With its many tiny seeds and lush pink-red skin, the pomegranate fruit was symbol of fertility throughout ancient history.

Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love was said to have planted the first pomegranates and they were used by the Egyptians and Greeks for treating problems such as stomachaches and mouth and eye infections.

Pomegranates, which are now in season, contain nutrients which could help your love life, combat the ageing process, look after your heart and help fight against cancer. All this and they are low in calories.

The fruit contains vitamins E and C and studies have shown these nutrients could help sperm production and boost fertility.

Vitamin A in the fruit is also important for sperm and could help boost libido, as could the zinc it contains. And if all this helps towards you becoming pregnant, the folate in pomegranates, which is a natural form of folic acid, helps protect your unborn baby.

Pomegranate power may also:

Help maintain a healthy heart.

The fruit contains almost three times the antioxidant ability of red wine, green tea, cranberry juice and orange juice. Antioxidants have been shown to help keep the heart healthy and fight against disease. Selenium, an essential trace element found in the fruit, acts as an antioxidant and can also help prevent heart disease.

Keep you younger looking.

The antioxidant power is known to help protect against premature ageing.

Fight against cancer.

Pomegranates have been found to contain ellagic acid which has been shown in tests to help against cancer, including skin cancer. The selenium has also been shown to help against cancer.

Boost healthy cells.

The fruit contains potassium which is necessary for the proper functioning of cells.

How to eat your pomegranate.

Pomegranates can be messy things to eat if you don't have the know-how.

Try cutting them in half and picking out the edible seeds with a fork and eating them or cut off the crown, cut the fruit into sections, put the sections into a bowl of water and roll out the juicy seeds with your finger. Strain the water away. Enjoy them on their own or sprinkled over a fruit salad.

For a quick fix of pomegranate goodness, try Pomegreat, a pomegranate juice sold in Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Holland & Barrett.