The secret to staying young and healthy is pomegranate

I attended the Pomegranate Harvest Festival at a thermal hotel in Mersin, nestled in the lush greenery of the Taurus Mountains. It was an incredible experience. I found myself among hundreds of pomegranate trees. And they were all piled high with pomegranates. Living far from gardens and fields in the metropolitan city of Istanbul, stepping foot on the ground, reaching up to a tree, and picking a pomegranate from its branch was an incredible joy. Witnessing the pomegranate's entire story from garden to table was like experiencing a miracle. The pomegranate is a fruit of fertility and healing. Considered the world's first fruit by the ancient Egyptians, it has been considered a symbol of abundance and prosperity in mythology and has been sanctified in many cultures. It has even become the subject of fairy tales in Anatolian lands.

A STORAGE OF HEALING Let's get to the benefits. Did you know that 100 grams of pomegranate alone provides approximately 16 percent of an adult's daily vitamin C needs? See what dietitians Eliza Sabancı and Duygu Bilgin have to say about the miracle of pomegranates:

SLOWS AGING Pomegranate, with its high vitamin C content, strengthens the immune system. Rich in antioxidants, this fruit prevents cell damage, thus slowing down aging. By protecting the skin from the harmful effects of free radicals, pomegranate supports skin renewal and maintains moisture balance.

SUPPORTS HEART HEALTH: Regularly consuming pomegranates helps lower cholesterol and balance blood pressure. They prevent arteriosclerosis and support blood circulation and heart health. Even the seeds are medicinal.

Reduces the Risk of Infection: The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in pomegranate reduce the risk of urinary tract infections. Furthermore, these anti-inflammatory properties alleviate joint pain and are beneficial against inflammatory diseases. Fiber helps regulate digestion by increasing bowel movements and preventing constipation.

FROM GARDEN TO TABLE Yusuf Narlı, CEO of the thermal hotel, which cultivates fresh produce on its own 350-acre property with a "from garden to table" concept, said, "We have 8,100 trees with 18 different fruit varieties on our land. After tangerines, plums, olives, and grapes, we've now harvested pomegranates. We obtained 2,000 liters of olive oil from our own olives. We harvested 13 tons of pomegranates. We use the organic, natural products we harvest in our hotel restaurants, in salads, meals, desserts, and fruit juices."

9,000-YEAR-OLD HEALING SULFUR WATER Rising from a depth of 430 meters in the fertile lands of the Taurus Mountains in Mersin, Turkey's 9,000-year-old, secret, ancient healing water is making headlines worldwide thanks to its health tourism. The sulphurous water offers healing for a wide range of ailments, from rheumatism and skin diseases to heart and gynecological ailments. Turkey's only potable thermal water, this healing water is approved by the Department of Medical Ecology and Hydroclimatology at Istanbul University's Faculty of Medicine. When used as a drinking cure, it helps eliminate kidney stones and treats conditions such as intestinal, kidney and urinary tract diseases, and cystitis.

THE AGE OF SPA SPRINGS HAS LOWERED TO 30 The age of those seeking healing from thermal waters used to be over 60. But now it has dropped to their 30s. Yusuf Narlı explains this as follows: "Young people have become more popular in hot springs. In the past, those over 60 used to use them to 'get rid of their pain.' Today’s young people are benefiting from hot spring healing before the pain occurs. Therefore, our observations indicate that the age of using hot springs has dropped to 30." Narlı also stated that the Turkish Tourism Development Agency is trying to spread tourism to 12 months by including thermal tourism and that our country has a goal of 100 billion dollars in health tourism by 2030, saying, "10 billion dollars of this is planned to come from thermal tourism. We need to include thermal tourism in health tourism."