Pomegranates 101: A Complete Guide 
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Pomegranates 101: A Complete Guide

Pomegranates 101: A Complete Guide
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Updated on March 7, 2024
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Pomegranates may seem intimidating, as fruits go. But breaking through that tough skin to get to the succulent, ruby-red arils (the seeds and the juice around them) is worth the effort because of the many health benefits that lie within.

Those sweet-tart pomegranate arils can help keep your body healthy and disease-free. Plus, they may be just what you need to add a punch of flavor to everything from your salad to your seltzer.

Let’s explore the pomegranate — its history, what makes it so healthy, and how to add it to your diet.

What Is a Pomegranate? And How Did It Become a Superfood?

The pomegranate fruit is best known for the jewel-like arils embedded within its leathery red rind.

 The pomegranate, which grows on a pomegranate tree, originally came from Iran and northern India, and now the fruit can be found all over the world. In ancient times, pomegranates represented fertility, and the fruit has been depicted many times in art throughout history.

A few centuries ago, the fruit was brought over to North America, and it now grows in California and Arizona.

 Nearly every part of the pomegranate has been researched for potential health benefits, and thanks to promising evidence that it can help with various conditions, it has increased in popularity. These days, you’ll easily find pomegranate in the form of supplements, juice, powders, extracts, and, of course, the fruit itself.

Pomegranate Nutrition Facts

Pomegranate arils are packed with nutrients and antioxidants, substances that can help prevent or delay damage within the cells, according to MedlinePlus.

 In fact, according to research, pomegranate juice has 3 times as many antioxidants as other antioxidant-rich beverages, such as green tea and red wine.

Pomegranate arils have plenty of other nutrients, too, and are a great addition to your daily recommended serving of fruit, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate guidelines. Here’s the nutritional profile for a ½-cup serving of pomegranate seeds, according to the USDA:

  • 72 calories
  • 16 grams (g) carbohydrates
  • 12 g sugar
  • 3.5 g fiber
  • 205 milligrams (mg) potassium
  • 9 mg vitamin C
  • 14 micrograms (mcg) vitamin K
  • 33 mcg folate
  • 9 mg calcium
  • 205 mg potassium

How to Cut It: Pomegranate

Everyday Health staff nutritionist Kelly Kennedy, RDN, shows you how to cut a pomegranate.
How to Cut It: Pomegranate

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Potential Health Benefits of Pomegranates

Currently, there isn’t a lot of strong scientific evidence concerning the effects of pomegranate on human health, and more rigorous research is needed to confirm any further benefits. But the studies that have been done show that pomegranate and pomegranate juice are promising in the following areas:

  • They’re rich in antioxidants. Pomegranates gained a reputation as a superfood based on their high levels of antioxidants, including flavonoids, anthocyanins, and ellagitannins. Antioxidants have many proven benefits, as they help prevent cellular damage caused by disease and aging.

  • They have anti-inflammatory properties. In part because of all those antioxidants, pomegranates have been shown to reduce cellular inflammation and thus may play a role in inflammatory diseases, including ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, according to a review from 2023.

  • They may benefit cardiovascular health. In animal studies and small clinical trials, supplementing with pomegranate was shown to decrease blood pressure and improve artery health.
  • They could ward off type 2 diabetes. Some research from 2022 showed that pomegranate juice has an antidiabetic effect and may increase insulin sensitivity. It has also been shown, in small studies of people with diabetes, to reduce fasting blood glucose.

  • They could protect against dementia. Several small preclinical and clinical studies indicate that pomegranate supplements have neuroprotective effects that could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, according to research from 2023.

  • They have antibacterial and antiviral properties. Research indicates that pomegranate juice may inhibit certain viruses, including COVID-19. In one randomized controlled clinical study of 182 people with COVID-19, those who drank 200 milliliters (about 7 ounces) of pomegranate juice three times a day and took sumac, another natural antiviral, reported reduced symptoms of fever, cough, diarrhea, taste and smell alteration, abdominal pain, and nausea compared with those who did not supplement. More research is needed, but the results are promising.

Can Pomegranates Help With Weight Loss?

Significantly increasing your intake of pomegranates doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll slim down overnight. There hasn’t been much data or research showing that pomegranates contribute to weight loss, and the studies that hint there could be a link were very small or not significant enough to draw conclusions from.

That said, pomegranates are part of a healthy diet and may aid in weight loss efforts because they contain fiber, which contributes to feelings of fullness. You may end up eating less as a result and might therefore lose weight, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

 They could be especially beneficial for weight loss when eaten instead of candy or dessert.

How to Select and Store Pomegranates

Pomegranates are usually harvested between August and November in California, but they can be stored for up to four months, which is why you may see the fruit in grocery stores through January.

 Here is what you need to know about selecting pomegranates and storing them after you get them home.

Selection

When you’re eyeing a pomegranate in whole fruit form at the store (it’ll be in the produce section), look for a deep red-colored peel on a round fruit that seems heavy for its size. Look for glossy, blemish-free skin without bruises. Scratch it gently. If it’s soft and somewhat easy to scratch, it’s likely ripe.

The fruit itself should be a slightly squared-off sphere. A pomegranate with this shape means the seedlings inside the fruit have reached their juiciest potential.

Storage

When you get the pomegranate home, keep it away from direct sunlight. It’s best to keep it in a cool, dry place. Or you can store it in your refrigerator for up to two months.

Then, it’s time to get to the edible portion of the fruit. Once you crack open the skin with a sharp knife and extract the arils or juice, keep them in the refrigerator and enjoy within five days. Or, if you’re not ready to eat them yet, you can store the arils in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one year.

How to Prepare and Eat a Pomegranate

The pomegranate isn’t something you’ll want to bite into. Rather, you’ll need to cut through the skin to get to the flesh and extract the arils. Before you do that, though, put on a pair of gloves and an apron, because pomegranates are messy and can easily stain whatever you’re wearing. Trim off the crown end of the fruit, which is the end that sticks out more than the other.

Next, you’ll score the skin of the pomegranate a total of three or four times until you can easily break it into smaller pieces. Place the pieces of the fruit in a bowl of water and use your hands to deseed and release the arils from the rind. The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl. When you’ve extracted all the arils in the fruit, toss the rind, which should be floating at the top of the bowl, and strain the rest of the bowl’s contents until you’re left with only the arils.

You can enjoy the arils as is, or you can place them in a blender to release their pulp and juices. After a few pulses (don’t blend too long or the juice will become cloudy), strain the juice from what’s left of the seeds and enjoy.

Pomegranate seeds can add tart flavor to salads, yogurt, and oatmeal, and are used in smoothies and other recipes. The juice can be enjoyed straight, blended into smoothies, or mixed into mocktails, cocktails, salad dressings, and sauces.

Potential Health Risks of Pomegranates

Pomegranates and their various forms are generally very healthy and safe. That said, it’s good to be aware of the following.

Side Effects

  • If you are buying pomegranate juice rather than making your own fresh, it may contain added sugars or other sweeteners, which can take away from its health benefits. In addition to added sugars, sometimes pomegranate juice in the grocery store can be mixed with other juices. While this doesn’t detract from the health benefits, check the ingredients if you want pomegranate juice in its purest form.
  • Pomegranate juice sometimes interacts negatively with medications, including blood thinners and drugs that treat high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It’s smart to check with your doctor before deciding to take any form of pomegranate regularly so they can advise on safety.

Is It Possible to Be Allergic to Pomegranate?

There’s a chance that some people may develop allergic reactions when they eat pomegranates. They’ll usually display classic signs of an allergy, such as itchy eyes or difficulty breathing. If you notice that’s the case, consult your healthcare provider immediately.

Summary

Although pomegranates have only been grown in the United States for a little more than a century, they’ve become increasingly popular because of their high levels of antioxidants, fiber, and great taste. Enjoying them while they can be found fresh can help you reap those benefits.

Common Questions & Answers

Is it safe to eat pomegranate seeds?
Yes, you can eat pomegranate seeds. Indeed, the arils, or seeds, are the part of the pomegranate that most people eat.
It’s perfectly fine to enjoy an 8-ounce serving each day. Just check the label on the juice you’re buying to make sure it doesn’t contain added sugars. One cup has about 135 calories and counts toward your fruit intake for the day.
Pomegranates deliver nutritional benefits, including antioxidants, which help prevent or delay cell damage called oxidations. Antioxidants could be the reason that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps ward off health issues.

Pomegranates contain high levels of the antioxidant polyphenol, which can help fight unstable molecules in your body called free radicals. Pomegranate in various forms has been linked to better heart health, lower risk of certain cancers like prostate cancer, and improvements with erectile dysfunction.

Pomegranate extract is a concentrated version of pomegranate juice. You may find it in liquid form, but you can also find it in a supplement or powder. Note that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t regulate any supplements, so there isn’t any oversight on the quality and safety of the product. Keep that in mind and approach juices and supplements with caution.
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Sylvia E. Klinger, DBA, MS, RD, CPT

Medical Reviewer

Sylvia Klinger, DBA, MS, RD, CPT, is an internationally recognized nutrition expert who is relentlessly passionate about helping people fall in love with creating and enjoying delicious, safe, and nutritious foods.

As a food and nutrition communications professional, Dr. Klinger is a global nutrition professor, award-winning author, and the founder of Hispanic Food Communications.

She is on the board at Global Rise to build a formal community nutrition program as part of an ambitious initiative to create a regenerative food system in Uganda in partnership with tribal and community leaders. This program included an extensive training session on food safety and sanitation that displayed cultural sensitivity and various communication strategies and incentives to spread these important food safety and sanitation messages into the communities.

Her Hispanic background fuels her passion for nutrition, leading her to empower and encourage those in her community through the foods they enjoy in their kitchens. At the same time, she understands everyone’s needs are different and seeks to individualize nutrition and exercise to best fit each person and their journey to a happy, safe, and healthy life.

Her latest book, The Little Book of Simple Eating, was published in 2018 in both Spanish and English.

In her spare time, Klinger explores food and culture all over the world with her family, realizing the power a healthy lifestyle has to keep people together.

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Moira Lawler

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Moira Lawler is a journalist who has spent more than a decade covering a range of health and lifestyle topics, including women's health, nutrition, fitness, mental health, and travel. She received a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two young children, and a giant brown labradoodle.
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