Pomegranate Sparkler

Who says you have to sacrifice fizz for good health? You don’t want to or have to, and this recipe proves it. Like a wine spritzer or grown-up Shirley Temple . . . this recipe makes one of the healthiest juices on mother earth glisten. Hot or cold, this drink quenches your thirst, revives your spirits, nourishes your body, and helps fight the aging process.

Makes 2 cups; serves 4 • Prep Time: 5 minutes

 

2  cups pomegranate juice, chilled

1  tablespoon honey, agave nectar, or sorghum

Sparkling water, chilled

Slice or twist of lime, for garnish

1. Pour the pomegranate juice into a pitcher. Add 1 tablespoon sweetener, or to taste, and stir to blend. Cover and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
2. To serve, pour 1/2 cup pomegranate juice into a juice glass (or champagne glass for a fancier toast!) and top up with sparkling water. Add a lime twist and serve.

Calories 84 • Total Fat 0g • Saturated Fat 0g • Carbohydrates 21g • Protein 0g • Dietary Fiber 0g • Sodium 12mg

 

DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS?

The Surprising Power of the Pomegranate

 

According to a laboratory study using cell cultures and animal models reported in the January 2010 issue of Cancer Prevention Research, eating pomegranates or drinking pomegranate juice may help prevent and slow the growth of some types of breast cancer, because of the phytochemicals that they contain. And pomegranates are being studied as a functional food for humans, based on this and other research.

Scientists don’t know yet what amount of pomegranate juice a person would have to drink to receive the benefit. What they do know is that the ellagitannins in pomegranates work by inhibiting aromatase, a key enzyme used by the body to make estrogen; aromatase plays a key role in breast cancer growth.

“Phytochemicals suppress estrogen production that prevents the proliferation of breast cancer cells and the growth of estrogen-responsive tumors,” according to researcher Shiuan Chen, PhD, director of the Division of Tumor Cell Biology and coleader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at City of Hope in Duarte, California. “We were surprised by our findings,” Chen says. “We previously found other fruits, such as grapes, to be capable of the inhibition of aromatase. But phytochemicals in pomegranates and in grapes are different.”

Leaving the scientists to finish their studies, we support enjoying pomegranate juice because it tastes great!