Pomegranates

It's pomegranate season!  I know because when I went in to Trader Joe's today they had pomegranate seed packages.  This is sooo much easier than having to get to the seeds yourself, but, I expect, much more expensive.  This is the year that I WILL stop being afraid of "eating" a pomegranate whole and will get to the seeds myself, just not quite yet.

Do you know what's so great about pomegranates?  They're packed full of antioxidants (those little things that run around in your body scavenging free radicals), even more antioxidants that green tea & red wine.  They're a good source of B Vitamins too.  Pomegranates are also known to deliver some of the best dietary fiber of any fruit. Low in calories (about 100 calories per fruit), pomegranates make a great snack for dieters! Research has also shown that this amazing superfruit has properties that may actually help to lower high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Pomegranate juice has even been shown to work well as a blood thinner.

You can make juice from the fresh fruit to freeze and store for the remainder of the year if you'd like.   100% pomegranate juice is also quite easy to find in stores (just make sure it's not from concentrate, and doesn't have added sugar!)  An 8 oz glass of pomegranate juice provides approximately 50% of an adult's recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamins A, C and E, 100% RDA of folic acid, and 13% RDA of potassium.  But be careful, you'll also be getting alot of sugar - sometimes over 30 grams!

So, which would you prefer?  Seeds or Juice?  I'll stick with the seeds, by the handful!