Yes, they can be REALLY messy, but the extra effort is worth it!
I love how the ripe, juicy seeds burst in your mouth.
Pomegranates are high in fiber, Vitamin C, niacin and disease fighting antioxidants... you would have to drink three times as much green tea or red wine to get the same benefits.
According to integrative medical doctor, Dr. Andrew Weil:
The pomegranate is an extraordinary fruit, steeped in history: the number of seeds (roughly 613) found in a single fruit were said by ancient scholars to correspond to the 613 commands of the Hebrew Torah.
Now, renowned herbalist James Duke, a former ecologist with the USDA, has published (in the April, 2008 issue of Alternative & Complementary Therapies) an exhaustive review of the scientific literature on the pomegranate. His conclusion: it is “one of the most promising of health foods” with “a dozen known anti-inflammatory phytochemicals and some 3 dozen antioxidants.”
Duke found studies that suggest pomegranate fruit and/or juice may help prevent or alleviate:
-Heart disease and atherosclerosis
-High cholesterol
-Prostate cancer
-Alzheimer's disease
There's no better time to enjoy them than now.
Here's an easier way to separate the seeds from the skin. Cut the pomegranate into pieces and place in a bowl of water. Break the sections apart and gently pop the juicy seeds out.
The seeds will sink to the bottom while the rind and other stuff you don't want to eat, will rise to the top.
Drain the water and eat a bowl full of pomegranate seeds or add the seeds to your salad, cereal or yogurt.
