pomegranate Archives - Amazing Health Advances

10 Great Reasons to Love the Pomegranate

AHA Publisher — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 07:00:41 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – Coaxing the edible seeds out of a pomegranate is a popular how-to topic. Some swear by the whack-with-a-wooden-spoon method; others massage out those ruby-red arils in a bowl of water to keep things neat. Any way you choose to undertake this task, it’s worth your effort. And not only because the juicy seeds add visual flair and a sweet-tart pop to a variety of dishes. The main reason it’s worth risking stained fingers and countertops: Pomegranates have almost unbelievable healing and health-protective properties. The regal-looking fruit ripens on Israeli trees just in time for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana. Farms from north to south produce around 40,000 tons of fresh pomegranates every year, about half for export. You can use it as a pretty centerpiece and serve the juicy seeds for a nutritious cocktail of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins including C, E, K and B9 (folate). Here are 10 reasons to put pomegranates on your plate. 1. Pomegranates protect your cardiovascular system Prof. Michael Aviram from Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center was the first to discover that powerful flavonoid antioxidants in pomegranates help prevent atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. He also found that drinking pomegranate juice for a year reduced study participants’ systolic blood pressure by 12 percent. (If you are on blood pressure and cholesterol medications like statins, consult your doctor before drinking pomegranate juice.) 2. Pomegranates vs. diabetes Another study led by Aviram showed that pomegranate juice may be beneficial for people with diabetes because its natural sugar isn’t “free” but is firmly attached to its antioxidants and therefore does not cause blood sugar to spike. This feature may help decrease insulin resistance and lower blood sugar. This could be why pomegranates have long been used as a remedy for diabetes in the Middle East and India. 3. Pomegranates protect your brain Israeli pomegranate-sourced punicic acid is the active ingredient in GranaGard, a brain-protective food supplement invented by experimental neurologist Ruth Gabizon from Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem, and Hebrew University nanotechnology expert Shlomo Magdassi. An Israeli study last year proved GranaGard significantly improved cognitive function in multiple sclerosis patients experiencing cognitive difficulties associated with the disease. While nerve cell damage is irreversible, GranaGard seems to prevent or slow neurodegeneration and reduce symptoms caused by neurodegenerative diseases or aging. 4. Pomegranates keep you looking young In Chinese medicine, pomegranate juice is a longevity treatment. The secret here is probably the fruit’s punicic acid, a rare omega-5 conjugated fatty acid that has been shown to improve skin tone and elasticity. Clinical studies suggest that by eating pomegranate, or by using skin care products that include it, pomegranate extracts protect skin from UV damage, lessen sun-induced “age spots” and reduce symptoms of inflammatory skin conditions such as acne and eczema. Israeli natural beauty company, Shavit, has a whole range of products infused with pomegranate extracts. 5. Pomegranates protect unborn babies Infection, inflammation, or a combination of both, in a mother’s womb can lead to neurological damage in her baby. Researchers from Rambam Medical Center and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology found that drinking pomegranate juice during pregnancy can reduce the risk of inflammation in the womb and inflammation-induced fetal brain injury. Once again, this effect is due to the fruit’s strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. “This is the first study of its kind aiming to understand how to use the pomegranate, which has known health benefits, to prevent a problem that, under certain conditions, passes from mother to child,” said co-author Zeev Wiener, chief of OB/GYN at Rambam. 6. Pomegranates protect your teeth A dental study in India showed that rinsing the mouth with pomegranate juice decreased colony-forming units of dental plaque microorganisms by 32 percent. This indicates that pomegranates could help prevent tooth decay and gum disease. 7. Pomegranates may keep you trim Many studies have explored the effects of pomegranate extracts in fighting obesity. According to one such study, the fat-reduction effects are related to the fruit’s anthocyanins, tannins and strong antioxidants. 8. Pomegranates ease digestive ills Pomegranate seeds are known to alleviate a range of problems in the digestive tract, including stomachaches and hemorrhoids. Pomegranate rind tea helps treat diarrhea, dysentery, mouth sores and throat irritation. Pomegranate bark tea can rid the body of intestinal parasites. And pomegranate juice may be beneficial for people with inflammatory bowel diseases. 9. Pomegranates boost sports endurance and performance Various studies indicate that drinking pomegranate juiceenhances endurance, strength performance, and post-workout recovery due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It was found helpful in reducing muscle soreness and increasing blood flow in exercisers as well. 10. Pomegranates will get even better in the future The Israeli government’s Agricultural Research Organization-Volcani Center has been researching pomegranates for 40 years. Doron Holland, head of the Volcani Center’s Fruit Tree Sciences Unit, studies pomegranate metabolites and genetics, and uses his findings to breed (not genetically engineer) cultivars that can grow in desert conditions and produce fruit that matures earlier and has enhanced color and taste. “We are working hard on raising the nutritional value of pomegranates,” he tells ISRAEL21c. “Our work is focused on genetic control of metabolites with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant content.” While the scientists are busy working on that, here’s a pomegranate sorbet you can whip up today. To read the original article click here.

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7 Superfoods to Help You Prevent Sunburn

AHA Publisher — Thu, 27 May 2021 07:00:47 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – Slathering your body with a goopy white chemical concoction may not be the only way to protect your skin from the damaging effects of a sunburn. It turns out that what you eat can have a dramatic effect on your tendency to burn. God didn’t make mistakes when creating human beings. We are not meant to be as vulnerable to the sun as we currently think we are. In fact, the sun is a life giving force that supplies the body with essential nutrients such as vitamin D. But if this true, how did we get to be so afraid of the sun? Catalyst vs. Cause Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. It is estimated that between 40 to 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will develop a carcinogenic skin tumor. That is scary! Skin cancer is a serious issue that is certainly associated with overexposure to the sun in many cases. However, people also often develop skin cancers in areas rarely – if ever – exposed to the sun, such as the armpit or the groin. This means that sunburn is not the root cause of skin cancer, but instead more like a catalyst for its formation. It is true that a life of excessive sun exposure and sun damage will likely make your body more susceptible to skin cancer, but this is much more likely if your body is already in a weakened and vulnerable state due to poor diet and lifestyle choices. In other words, the sun isn’t the cause of skin cancer, but a toxic and inflamed body is. Sunburn = Skin Inflammation The redness, burning sensation, and eventual blistering associated with a severe sunburn are part of the body’s natural inflammatory response to excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure. Sunburn is basically the body’s warning sign that it has reached its limit of UV exposure. What’s interesting however, is that a healthy body – regardless of skin pigmentation – can handle much more UV radiation before triggering the inflammatory response that leads to sunburn. The Science A study conducted by German researchers found that foods high in antioxidant compounds dramatically affect how the skin reacts to sun exposure. The researchers gave half the participants of the study antioxidant-rich tomatoes and olive oil. The other half of participants ate the same diet except without the tomatoes and olive oil. At the conclusion of the 10 week study, the participants who consumed the tomatoes (1/4 cup daily) and the olive oil (2 tsp daily), experienced a whopping 35% less reddening than the control group! That’s a significant result. This is likely due to the anti-inflammatory and free-radical scavenging effect of the antioxidants found in tomatoes and olive oil. 7 Superfoods to Prevent Sunburn Now that we know how food can affect the skin’s ability to handle sun exposure, here are 7 powerful superfoods to protect your skin from the inside-out: Green Tea – Green tea is rich in antioxidants called catechins that are protective against UV damage Spirulina & Chlorella – Both of these nutritious species of edible algae contain a powerful carotenoid called Astaxanthin. This antioxidant is about 550 times stronger than Vitamin E, making it a great defense against UV damage to the skin and eyes Broccoli – Broccoli is loaded with an antioxidant called sulforaphane which provides powerful protection against UV radiation Pomegranate – Pomegranate is famous for it’s various antioxidant polyphenol compounds that can help protect the skin from oxidative damage. Blueberries – These delicious little berries are antioxidant powerhouses and help move the lymph allowing the body to detox and repair more readily Acerola Cherry – This superfood is loaded with vitamin C and phycocyanins which are considered to be the plants naturally occurring sunscreen. Krill Oil – The omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA found in fish and krill oil are essential to a healthy inflammatory response in the body. They also allow the cells of the body to more easily harvest the electrons from the sun leading to less tendency for sunburn Eat With the Seasons Do you notice a pattern in these foods? Most are foods that are at peak ripeness during the warmer months, or typically grow in tropical equatorial areas that receive massive amounts on sun exposure. Is this coincidence? Or God’s infinite intelligence at work? We have been provided the foods we need to thrive in the environment which we inhabit. Go to your local farmer’s market and try to find fresh antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables to naturally protect your skin from the sun. You can also get you antioxidants from the high quality fruit and vegetable extracts in Divine Health’s premium nutritional supplements. The antioxidant rich greens mentioned above can be found in Dr. Colbert’s Fermented Green Supremefood formula. For the benefits of the polyphenols in fruits and berries, try Dr Colbert’s Organic Red Supremefood. If you don’t want to eat a bunch of sardines everyday, you can try Dr. Colbert’s Living Krill Oil. References https://elissagoodman.com/healthy-tips/eat-to-avoid-sunburn/ https://www.sunislife.com/healthy-eating-prevents-sunburn/ http://www.thrive-style.com/2014/03/8-foods-prevent-sunburn/ http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/ask-the-experts/is-sun-exposure-the-only-cause-of-skin-cancer To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Colbert click here.

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