The pomegranate is one of the earliest cultivated fruits. Historical evidence suggests that humans first began planting pomegranate trees sometime between 4000 and 3000 BCE. Some historians believe that the apple made famous by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was actually a pomegranate. Throughout history, this rightly colored and delicious fruit has been revered as a symbol of health, fertility, and rebirth. In many medieval versions of the unicorn myth, the pomegranate tree to which it was bound represented eternal life, and some cultures also believed the fruit possessed profound and mystical healing powers. Today, science is proving that our forebearers may well have been on to something.

Pomegranate juice is a superior rainbow food, rich in flavon-3-ols. I always recommend eating the whole fruit or vegetable as opposed to drinking its juice, which usually lacks fiber and significant portions of the food’s antioxidants. However, due to its extremely high antioxidant profile, drinking pomegranate juice made from the unsweetened extract is almost as good as eating the whole fruit—and you won’t have to pick out this ancient delight’s seemingly countless seeds!

Have you tried adding pomegranate seeds to your salad?