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Pomegranate protect heart
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Pomegranate has many vitamins
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Pomegranates are being hailed as a
super-food which can protect the heart |
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 Scientists
in Israel have shown that drinking a daily
glass of the fruit's juice can reduce the
risk of cardiovascular disease.
"Pomegranate juice contains the highest
antioxidant capacity compared to other
juices, green tea," said Professor Michael
Aviram, who led the team.
This is good news, for antioxidants are the
naturally occurring substances in plants
that protect the body from free radicals -
'bad' chemicals in the blood.
Free radicals alter cholesterol in a process
known as oxidation, which is thought to
speed up the hardening of the arteries.
In studies at the Rambam Medical Center in
Haifa, the juice of the fruit was found to
slow down cholesterol oxidation by almost
half, and reduce the retention of LDL.
That is the 'bad' cholesterol which forms
atherosclerotic lesions, the fatty deposits
which narrow the arteries and lead to heart
disease.
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Many vitamins |
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The round,
leathery fruit is full of edible seeds
nestled in tiny juice sacs.Brimming with
vitamins A, C, E and iron, the pomegranate
has been cultivated since pre-historic
times. Thought to
be native to Persia, the fruit is now grown
everywhere from Spain to California.
It features richly in mythology, as a symbol
of birth, eternal life, and death, owing to
its abundance of seeds and ability to
'bleed'.
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Asian cookery |
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Central Asian
and Middle Eastern cooks always have a
supply of the fruit on hand.
In Azerbaijan, a pomegranate sauce called
Narsharab is served with sturgeon fillet,
while Georgians use the seeds as a salad
garnish or to flavour meat dishes.
In Iran, a dish known as Fesenjan is
prepared with pomegranate concentrate.
"No Iranian kitchen will be without a
bottle," said Ms Shaida.
"Fesenjan consists of ground walnuts, fried
until brown, which are added to fried onions
and duck, or chicken along with the
pomegranate sauce. It has a wondrous
flavour, but very rich."
In the West, the fruit is still regarded as
a novelty, but food writers like Rosemary
Stark are keen to change this.
She said: "I find it has one of the finest
sweet/sour balances of any fruit.
"Try sprinkling some over your breakfast
muesli, or lunchtime hummus." |
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Pomegranate:
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