Health Benefits of Grapes
As many of us strive to incorporate healthier foods into our diets, we can be overwhelmed by the different opinions portrayed in the media about what is healthy and what is not. There is quite a wide array of literature and information about the virtues of different food products and supplements. Some recent studies suggest eliminating carbohydrates from your diet, others encourage high-protein diet, and others promote organic meats and fruits, vegetarian selections and/or an outright vegan lifestyle. Even within each of these categories, there are different schools of thought regarding the best way to address nutrition and which healthy habits to adopt. One of the most widely recommended fruits are grapes.
Are grapes good for you?
The health benefits of grapes have been touted for many years as part of a lifestyle that promotes longevity and the prevention of cancer. Many of the healthiest cultures in the world include these berries in their diets and reap the health benefits of grapes continuously.
Grapes are easy to add to your diet
Apart from their tasty nature and portability (including them in lunchboxes and snack bags is extremely quick and easy), grapes have also been classified as having a low glycemic index. What this means to the lay person, is that grapes help regulate blood sugar and insulin in the body. As obesity and diabetes become more prevalent in our population, adding a few grape servings to your daily diet may indeed help keep some conditions at bay.
Can eating grapes make you live longer?
Advocates of the health benefits of grapes also claim this little fruit can increase longevity due to its phytonutrients. By incorporating grapes into your normal fare you help reduce the number of calories eaten each day while ingesting components believed to impact the genes related to longevity. Some scientific studies have also suggested that grapes have properties that help prevent cancer as well as promote bone health. Other health benefits of grapes the increase the person’s intake of potassium, which in turn encourages weight loss and maintenance.
Organic grapes for optimum health
When considering the health benefits of grapes, some researchers have shown that organically grown grapes do not show traces of pesticides, which allows for better health benefits that non-organic varieties. When adding grapes to the shopping cart, one should not only consider their exposure to pesticides and other artificial ingredients, but also how fresh they are. Those that show discoloration, or are attached to brittle stems, may be past their prime. It does not matter if you like green, red or black grapes, always make sure they are plump and colorful to make sure they deliver their best nutrients.
Eat grapes for an array of health benefits
Aside from all the health benefits of grapes outlined above, there is an abundance of literature suggesting that grapes help prevent migraines, lower cholesterol, prevent Alzheimer’s and regulate kidney disorder. The health benefits of grapes come from the natural fruit, but can also be reaped from drinking wine. A direct product of crushed grapes that have been fermented, it is believed that the component reservatrol present in grapes is very helpful in preventing heart disease and is abundant in red wine.
Fermented grape juice, also known as wine
Furthermore, drinking red wine is also believed to help regulate blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular disease. For those who do not have a taste for wine, you may venture into grape juice or other non-alcoholic versions of wine products. Dark red grapes and their by-products are usually higher in anti-oxidant content, so keep that in mind when incorporating them into your diet.As you embark into a healthier lifestyle consider grapes your friends. You can take them anywhere and buy them virtually year-round. They are easy to access for a snack and deliver a great variety of nutrients and health benefits that have been documented for years. Combined with other healthy food choices, grapes can yield both tangible benefits short-term benefits as well as long-term ones such as longevity and cancer-prevention.
Green, red or black, these wonderful fruits pack a healthy punch!