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Decadently Healthy Food #8

#8: Pomegranates

The eighth decadently healthy food is the humble pomegranate.

Pomegranates seem to be all the rage here in the United States, but this funny little fruit has been used medicinally in the Middle East, Iran, India, Egypt, and Greece for thousands of years. High in antioxidants (especially polyphenols) and ellagic acid, pomegranates have been found to help repair free radical damage. Specifically, research indicates that pomegranates may play a role in preventing and treating cancer and heart disease.

According to the May 2000 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, pomegranate juice consumption decreased the accumulation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the arteries of healthy, nonsmoking men by 20 percent. In mice, pomegranate juice reduced oxidation of LDL by 90 percent, and shrank plaque-ridden lesions in the mice by 44 percent.

Similar studies at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology found that healthy subjects who drank 2–3 ounces of pomegranate juice a day for two weeks reduced the cholesterol oxidation process by as much as 40 percent. This is critical, as this process often creates plaque build up that narrows arteries and results in heart disease.

Meanwhile, the ellagic acid in pomegranates helps protect you from many types of cancer. Researchers in Japan have found that pomegranate extracts will cause leukemia cells to revert back to their normal non-cancerous identities.

Mix 4 ounces of 100% pomegranate juice with 12 ounces of mineral water for a delicious, thirst-quenching treat! You can also use the seeds to give your favorite salad a taste (and nutrition!) boost.