Pomegranate Benefits & Disadvantages

Your diet should include at least 4.5 cups of fruits and vegetables daily, recommends the Harvard School of Public Health. Ideally, this fruit and veggie intake should involve "eating the rainbow," or choosing a range of produce with vibrant red, orange, yellow, green and purple hues. Pomegranates count toward your red produce intake. They boast an impressive nutritional profile, but also have a disadvantage that you should take into account when planning your diet.

Pomegranates benefit your health due to their vitamin content, and they provide a source of vitamin K. Getting enough vitamin K supports an active lifestyle, because it plays a role in bone mineralization -- a physiological process that maintains healthy bone density -- and helps you heal after an injury. It also activates factors involved in blood clotting, protecting you against uncontrolled bleeding, which can prove life-threatening. A 1-cup serving of pomegranate contains 28.5 micrograms of vitamin K. This makes up 23 percent of the daily vitamin K requirements for men or 32 percent for women, according to the Institute of Medicine.

Pomegranate makes a satisfying addition to your diet because it provides dietary fiber. Fiber doesn't contain any calories, but it adds bulk to your food, so you're more likely to feel full after a fiber-rich meal than one lacking in fiber. Each cup of pomegranate arils provides 11.3 grams of dietary fiber -- approximately 30 percent of the recommended fiber intake for men or 45 percent for women, according to Colorado State University. Fiber also helps lower your cholesterol, reducing your risk of coronary heart disease, and also prevents digestive disorders, such as diverticular disease.

Pomegranate benefits your circulation and promotes healthy hair because of its vitamin C content. Your blood vessel walls and hair both contain collagen, and vitamin C helps you produce enough new collagen to keep these tissues strong. Low vitamin C levels can cause your hair to fall out and also increase your risk of rupturing a blood vessel. A cup of pomegranate provides approximately 24 percent of the vitamin C requirements for women or 20 percent for men, according to the Institute of Medicine.

Pomegranates contain more calories per serving than several other fruits. Each 1-cup serving of pomegranate boosts your caloric intake by 144 calories, compared to 62 calories in an equivalent serving of blackberries, 87 calories in cherries or 52 calories in sliced apples. While pomegranate still provides a lower-calorie alternative to processed snacks or junk food, selecting other fruits over pomegranate might be beneficial if your goal is weight loss.