The best things in life don’t come easy and pomegranate is a perfect metaphor for that! There’s nothing like cracking open a ripe pomegranate, and scooping out all of its jeweled seeds. Sure, it gets messy, but the moment you take a bite and taste its crunchy juiciness was when the work paid off. Given that it’s fall, I thought you’d like to know about this seasonal fruit and its many benefits! Ready to find out? Then let’s get started! (And guess what? I’ll leave a few recipes, too!)

A Treasure Trove of Antioxidants

Pomegranates are one of the richest sources of antioxidants. That’s no exaggeration since measurements show it contains up to three times more antioxidants when compared to red wine and green tea (beating out my beloved matcha). [1] As an antioxidant, pomegranate has been studied for a wide variety of uses.

These include disease protection, lowering inflammation and free radicals, and improving the gut (microbiome). Anything that’s linked to inflammation like Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC), and arthritis has been shown to improve (to varying degrees) with pomegranate. This is thanks to ellagic acid, a type of antioxidant found in berries and pomegranate. Ellagic acid interacts with good bacteria to release a beneficial compound called UroA (urolithin). UroA acts like a gatekeeper between the lining of the gut and cells (called cell junctions), keeping things like toxins and pathogens from entering. This prevents infection, inflammation, and damage to the gut. [2] [3] [4]

Pomegranates also contain punicalagins, a class of antioxidants that are broken down into “mini” antioxidants (ellagic acid and urolithins). Punicalagins are very exciting in the fields of cardiology and cancer, with emerging research testing their ability to prevent both heart disease and cancer. [5] [6]

Omega-5 Fats

Did you know there are other fats besides omega 3 and 6? Pomegranates contain omega 5 fats (aka trichosanic or punicic acid), a special type of fat that lowers inflammation, improves cholesterol, lowers triglycerides, and (potentially) boosts weight loss. You read that right! Omega-5 fats are capable of being converted into CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), another type of fat known for its potential fat burning, weight loss benefits. While you can get CLA from supplements and food (such as grass-fed beef), you can cheat your way with pomegranates. Or, more specifically, pomegranate seed oil, which is what’s used in the research. While it’s based on animals, the research shows that omega-5 fats from pomegranate seed oil helped prevent mice from gaining weight after being over over-fed. [7]

Heart Health:

The omega-5 fats and juice from pomegranates both have been shown to support heart health. A study on patients with high triglycerides (fat in the bloodstream) showed they significantly reduced their triglycerides (as well as cholesterol) after just one month of supplementing with pomegranate seed oil. [8] As for pomegranate juice, multiple studies- both animal and human-based- consistently show it prevents “bad” LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. Oxidized cholesterol releases dangerous free radicals that not only damage the body but also increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, inflammation, and disease. But the train doesn’t stop there, guys! Just one ounce of pomegranate per day was shown to reduce arterial plaque by 30%. Plaque in the arteries is no joke. The more it builds up, the higher the risk of it clogged up and narrowing the arteries that ultimately lead to coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Infections

Didn’t think pomegranate was tough enough to put on a good fight? Well, think again! Pomegranate also contains compounds that have been shown to combat certain types of bacteria (E. Coli, Salmonella) and yeasts (especially Candida Albicans). It also protects against oral infections and inflammation, including denture stomatitis, gingivitis, and periodontitis. [14] [15] [16]

Exercise Performance

This, my fellow ZGYM warriors, is especially for you! Pomegranates are a surprisingly good food for athletes! First of all, its antioxidants lower the damage caused by exercise. While that’s not always a bad thing, we don’t want to be inflamed for too long. Just enough to enable our body to adapt by growing stronger and fitter. If we don’t focus on our recovery though, then this could backfire in the form of added stress on the body. We won’t burn any fat, build muscle, and continue crushing our ZGYM workouts. Do not neglect recovery!

By the way, pomegranate isn’t only good for post-workout nourishment. It’s equally as effective pre-workout, but not for the reason you may think. Pomegranates help to boost nitric oxide, a type of compound that converts into nitrate (found in foods like beets and spinach). Nitrates act as a vasodilator by opening up blood vessels in the body and allowing more oxygen and blood to enter the muscles. What results is greater muscle activation and less fatigue during a workout. Pretty cool, huh?

[17] [18]

Nutrients

Crack open a pomegranate, and what do you find? A ton of nutrients! We’ve already covered its antioxidants. Now let’s see what else it has in store. Pomegranates contain vitamins C, E, K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, B6, Pantothenic Acid, and Folate, as well as the minerals potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and manganese. [19]

For my low carb and keto eaters, be careful with this wonderful fruit. Even though it has a laundry list of benefits, you still need to watch out for the carbs! A half a cup of pomegranate seeds is about 16g of carbs (or 12.5g of net carbs if you subtract the 3.5g of fiber) and 12g of (natural) fruit sugar. The juice is denser in both carbs and sugar, with a full cup leaving you with 33g of carbs and 31 grams of sugar. A way around this is sticking with only an ounce or two at the most (use a shot glass to measure), which is similar to what was taken in the heart health studies. [10] [20] 

Chow Time!

Are you ready to munch on some pomegranates? I’m way ahead of you! Time to whip up some tasty treats. Give these recipes a try and share with me how you like to eat pomegranates in the comments below!

Recipes:

Arugula Salad with Pomegranate (FM)
Chicken Curry with Pomegranate (FM)
Parmesan Cheese Crackers with Goat Cheese & Pomegranate (FM)

Sources:

[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23790554_Pomegranate_juice_A_heart-healthy_fruit_juice
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612487/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5622718/
[4] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324164.php
[5] https://examine.com/supplements/punicalagins/
[6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123984562001067
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21440024
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20334708
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23528829
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10799367
[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15158307
[12] https://www.sharecare.com/health/antioxidants/how-oxidation-harmful-to-health
[13] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19635137
[14] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20930339
[15] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184731/
[16] https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/606212/#B26
[17] https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/factsheets/supplements/beetroot-juice-nitrate/
[18] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4146683/
[19] https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2038/2
[20] https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/10511/2