I have come to realize that one can often determine whether a food is good for you just by its appearance. Visit any farmers market and take a look at the fresh colors of organic broccoli, radishes or carrots and you can imagine what this beauty can only do good for your insides. Now knowing which fruits and vegetables are good for a particular body organ or function is somewhat more difficult and not as obvious, until at least I opened my first Pomegranate. This is a fruit that screams heart health.
Since the emergence of Crayola Crayons on popular culture we have become accustomed to naming colors beyond the generic classification of rainbow colors and shades. We now have Burnt Orange, Cadet Green, and Atomic Tangerine to name a few and each gives you a clear visual through association and looking at Pomegranate seeds you can't help but see Blood Red, which is great because the cardiovascular benefits match its description and are well established.
Pomegranates have been linked to reducing LDL oxidation (the transition from VLDL to bad LDL cholesterol) which among other issues leads to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Pomegranates are also a natural form of a popular blood pressure lowering drug, an ACE Inhibitor. (Essentially, the ACE suppresses the conversion of two different types of angiotensins which can lead to vasoconsrictors, or increased blood pressure). Think of it this way: When you open a Pomegranate and see the explosion of healthy blood red seeds you are essentially doing the same thing in your veins and arteries by opening up any constriction and increasing blood flow.
There are currently over 15 clinical trials to determine possible positive effects from Pomegranates on such diseases as Prostate Cancer, Diabetes, and lymphoma. But open a Pomegranate for yourself and see the healthy color and you'll probably get your own indication of where these studies may lead.
If that's not enough you can even think of it in political terms. Did you know that there are 760 different local varieties of Pomegranates recognized by Iran? Pomegranates are predominately found in the Caucasus Region, of which Iran is a part. And did you know that when he planted Pomegranates at Monticello in 1771, Thomas Jefferson became one of the first growers of American Pomegranates? So despite our ever increasing differences with Iran, can't we at least agree that the Pomegranates have united these two nations for over 200 years? I think so.
So when my four year old is looking at crayons and asks if she can use Blood Red, I'll gladly answer, "Yes, please."
To see some possible Pomegranate recipes please see the following link:
http://www.pomegranates.org/recipes.html
Since the emergence of Crayola Crayons on popular culture we have become accustomed to naming colors beyond the generic classification of rainbow colors and shades. We now have Burnt Orange, Cadet Green, and Atomic Tangerine to name a few and each gives you a clear visual through association and looking at Pomegranate seeds you can't help but see Blood Red, which is great because the cardiovascular benefits match its description and are well established.
Pomegranates have been linked to reducing LDL oxidation (the transition from VLDL to bad LDL cholesterol) which among other issues leads to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Pomegranates are also a natural form of a popular blood pressure lowering drug, an ACE Inhibitor. (Essentially, the ACE suppresses the conversion of two different types of angiotensins which can lead to vasoconsrictors, or increased blood pressure). Think of it this way: When you open a Pomegranate and see the explosion of healthy blood red seeds you are essentially doing the same thing in your veins and arteries by opening up any constriction and increasing blood flow.
There are currently over 15 clinical trials to determine possible positive effects from Pomegranates on such diseases as Prostate Cancer, Diabetes, and lymphoma. But open a Pomegranate for yourself and see the healthy color and you'll probably get your own indication of where these studies may lead.
If that's not enough you can even think of it in political terms. Did you know that there are 760 different local varieties of Pomegranates recognized by Iran? Pomegranates are predominately found in the Caucasus Region, of which Iran is a part. And did you know that when he planted Pomegranates at Monticello in 1771, Thomas Jefferson became one of the first growers of American Pomegranates? So despite our ever increasing differences with Iran, can't we at least agree that the Pomegranates have united these two nations for over 200 years? I think so.
So when my four year old is looking at crayons and asks if she can use Blood Red, I'll gladly answer, "Yes, please."
To see some possible Pomegranate recipes please see the following link:
http://www.pomegranates.org/recipes.html
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