Pomegranates
Pomegranates are high in Potassium.
Helps Maintain Healthy Cardiovascular Function
Helps Maintain Already Healthy Cholesterol Levels
Diets containing foods that are a good source of potassium and that are low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
Pomegranate fruits contain polyphenols, tannins and anthocyanins - all beneficial antioxidants. Interestingly, pomegranate juice contains high levels of antioxidants - higher than most other fruit juices, red wine or tea.
Israeli researchers studying the effect of pomegranate juice on heart disease parameters in patients with diabetes. They found that those patients who consumed 50 milliliters of pomegranate juice for three months had a reduced uptake of oxidized bad low density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol by the body as well as reduced levels of other heart disease indicators. In addition, sugar present in pomegranate juice did not appear to worsen blood sugar levels in these patients. The researchers concluded that pomegranate juice may help halt the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in people with diabetes. The results of this study were published in the Atherosclerosis journal in August 2006.
A daily glass of pomegranate juice showed potential for slowing the growth of prostate cancer.
Pomegranates and Pomegranate Juice Interacts With Medications
Juicing Pomegranates
Roll the pomegranates over a countertop in every direction to loosen up the juice, make a small hole in the skin and squeeze the fruit over a bowl. "Because you’re squeezing some of the thicker pith beneath the fruit, you do get a bit of the tannic quality of the fruit," which isn’t bad if it’s not too strong, Wemischner says.
Pomegranate Juice
5 large, juicy sweet pomegranates (about 1 kg / 4 1/2 lb) slightly chilled
5 teaspoons orange flower water, or to taste
Extract the juice from the pomegranates. There are two ways to do
this. The quickest is to cut the fruits in half and press them like
oranges. This can be a little messy, especially if you are using
a domestic press where you hold the fruit down by hand; some seeds
will fall out which will have to be pressed with your fingers.
Also, the pressed juice may have a hint of bitterness, from the
acrid inside flesh. The other method, which will produce more and
finer juice, is to ease out the seeds which you then put through
a vegetable juicer, but you will need patience as it is time-consuming.
Pour the juice into a jug and stir in the orange flower water. If
you are not going to serve the juice straight away, make sure you
cover it well so that it does not oxidize.
Note: Make sure you buy sweet pomegranates and not the sour ones
that are used in cooking.
From six nice-sized pomegranates, you can expect to get about three cups of juice, he says. It’s perishable. So drink it within hours, either straight or mixed with other fruit juices that it complements, such as apple or cherry. "I like to add as little sugar as possible, if I drink it straight. But the sugar does tend to round out the flavor a bit," he says.
From:
www.healthcastle.com
www.redorbit.com
www.thecookinginn.com
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