Pomegranate is a delicious fruit belonging to the shrub family. The botanical name of the pomegranate is Punica Granatum. With a harder skin, pomegranate comes densely packed with juice and edible seeds, called arils. This red fruit comes packed with a high nutritional value. There are more than 100 phytochemicals present in pomegranate, which makes it equivalent to spinach in terms of health quotient. It is high in fibre and low in calories, and one can enjoy all the benefits of pomegranate by including it in a daily diet.
Let us help you understand all about the pomegranate fruit benefits along with its nutritional values.
Nutritional Value of Pomegranate
You will not just find vitamins in pomegranate, but several other nutrients required by the body. Here is a list of the nutrients found in pomegranate as mentioned below:-
- Calories: 230
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Sugar: 39 g
- Fibre: 11 g
- Fat: 3.5 g
- Potassium: 666 mg
- Phosphorus: 100 mg
- Magnesium: 34 mg
- Vitamin C: 29 mg
- Calcium: 28 mg
- Vitamin B9 or Folate: 108 mcg
Besides, pomegranate is also loaded with antioxidants and polyphenolic compounds.
10 Amazing Health Benefits of Eating Pomegranate
There are so many uses of pomegranate that make it a miraculous fruit. Here is a list of top benefits of eating pomegranate everyday as mentioned below:
1. Eat Pomegranate to Keep Your Heart Healthy
The prime benefit of eating pomegranate every day is for your heart, Rich in polyphenolic compounds, pomegranate helps in keeping your health healthy. It helps to avoid build-up in the arteries and prevent strokes and heart attacks.
2. Pomegranates Aids in Digestion
Vitamin in pomegranate is good for your gut health. This delicious red fruit is rich in fibre, which makes it a perfect solution for all your digestion issues. By eating pomegranate regularly you can stay away from digestive problems like hemorrhoids, constipation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and colon cancer.
3. Boosts up Immunity with Vitamin C
Eating just one pomegranate supplies you with about 40% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is responsible for maintaining your overall immunity. So, when you eat a pomegranate a day, you boost up your body’s immune system.
4. Good for Your Urinary Health
Health benefits of eating pomegranate don’t end here. It is good for your urinary health. It helps reduce the formation of kidney stones. Extract of pomegranate helps to prevent the concentration of calcium, phosphates, and oxalates in the blood, which leads to kidney stones.
5. Good for Your Brain Health
Likewise, eating pomegranate a day is good for your brain health. This fruit is rich in a compound called ellagitannins, which helps to protect the brain against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Those who eat pomegranate can also recover fast from a hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
6. Prevents Inflammation in the Body
Not many people are aware that there is one more benefit of eating pomegranate every day. This fruit is rich in anti-inflammatory properties. Due to this, eating a pomegranate helps to prevent inflammation in the body.
7. A Pomegranate a Day Keeps Cancer at Bay
Trust on the powers of pomegranate fruit for overall well-being. It has some compounds that help in eliminating the growth of cancer cells. Drinking pomegranate juice a day prevents the risk of prostate cancer in men.
8. Rich Anti-Viral and Anti-Oxidant Properties
Pomegranate is rich both in antiviral and anti-oxidant properties. Add this fruit in your daily diet chart to stay away from various viral infections and diseases. Its antioxidant properties help to remove free radicals from the body.
9. Regulates Blood Pressure
Pomegranate is a wonderful fruit that also works wonders in regulating your blood pressure. A study revealed that eating pomegranate or drinking its juice helps to lower your blood pressure.
10. Enhances Endurance of Body
Eating a pomegranate a day helps to enhance the overall endurance of the body. It is due to the presence of polyphenol compounds in this red fruit. Some studies revealed that taking just 1 gram of this fruit before jogging helps to increase the exhaustion time by about 12%.
Pomegranate Side Effects
After learning about the benefits of pomegranate, it is time to understand its side effects too. Although pomegranate is a safe fruit to consume, sometimes some people may experience the following side effects eating pomegranate or taking its extract in any form:
- Itching
- Difficulty in Breathing
- Runny Nose
- Swelling
The Bottom Line
Pomegranate is undoubtedly a superfood that offers solutions to more than one health problem. Ayurveda relies on its medicinal values and hails for its memory-enhancing properties. Eat it raw or drink its juice, both are equally good and yield the same health benefits as pomegranate.
