lotions like The Healing Garden’s Organics Pomegranate & Vanilla Body Lotion and Burt’s Bees Replenishing Balm contain pomegranate oil. The oil promotes elasticity while protecting the skin from wrinkles and sun damage. And naturally it has anti-cancer properties.
So keep your eye out for pomegranate juice in the stores. Eight ounces a day will increase the blood flow to your heart and provide you with a wealth of antioxidants. Plus, that sweet taste might bring back those lost days of summer when your mom used to yell at you for staining your shirts beyond repair.