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Updated April 02, 2015.

Pomegranates are a delicious fruit with many healthy properties. They are low in fat and calories and chock-full of nutrients – the perfect combination to make up a healthy food. Some studies have noted that pomegranates may also have heart-heathy benefits – including keeping your cholesterol and triglycerides in check. If you are looking to include this scrumptious fruit in your cholesterol-lowering diet, these healthy tips will show you how:

Salads

When you think of salads, you mostly think of including veggies and maybe the occasional whole grain or protein. However, when you include fruit - such as pomegranate - in your salad, you can add a whole other dimension of flavor to your sometimes plain salad. You can add as much dried or fresh pomegranate as you need due to their healthy properties. However, you should avoid the use of cream dressings when constructing your salad – although you will likely not need to add any if you are including this tangy fruit in your dish. Here are some healthy uses of pomegranates in salads:  

• Pomegranate Apple Salad
• Cucumber Pomegranate Salad
• Spinach Salad with Pomegranate and Chickpeas

 

Sides

If you are wanting to liven up a side dish without adding a significant amount of saturated fat or refined sugar, add some pomegranates. Pomegranates can be paired with a variety of other foods – whether you are wanting to sweeten up a veggie side dish or add a little tartness to a dip or beans. Although other ingredients you add, such as butter, creams, or cheese, can add extra fat to your dish – adding pomegranates will keep it healthy.

Here are some examples of some delicious side dishes containing pomegranates:

• Roasted Vegetables with Pomegranate
• Pomegranate Pepper Dip
• Orange Pomegranate Relish

 

Main Course

Pomegranates can also be used in a variety of entrees. You can drizzle a few pomegranate seeds on the side, or prepare pomegranates in sauce, relish, or dressing to be served with the entrée. While you can mix pomegranates nicely with other fruits and vegetables, you should not use creams or gravies because it can diminish the healthy properties of this delicious fruit. Unfortunately, some recipes call for preparing pomegranates with refined sugar or a syrup. While this will add a little more flavor to your dish – it will heap on even more calories. These recipes are examples of some ways you can incorporate pomegranate into your main course:

• Grilled Salmon with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• Pomegranate Chicken Recipe
• Duck Pomegranate 

 

Pomegranates for Dessert

Pomegranates are sweet, so why not add them to your favorite low calorie desserts, such as frozen, low-fat yogurt or a smoothie? Alternatively, there are several low-fat desserts you can make yourself using pomegranates. Many recipes may include large amounts of sugar or corn syrup when making pomegranate desserts. However, you can scale back on the sugar to cut calories by using fruit juice or a low-calorie sweetener of your choice. Also beware of some desserts containing heavy creams, since they can also add fat to your meal. Here are some examples of how you can use pomegranate in desserts:

• Pomegranate Granita
• Strawberry Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt
• Pomegranate Parfait

 

Consume Them Alone

Pomegranates make an excellent, bite-sized snack. So if you have the munchies – crack open a pomegranate and consume the seeds in their entirety. You can also mash these seeds and extract the juice to create a tasty drink that will be sure to quench your thirst – without putting a huge dent in your lipid-lowering diet.