The Super Fruit That Packs One Healthy Punch

It used to be all about the blueberry. Then the blackberry was flavor of the month. Blackcurrant and grapefruit soon took over, only to be superseded by broccoli and cabbage.

And what about avocado, you may ask? That's so last year. Cranberry? Don't make me laugh. Now, when it comes to super-foods, only pomegranate will do.

It seems the pomegranate, that hard red fruit which seems almost inedible thanks to the hundreds of seeds inside, is so super it's being hailed as the ultimate in super-food, making the others only fit to languish in the bottom of the fridge.

Indeed, according to Tesco, pomegranate juice has become its biggest seller ... It has become so achingly fashionable that even the celebrities are at it. Will Smith, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Ritchie and Jennifer Lopez all reportedly cannot get enough of the pomegranate.

But why? Well, the pomegranate packs a healthy punch in the well-being department, helping to fight heart disease, cancer, protect unborn babies from brain damage, lower blood pressure, increase fertility and help cushion menopause symptoms. It even works as a natural Viagra for men.

In fact, the pomegranate has more antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that help fight disease and premature aging than any other substance: One pomegranate contains 40 percent of an adult's daily vitamin C requirement, and it has three times the antioxidant properties of red wine or green tea. No wonder "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria and the A-list "pomtini"-drinking celebritiesjust love it.

Pomegranate juice is even an award winner, being voted Best Healthy Beverage by Reader's Digest readers after studies revealed a glass a day for three months caused an average 35 percent reduction in the hardening of arteries. "The pomegranate is a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth -- think of Persephone in the underworld, eating the seeds of the 'jewel winter,'" explains food expert Emma Conroy, of Edinburgh Nutrition. "This legendary association with fertility is reflected in the abundance of its seeds, which contain significant levels of phytoestrogens (plant-estrogens). Look younger with pomegranate? >
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Source: Health & Wellness

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