Pomegranates Healthy Food Guide

Peak season: Fall and Winter

Recipe shown above: Pomegranate-Glazed Turkey with Roasted Fennel

High in fiber, vitamin C and potassium, pomegranates are also high in polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that has been linked with reduced risk of heart disease and some cancers.

Beneath the tough, leathery skin of a pomegranate, you will find hundreds of edible seeds encased in sweet, juicy pulp. Native to the region from Iran to northern India, pomegrantes have been appreciated from Biblical times, when Moses promised his followers that they would find the fruit in the Promised Land, to the 18th century, when Spanish sailors introduced it to the southern United States.

Pomegranate varieties range in size (usually about as big as a large orange), skin color (yellowish to dark red) and fruit color (white to red). Cutting open a pomegranate reveals a multitude of crimson kernels. We refer to them as “seeds,” but technically they’re small “arils.” The small edible sacks contain juice and a crunchy seed, delicious either alone, in a salad or as part of these healthy recipes.