Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Pomegranates pack juicy power

Published December 6, 2005 at midnight

Text size  

More Health & Fitness

More stories »

Green tea is great for you, but it tastes like diluted dishwater.

Red wine has gobs of disease-fighting antioxidants, but it makes you drunk.

Pomegranates to the rescue!

The ancient apple-size fruit has become ever so hip, showing up on martini menus - its ruby-red juice makes a mean mixer - and topping all the latest best-disease-fighter lists. Studies show that it contains nearly three times the antioxidants of either green tea or red wine, along with fiber, vitamin C and potassium. And most important, it tastes yum.

Pomegranates - from the French for "seeded apple" - have been used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory to treat everything from sore throats to rheumatism, but that might be just one of its potential health benefits. Studies show that pomegranates may help to kill bacteria, fight cancer and prevent hardening of the arteries that could lead to heart attacks.

Naked Juice has just come out with a 100 percent pomegranate juice and a pomegranate-blueberry version, and Pom Wonderful - the company that produces most of the pomegranates eaten in the United States - offers those two varieties as well as pom blends with cherry, mango and tangerine.

Here are some tips for buying and eating fresh poms:

Buying: Pick up the fruit to feel its weight. If it feels light for its size, select a heavier one. The skin should appear shiny, taut and thin, without cracks or splits.

Opening: Cut off the crown, and score the outer layer of skin into sections. In a large bowl of water, break apart the sections along the score lines. Roll out the arils - the sweet juice sacs surrounding a tiny edible seed - with your fingers. The extremely delicious arils will sink to the bottom, while the inedible white membrane floats to the top.

Strain out the water. The arils are ready to eat whole, seeds and all.

Storage: Keep whole pomegranates in a dark, cool place for up to a month and in the refrigerator for up to two months. Seeds can be refrigerated for up to three days. Pomegranate juice can be frozen for about six months in an airtight container.

For more info, go to or