What is Pomegranate Juice?
Pomegranate juice is a food obtained from the liquid extraction of the fruit of Punica granatum, oriental tree belonging to the Punicaceae family.
Pomegranate juice is obtained by means of a special machine, different from common juicers and centrifuges or blenders, now available for both commercial and private use; obviously, there is no shortage of pre-packaged products.
Very Easy Pomegranate Juice
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Pomegranate juice is a refreshing drink that doubles as a snack; moreover, it is a basic ingredient for slushes, ice creams, cocktails, desserts, etc. The packaged one is also available as a concentrated syrup (pomegranate molasses, see below).
Recently, pomegranate juice has acquired great importance in the wellness and phytotherapy sector. This is because, in addition to basic nutrients (energy, vitamins, mineral salts, etc.), it boasts high levels of some principles considered beneficial to certain metabolic and cancerous pathologies.
Nutritional Characteristics
Pomegranate juice is a drink with a medium energy intake, provided above all by carbohydrates, followed by very small parts of lipids and proteins. The carbohydrates tend to be simple, the few unsaturated fatty acids and the peptides with a low biological value.
Nutritional values
The fibers of the pomegranate juice are almost absent and the fruit is absolutely cholesterol-free; on the contrary, water is very abundant.
Regarding the mineral salts, pomegranate juice does not impress and the only appreciable one is potassium. Furthermore, having examined a packaged product, then subjected to a heat treatment for conservation (pasteurization or sterilization), also the vitamin supply it is not the best. In the freshly squeezed product, these nutrients, as well as most of the phenolic antioxidants, are instead biologically active.
Pomegranate juice is a food that lends itself to any diet, even if the portion must absolutely take into account any health compromises, such as overweight, hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia (due to the load and the "glycemic index); it is therefore not always indicated for the clinical nutrition of certain pathologies and the metabolic syndrome.
On the other hand, it can be an "excellent alternative in the diet against hypercholesterolemia, provided that a glass can compensate for the appetite arising between two main meals (between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner). Pomegranate juice is also suitable for diet of those intolerant to lactose and gluten, and to vegetarian, vegan and raw food diets.
The average portion of pomegranate juice must be between 200 and 300ml (100-150kcal).
Possible Health Benefits
Preliminary research on the metabolic effects of pomegranate juice suggests that food could play an important role in:
- Reduction of the risk of carcinogenesis
- Reduction of serum cholesterol (cholesterolemia)
- Protection from atherosclerosis.
However, many more insights are needed to validate these findings. Furthermore, its hypothetical benefits must still take into account the more than significant caloric impact provided by the concentration of simple sugars (fructose).
The cholesterol-lowering and protective effects of pomegranate juice on the arteries have only been observed in studies of modest entity, i.e. on research samples that are not too significant. Both are attributable to the concentration of antioxidants and, in reality, are very similar to those found in the analysis of the metabolic impact referred to: red wine, black tea and black grape juice.
Recall that, while antioxidants have been shown to prevent or reduce certain ailments and risk factors, they have not been found to be able to prevent heart attacks or other forms of major cardiac events.
Marketing
“POM Wonderful,” a producer of pomegranate-based beverages, ran a rather risky advertising campaign about the health benefits of pomegranate juice.
As of September 2010, the company has been the subject of a misleading advertising complaint by the "Federal Trade Commission (FTC)".
In May 2012, the administrative judge issued a supportive opinion for certain charges, however based on the implicit and not the explicit.
The commercial action of “POM Wonderful” has however been suspended throughout the “United States district court” starting from 23 May 2012.
This goes to show that pomegranate juice is still considered by the scientific community as a common food and not some kind of drug or miracle product.
Pomegranate molasses
The so-called pomegranate molasses is a syrup made from pomegranate juice, and NOT from sugar cane molasses.
It is a reduction of the juice obtained from the fruit of a particular variety of pomegranate; the liquid is left to evaporate to form a thick, viscous and dark red liquid.
Pomegranate molasses is mainly used in Iranian fesenjān, Turkish pilaf and salatası çoban. In Arabic it is called dibs rumman, in Turkish nar ekşisi and in Azerbaijani narşərab.
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