Beautiful, Bountiful Benefits of Perfectly Potent, Powerful Pomegranates

Potently powerful pomegranates are not just pretty garnishes serving as colorful complements for dishes and drinks. These ravishing, ruby-red fruits boast bountiful benefits for a healthier and happier you!

This new year, make health a priority and reachable goal. Boost your immune system, benefit your heart, and keep your blood pressure and blood sugar levels in check. Pomegranates and pomegranate juice can aid your digestion, give you gorgeous glowing skin, and help your overall health. Try this super fruit and feel like—super!

Pomegranates are both nutritious and delicious. This powerful fruit amps you up with antioxidants and fills you with flavonoids. They pack a punch in the nutrient and flavor departments and contain Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folate, potassium, protein, and fiber.

If you know about the health benefits of drinking red wine and green tea, don’t overlook this ravishing, ruby-red fruit that contains 3x the antioxidant activity. Pomegranates can also reduce inflammation that can wreak havoc on your body and may lead to serious illnesses. In test-tube studies, it was concluded that pomegranates could fight breast cancer and colon cancer cells and aid the digestive tract with anti-inflammatory action. In addition, pomegranates can combat arthritis and joint pain and are thought to boost brain health and improve visual and verbal memory.

High blood pressure can be a precursor for heart attacks and strokes. One study suggests that drinking 5 oz. (150 mL) of pomegranate juice daily for two weeks can improve hypertension by significantly lowering blood pressure. Another study finds that pomegranate juice can lower “bad” LDL cholesterol, which causes clogging of the arteries and atherosclerosis, and also prevent heart disease. Increase your “good” HDL high-lipoprotein cholesterol and get more heart-healthy!

Avoid gum diseases and yeast infections. Pomegranates are anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and can help prevent infections and inflammation, so you can avoid gingivitis, periodontitis, and denture stomatitis.

Want more stamina in your workout? Exercise efficiently and skip the energy drinks that aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Instead, opt for pomegranates that can boost physical performance, increasing circulation and blood flow, while delaying the onset of fatigue.

SPARKLING RUBY RED SPRITZER

Champagne (or seltzer, tonic water, or ginger ale for a virgin version)

Cranberry or cran-raspberry juice

Pomegranate seeds

Mix and enjoy!

ORANGE POMEGRANATE SALAD

Baby spinach, kale, Swiss chard, or romaine lettuce

Avocado slices

Clementines or orange slices

Walnut, pecans, or pumpkin seeds

Red onion

Dried cranberries

Pomegranate seeds

Assemble and enjoy!

POMEGRANATE GRAIN + BEAN SALAD

Black rice, wild rice, quinoa, or couscous

Garbanzo beans/chickpeas, northern beans, or kidney beans

Broccoli

Green onions

Pomegranate seeds

Curly or flat-leaf Italian parsley (optional)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil or avocado oil

Cider vinegar/rice wine vinegar

Assemble ingredients, top with dressing, and enjoy!

ORANGE POMEGRANATE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado oil

Balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

Worcestershire sauce

Honey

Pomegranate juice

Orange zest

Stir and enjoy!

Feature pretty pomegranates in your dishes and drinks at your next party or gathering! Pomegranates are not just gorgeous garnishes, but can be key ingredients in main dishes, side dishes, and desserts.

The seeds and arils of a pomegranate can be enjoyed in many a dish and beverage. These gorgeous garnishes aren’t just decoration; they are actually good for you! Try sprinkling pomegranate seeds on fruit and veggie salads, oatmeal, and granola, and mixing them into yogurt and kefir.

For dessert, top off ice creams, sorbets, mousses, puddings, custards, tarts, cheesecakes, brownies, and cakes with pretty pomegranate seeds. For chocoholics, melt chocolate (dark chocolate orange is especially delish) and make your own chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds. Just one can curb your craving for chocolate and sate that stubborn sweet tooth. Not only are these sweet treats dangerously delish, dark chocolate also has its own set of health benefits. No need to feel guilty and deprive yourself. Go ahead and treat yourself!

Next time you make your grocery list, add in a pomegranate. Get creative and include them in your meals, drinks, and snacks to boost your health and happiness!

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Susan B. B. Schabacker

Forsyth Magazines writer since 2018. Susan Schabacker was blessed to be adopted as a baby and made her journey from South Korea to Massachusetts where she arrived safely into her adoptive mother’s loving arms. She later moved to New Mexico and, after a few years, moved to Winston-Salem, NC, to study classical ballet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts from the eighth grade through high school. Susan has lived in the Piedmont Triad area for nearly 20 years and had the opportunity to travel to Budapest, Hungary; London, UK; and Beijing, China, where she studied abroad through Elon University. In Stockholm, Sweden, she had a marketing internship at Hachette-Filipacchi, publisher of Elle and other magazines. She graduated with a B.A. in Corporate Communications and a minor in Dance from Elon University. Susan loves writing and is pleased to have written for Winston-Salem Journal’s "Teen Page," Triad Living, KernersvilleMagazine, and of course, Forsyth Mags. She is a co-author of a children’s book, Huckleberry Robin, based on a three-generation true family story. Susan is grateful for her faith, family, and friends and is happy and excited to be part of the Forsyth Mags team. She spreads the word about Forsyth magazines and enjoys reading and sharing them with her family and friends every month.

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