Snacking while you’re reading, watching TV, or playing online cash casino games can be detrimental to your health and waistline but everything depends on what types of snacks you eat. If you’re snacking on sweet items or salty, crunchy snacks that have no nutritional value but lots of calories, you’re going to get into trouble. If you have a plateful of cut-up fruits and vegetables, you may find that, not only are you feeling more energetic but your overall health is improving.
One of the most nutritious fruits that you can and should be adding to your menu is pomegranates. Pomegranates are bursting with iron and nutrients and can be eaten at almost any time of the day and in combination with almost any type of dish.
November is National Pomegranate Month. No one seems to remember WHY November was dubbed National Pomegranate Month but Sloto Cash casino invites you to take advantage of this time to learn about and pay homage to this unique fruit.
Pomegranates
Today, pomegranates are grown around the world and are served in a wide variety of drinks and dishes but at one time they were known almost exclusively in the Middle East. Pomegranates are mentioned multiple times in the Old Testament and Jewish tradition calls them one of the “7 Species of the Land of Israel.” They are featured in Egyptian mythology and art and folktales from other lands in the Mediterranean and the Himalayas in northern India. Nomads used to carry pomegranates in their caravans through the desert because it’s effective at quenching thirst.
Ancient World
Some of the earliest mentions of pomegranates came in Egyptian mythology where they were often buried with the dead to ease their passage to the afterlife. Images of pomegranates were said to symbolize death, longevity, temptation and paradise to the ancient Egyptians.
Pomegranates figured prominently in the ancient world. In Greek mythology, the pomegranate was called the “fruit of the dead” because Greeks believed that it arose from the the blood of the slain Adonis. Greek mythology also attributed pomegranates to Hades, God of the underworld, who was said to use pomegranate seeds every year to trick Persephone into returning to the underworld for periods of time.
The ancient Greeks and Romans saw pomegranates as symbolizing fertility and the Greeks associated pomegranates with the goddess Aphrodite who ruled over love, and Hera, the Greek goddess of marriage and childbirth. In Rome, women were adorned with crowns woven from pomegranate leaves to indicate fertility. Infertile women were encouraged to drink pomegranate juice to bring upon pregnancy.
In Iran, Iranian Christians are taught that the pomegranate was the real forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, not the apple. On Yalda Night, a non-Christian Iranian tradition that takes place on the winter solstice, people celebrate the victory of light over darkness at parties where pomegranates are traditionally eaten. Pomegranates are mentioned in the Koran which says that pomegranates are God’s “good creations” and that they grow in the Garden of Paradise.
Hindus see pomegranates as symbols of prosperity and fertility.
Perhaps the most prominent mention of pomegranates -- and the most extensive -- comes in the Old Testament. The Five Books of Moses writes that pomegranates were hung on the skirt of the high priest in the Temple in Jerusalem” (Exodus 28:33). Pomegranates also feature in the story of Saul (I Samuel 14:2) and in accounts of Solomon’s Temple (Jerimiah 52: 22-23). There are also several references to pomegranates in Song of Songs (Song of Songs 4:3, 6:7, 4:13, 6:11 and 7:12) and in Joel 1:12.
In Christianity, images of pomegranates are often used to represent Christ's suffering and resurrection.
Health
Research shows that pomegranates are among the healthiest fruits in the world. They have numerous beneficial plant compounds that aren’t found in other foods. They are packed with important nutrients including protein, folate, fiber, vitamins C and K, and potassium. They are extremely high in iron and are known as anti-inflammatories which can be helpful for people with joint pain. Many doctors, both conventional and alternative practitioners, suggest that people suffering from heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and even obesity eat a pomegranate every day.
Studies have also shown that eating pomegranates regularly can lower blood pressure.
Interesting Facts About Pomegranates
- Pomegranate trees can live for up to 200 years
- Pomegranates can be stored for months in the refrigerator, though they should be kept in a bag so that the peel doesn’t become hard and leathery.
- Jewish tradition holds that each pomegranate has 613 seeds, equal to the number of commandments in the Old Testament.
- Botanically, pomegranates belong to the berry family of plants
- In France, the word for pomegranate is “grenade” which was then applied to the weapon of war.
- There are 760 varieties of pomegranates but only 2 pomegranate species.
- Archaeologists have found pomegranates dating back 3000 years in Transcaucasia
- There’s a Pomegranate Festival held every year in October in Goychay, Azerbaijan (evidently they didn’t hear that NOVEMBER is National Pomegranate Month).
The word pomegranate is derived from the medieval Latin “pomum granatum,” meaning apple of many grains or seeds.
So take a break from your Sloto Cash Casino fun and sit down for a snack of pomegranate - it's worth the work (WORK?.....you'll see what we mean when you start to eat it).
