Pomegranate has been prized since ancient times, and modern research confirms many of the historical benefits of this fruit. In addition to being delicious, it’s also good for your health in many ways, including its role in weight loss. Check out these seven amazing pomegranate benefits for weight loss and consider adding more pomegranates to your diet today!
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Pomegranate Benefits for Weight Loss
Pomegranates are loaded with nutrients and can easily be consumed by each one of us to enhance weight loss and promote overall: Read More.
1. Pomegranates Are Low in Calories
One of pomegranates’ most attractive qualities is that they are relatively low in calories. One medium-sized fruit contains only about 84 calories. Because of their low-calorie content, adding a few pomegranates to your diet will not hinder your weight loss efforts.
They are also rich in fiber, which can help you feel full without increasing your caloric intake. Fiber has been shown to be particularly effective at curbing cravings and keeping you from eating junk food. If you are struggling with hunger or snacking on unhealthy foods between meals, try snacking on some fresh pomegranates! This might just be what you need to stay on track with your weight loss journey.
2. Pomegranates boost metabolism
While pomegranate isn’t exactly what you’d call a fat burner, it does contain antioxidants that promote fat burning and thermogenesis, which is the process of using fat calories to produce heat.
In one study from Laval University in Quebec, researchers found that drinking 100 grams of pomegranate juice daily increased resting energy expenditure by 5 percent—which equates to about 120 extra calories burned per day.
A second study published in Cell Biochemistry and Function also found that consuming pomegranate extract boosted metabolic rate by 4 percent. What’s especially exciting about these findings is that people were allowed to eat whatever they wanted during these studies—they weren’t put on any sort of restrictive diet.
The more calories your body burns throughout the day, the easier it will be to lose weight! However, as you age, your metabolism naturally slows down; increasing your calorie burn with pomegranates can help keep your metabolism active.
3. Controls appetite and hunger hormones
When we’re hungry, our bodies release ghrelin and other hormones that signal hunger to our brains. When we’ve eaten, another set of hormones are released, including leptin and peptide YY—that tell us we’re full.
Eating pomegranates can help keep your appetite in check by controlling these hunger hormones. One study found that eating pomegranates can significantly reduce ghrelin while increasing leptin after a meal, which suggests it could help you feel fuller faster after eating less.
Research shows that eating two pomegranates daily can lower ghrelin levels by a third in overweight adults, suggesting they may be helpful at controlling your appetite when you first wake up or feel hungry between meals.
How to Enjoy Pomegranate Benefits for Weight Loss
Add to your morning smoothie
Pomegranates are a wonderful tool in your weight-loss arsenal, as they contain high levels of fiber and antioxidants. When you add them to a smoothie, they help slow down digestion—you feel fuller longer, which lowers your calorie intake.
Add it as an ingredient in homemade salad dressing
Adding pomegranate to homemade salad dressing is one of our favorite ways to enjoy it for weight loss. Try adding a little bit of it in with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and you’ll be surprised how much flavor it adds!
Add juice as a sweetener to your protein shake
Instead of adding refined sugar, or even high-fructose corn syrup, add 100% pure pomegranate juice. By doing so, you will reduce your calorie intake significantly while also improving flavor and getting a boost of antioxidants and vitamins C, K, and A. You can replace any sweetener in your protein shake with 100% pure pomegranate juice and reap all its benefits.
Blend it into homemade ice cream
Did you know that a pomegranate makes a wonderful addition to homemade ice cream? If you’re trying to cut back on sugar, switching from your regular sugar-based frozen treat to one that uses pomegranates and fresh mint leaves is a great way. Not only will it taste amazing, but it’ll be much healthier for you, too. To get started, just slice open a pomegranate and remove all of its seeds before blending them with mint leaves.
Toss into salads
Salads are a necessary part of healthy eating, but they do not have to be boring. To add some texture and flavor to your salad, toss in some pomegranate seeds. The sweet and tart taste is sure to spice up your salad.
Other Health Benefits of Pomegranates
1. Boosts the immune system
Eating pomegranates may increase your body’s immunity to disease and illness. Antioxidants known as polyphenols found in pomegranates help fight against cell damage and boost levels of white blood cells known as natural killer cells, which are vital for fighting infections. And by keeping these cells strong, you’ll lower your risk of catching a cold or flu.
2. Pomegranates Are Loaded With Antioxidants
The red hue that pomegranate seeds have is from polyphenols. These are pretty powerful chemicals. Apart from other fruits, the concentration of antioxidants in a pomegranate and pomegranate juice is relatively high; it’s got three times the number of antioxidants that one can find in green tea and red wine! These antioxidants can contribute to many health benefits, such as the reduction and removal of free radicals, protecting the cells inside the body from getting damaged, and helping in the reduction of inflammation.
3. Pomegranates Help in Digestion
Are you tired of constant inflammation and digestive issues? Here’s a tip: start eating pomegranates! Pomegranates are very helpful in the reduction of inflammation inside our gut. They also help in improving our digestive system.
All those people who have Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and any other bowel inflammatory diseases can reap the benefits of Pomegranate by regularly consuming it! In case of diarrhea, it’s advisable to reduce your pomegranate intake as it’s said to worsen it, but apart from that, you’re good to go!
4. Pomegranate Is Loaded With Vitamin C
This fruit is full of nutrients. Did you know that the consumption of Pomegranate can achieve approximately 40% of your body’s daily Vitamin C requirement? Yes, that’s right, it’s packed with Vitamin C and is very beneficial for your body.
5. Pomegranate Helps Prevent Cancer
The antioxidants in pomegranate can keep certain types of cancer at bay. They work to inhibit tumor growth and block enzymes that cause cancerous tumors to spread. Research has shown that regular consumption of pomegranates can reduce your risk of colon cancer by 30 percent.
In another study, experts found out that Pomegranate can help stop the growth of prostate cancer cells. Although these results are preliminary, adding it to your diet won’t hurt you because it certainly has impressive results in providing health benefits.
6. Pomegranate Provides Protection Against Alzheimer’s
Pomegranates are rich in antioxidants, particularly ellagic acid, a compound that seems to prevent cell-damaging oxidation. The antioxidant activity of pomegranates is one reason why they may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
Pomegranates are also high in punicalagin, another compound that inhibits enzymes involved in producing a beta-amyloid protein—a substance responsible for plaque formation and nerve damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Studies have also shown that drinking pomegranate juice can increase blood flow to brain regions affected by Alzheimer’s disease, thus improving the condition. This can also be beneficial for those who have early Alzheimer’s because this excellent fruit will slow the process.
7. Pomegranates Have Anti-inflammatory Properties
It is a powerful source of anti-inflammatory as it has a high concentration of antioxidants found in them. This helps reduce inflammation throughout our body and helps prevent oxidative stress and the damage it causes.
8. Pomegranate Helps Keep the Heart Healthy
A few studies have shown that pomegranates contribute to improved heart health. They help lower blood pressure and maintain normal blood sugar levels.
One study found that drinking pomegranate juice regularly could protect heart health. It helped prevent atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in arteries that can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Research also showed it reduced blood pressure and harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol while increasing good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels.
The researchers believe these benefits are due to antioxidants called polyphenols present in pomegranates. These compounds may reduce oxidative stress by inhibiting LDL oxidation and inflammation while promoting anti-inflammatory effects.
9. Pomegranates Help In Reducing Risk of Diabetes
Pomegranates help in the reduction of both types of diabetes.
Studies have shown that drinking pomegranate juice twice a day can lower your risk of developing diabetes. A study published in 2008 showed that mice that drank pomegranate juice for four weeks had 30% less insulin resistance and 80% less inflammation than mice that did not drink pomegranate juice.
Another study, published in 2009, found that people with type 2 diabetes who drank 8 ounces of pomegranate juice every day for two months lowered their blood sugar levels by 17%. This was significant because even after stopping drinking pomegranate juice, participants’ blood sugar levels remained significantly lower than before they started drinking it.
10. Pomegranates are Antiviral
A 2002 study published in Phytotherapy Research concluded that pomegranate juice is effective at treating viral infections, such as hepatitis B. These results were confirmed by a 2007 study, also published in Phytotherapy Research.
In both studies, researchers found that pomegranate’s antiviral abilities are due to one of its components called punicalagin. This compound has been shown to inhibit an enzyme involved in the replication and repair of DNA; inhibiting it can prevent viruses from replicating.
11. Pomegranates Help Improve Sexual Performance
New research suggests that drinking pomegranate juice may increase sexual performance. How? It’s due to an antioxidant in pomegranates called ellagic acid, which has a similar structure to resveratrol, which is commonly known to fight heart disease.
In one study, men who consumed 200 ml of pomegranate juice for six months had improved blood flow, which led to increased erectile function compared with those who consumed a placebo drink.
A second study found that men who drank 500 ml of pomegranate juice daily had significantly higher sperm counts than those who didn’t consume any. The researchers believe it’s because pomegranates are high in vitamin C, which helps maintain semen quality.
12. Has anti-aging properties
Regularly consuming pomegranates is thought to have anti-aging properties. While there are no human studies to prove that eating pomegranates slows down aging, plenty of in vitro (test tube) and animal studies show its potential for protecting your cells from damage and may even fight cancer.
The antioxidants in pomegranates seem to help block free radicals from causing cellular damage—which means it can potentially slow down or reverse some of the skin’s aging processes. In fact, one study found that pomegranate extract significantly reduced wrinkles and fine lines in mice with sunburned skin. That’s not to say you should replace your wrinkle cream with a glass of juice—but it might be worth including more pomegranates in your diet as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.
Final Thoughts
If you’re trying to lose weight, incorporating more pomegranate into your diet can help boost your efforts and make it easier to get rid of that unwanted fat. Pomegranates are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, both of which have been shown to aid in weight loss. In addition, the seeds themselves contain fiber and are low in calories, making them ideal for maintaining a healthy weight.
In addition, pomegranates may support your overall health by boosting the brain, fighting inflammation, promoting better digestion, fighting diabetes, preventing cancer, and fighting infections.
Moreover, it’s easy to incorporate pomegranates into the diet.
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I didn’t realize pomegranate had so many health benefits, thank you Michelle
thank you for this information about benefits of pomegranate, I love this website.