Are Pomegranates part of your holiday table?
If not, get to the store and pick up a couple.
Here’s how to cut them apart to get all the nutritious fruit.
And don’t throw away the white pithy part, that’s where the nutrition power is.
Cut off the top
2. Score the sides running a knife through the skin into the white sections. Pull apart.
3. Remove the seeds and save the white ptthy part—that’s where the magic is.
That lowly pomegranate you only pay attention to during the holidays because of the red berries you sprinkle on dips and spreads to make them look festive, turns out to be dynamite for cellular health, the gut microbiome, and fighting inflammation—all tied to living longer.
The latest research shows the white sections of the pomegranate are a precursor for Urolithin A, a powerful post-biotic which when part of a diverse microbiome enhances your healthspan (those years you are healthy and living independently. Something we all want, right?)
Science is learning how and why we age.
Mitochondrial dysfunction (The mitochondria—those power cells in the body that give us energy)
Decline in autophagy (the body’s ability to clear away the weak and dead cells making way for newer stronger cells.)
This is where intermittent fasting comes in. When we fast for at least 12 hrs, the body is able to slough off the weaker cells making room for the newer healthier cells.
Chronic inflammation (yep, that extra roll around the middle is shortening your healthspan.)
Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis (the bacteria in the gut is not diverse and there may be places where the gut lining is leaky causing bad bacteria to flow into the bloodstream.)
This is why probiotics and prebiotics are so important.
New clinical trials are ongoing looking into the use of Urolithin A as an anti-inflammatory and to improve mitochondrial health. There are supplements being tested and they are showing great results.
Pomegranate juice is also an option however neither the fruit, the white sections, or the juice were as effective as the supplement (Mitopure) in the clinical trials. And yes, the clinical trial data is provided by the manufacture of the supplement.
Personally, I’m going the pomegranate route hoping my microbiome can make Urolithin A bio-available. As for inflammation, the best test currently if you’re concerned about chronic inflammation is the C Reactive Protein Blood test. Ask your doctor for more information about this inflammation marker.
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Oh an now, I will eat the white membrane - I eat the orange white membrane but not the pomegranate!
I remember eating pomegranates at my grandparents house and now that we are grandparents, we do the same with our grands! They love them as much as we do. Thanks for the reminder on the pomegranate health benefits and for triggering great memories! Keep writing, Trish!