Are Pomegranate Seeds Edible?

Originally from Iran, pomegranates are a juicy tropical adjacent fruit popular in many diets. These super fruits are even grown in North America, and California grows the majority of the domestic United States produce production. However, you may have heard horror stories of cyanide in apple seeds, and other fruit seeds.

Can you eat pomegranate seeds? Yes! Fresh pomegranate is easily one of the healthiest fruits out there for you, and their edible seeds add to this. In fact, the seeds are what you are most commonly eating as they are encased in the juicy arils which have made the fruit a popular and delicious snack.

Pomegranate arils develop around the white seeds as a natural protection, but for humans they make a delicious single layer of a tart yet sweet fruit. While in nature it can be protected from radical damage, a ripe pomegranate is a healthy and tasty way to fit some vital things into your diet. 

You can check out this article to learn more: Can You Eat Pomegranate Seeds?

Are Pomegranates Safe?

Unless you experience an allergic reaction, pomegranate fruit is safe to enjoy any time and any where. Also known as punica granatum scientifically, a variety of pomegranate products are available. Since the seeds are so prevalent in the fruit, you may be curious about these other pomegranate products too. 

Are Arils and Seeds Safe?

According to food chemistry, arils and seeds are perfectly safe to eat. After all, they are enjoyed by millions of people a day, you don’t need a dedicated field of food chemistry to tell you that. The benefits of pomegranate seeds come from the aril as well as the pomegranate fruit juice contained within them. 

Punica granatum is safe for all except those with allergies to the pomegranate fruit itself. This can result from all manner of things, but mostly from specific proteins in the DNA of the fruit. This is similar to a gluten intolerance, where the allergy results from the gluten protein. 

Not only can pomegranate fruit juice, arils, and the seeds be safe to eat, but food chemistry tells us that they’re actually very healthy for our body. We’ve heard horrors stories from food chemistry over the years about cyanide in apple seeds, or otherwise unusual activity at sites in our bodies. 

However, food chemistry also tells us that these things aren’t to be feared. Our body can digest the small amount of cyanide in apple seeds, sugar in fruit is healthy fructose, and pomegranate juice is perfectly healthy for us to consume. Let’s find out how!

Health Benefits of Pomegranates and Seeds

Pomegranates (and their seeds) are a super fruit. Filled with fatty acids that benefit your body, they are a great way to keep your body healthy. These fatty acids are designed to help break down lipids, while simultaneously providing you with healthy fats. 

Healthy fats and unsaturated fats don’t clog your arteries, meaning that punica granatum is also good for keeping your blood pressure low and maintaining proper blood circulation. Punicic acid has also been linked to a healthy prostate in men, making these fatty acids even greater.

There are also known for a number of antioxidant activities of pomegranate rind as well. Although blueberries are perhaps more famous for their antioxidant activities, they are also one of the miraculous health benefits of pomegranate seeds. 

Pomegranate rind extracts have to be made carefully however, as pomegranate skin isn’t actually the edible part of the fruit. So if you want to make the most of the activities of pomegranate rind extracts, make sure to buy in store or follow a good recipe online. 

Other miraculous health benefits of pomegranate seeds and pomegranate rind extracts extend beyond blood circulation and anti oxidants. Antifungal activity, prevention of diarrhea, and other digestive boons have been found in this juicy fruit. 

Antifungal activity at sites sensitive to fungus, such as development on the feet, are among the miraculous health benefits of these loose seeds. Medical news today has found pomegranates to be a very reliable super food for antifungal activity and the promotion of blood circulation. 

How to Remove Seeds from Pomegranates

The best way to remove seeds from a punica granatum is to actually juice the fruit. Making pomegranate fruit juice, much like any juice, usually results in squeezing or crushing the fruit itself. By compressing the arils for pomegranate juice, you remove the protective layer around the seeds.

The seeds will be white in colour, and harder than the soft and juicy arils. Despite being much hard to compress, these super seeds can still be properly pressed into a pomegranate seed oil. Similar to olives, rapeseed, or sunflower seeds. 

You can keep the extracted seeds in a bowl with water if you would prefer to clean off the excess aril content and fruit juice. Storing the seeds in a cool and dry place is important to avid premature germination, which can then kill the seed off. Make sure to dry the seeds when removing from the bowl of water. 

If you don’t plan on planting the seeds immediately, toss them onto a baking sheet. This way, you can refrigerate the seeds or even freeze them for much longer term planting and seeding. Pomegranate seeds will need a lot of heat, light, and water to germinate and grow into seedlings. 

Other Ways to Enjoy Pomegranate Seeds

With punica granatum, the possibilities are truly endless. You can enjoy their seeds in pomegranate seed oil, for example. Although it has less of a mild flavor than most cooking oils, it does provide healthy unsaturated fats. 

Pomegranate seed oil is also gluten free, and one of the least likely to be cross contaminated. This is a common cause of concern among celiacs, those with food allergies, or even people with non-celiac related intolerances. 

Check this article about Pomegranate Seed Oil Benefits.

Juices are another great way to get the fruit into your life, but if you prefer the texture of something more viscous then try a pomegranate smoothie. Simply blending arils with other fruits of your choice can produce a delicious summer drink you can’t put down. 

We recommend any number of tropical fruits which pair nicely with the tartness of a pomegranate. These can include passion fruit, kiwi fruits, or grapefruit. Oranges, lemons, and limes may be too acidic for the drink however, and the crunchy and rough texture of the seeds themselves will be lost during blending. 

Punica granatum is a very versatile and reliable fruit, not too dissimilar to apples or oranges. That is to say, they can be used in almost anything. If you enjoy a tart, pleasantly bitter taste then pomegranates and their seeds can be put into pie fillings, muffin mixes, or maybe even fruit cookies.

Fruits, Seeds, and Supplements

While pomegranate seeds are clearly great, they don’t necessarily extend to supplements. Health supplements are popular in medical news today, as they provide a sort of cheating way to get healthy. For the busiest worker, finding time to eat right can be difficult, but its important and we suggest you take just a little extra time for some self care. 

What medical news today won’t tell you is that pomegranate supplements are often insufficient. Not only do they not taste as great as the real thing, but they can’t quite pack as much in either. The vitamins and minerals available in pomegranate seeds and arils are unmatches. 

You may take iron supplements, or take Vitamin C supplements to help you aborb the iron properly. You know what has both of these? That’s right, pomegranates. Specialist supplements can be outdone by a single good tasting fruit, so there’s really no need for them in this case. 

Of course if your doctor or healthcare professional suggests supplements, you more than likely need them. However, if you wanna take pomegranate during pregnancy over supplements then it can be significantly more healthy and safe than manufactured supplements. 

Enjoying pomegranate during pregnancy is a healthy way to give the fetus the previously mentioned iron and vitamin C, but also folic acid which supports their brain development and central nervous system. 

Potassium in punica granatum, as well as other electrolytes, also help reduce muscle cramps. These cramps can feel deadly for many pregnant women, and be extremely painful. So, having ways to relieve or reduce their pain and frequency in a pomegranate is a wonderful relief.  

As your developing child will be taking a lot from your body, its important to maintain and take care of yourself more than ever. This is why pomegranates are great as they help keep up your bone density. Especially important when a fetal development is sapping your body’s natural reserves of calcium. 

This can also help those on a dairy free diet. Pomegranates reduce inflammation thanks to their anti oxidants, which is another source of pain relief naturally found in this fruit. So long as you aren’t trying to give your newborn arils straght out the womb, you can enjoy the fruit as they await delivery. 

Punica granatum is tough to match, for those living a generally healthy lifestyle or those carrying a child. Either way, fitting this fruit into your diet can be an easy way to improve your body and diet with relatively little effort on your own part. 

Find out here What Seeds Are Edible?