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If I were to choose among the fruits that I have
tried, I'd like to choose grapes. Why? Besides one of my favorite fruits
that I love to eat, grapes have several amazing health benefits.
Grapes in my country are very expensive. It's worth 200-250 pesos per
kilo. I don't care if it's expensive for as long as we can benefit from
it.
Grapes come in different colors and what I buy are the purple ones. The
darker the color of the grapes the better nutrients and health benefits
you can get, so I opt for the darker ones.
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I researched online and read from the magazines about what amazing
health benefits we can get from grapes. So I put these together and
wrote this hub.
Grapes or oval berries have semi-translucent flesh encased by a smooth
skin. Some contain edible seeds, and some are seedless. They vary in
color and they have crunchy texture and dry, sweet, tart taste.
Grapes that are eaten as is or used in a recipe are called table grapes,
in contrast to raisin grapes or wine grapes (used in viniculture).
Substances found in grapes
Flavonoids cause the vibrant purple color in grapes, red wine and grape
juice; the darker the color, the higher the concentration of flavonoids.
Flavonoids, which are also powerful antioxidants can delay aging and
reduce damage from free radicals.
Grapes contain the flavonoid-type compounds – resveratrol and quercetin.
These two compounds reduce the risk of heart disease. How? 1) By
protecting LDL cholesterol from the free radical damage. Free radicals
result in LDL’s artery – damaging actions. AND 2) By reducing harmful
blood clots and platelet clumping.
Diets high in saturated fats like lard, oil, butter and mayonnaise AND
smoking are risk factors for heart disease. Have you ever heard of the
term “French Paradox?” Do you know that French people have lower risk of
heart disease than Americans do despite their high-fat diets? That’s
because of their frequent consumption of grapes and red wine. According
to Wikipedia, “French Paradox“ is the observation that Frenchmen suffer
a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a
diet relatively rich in saturated fats.
Grapes contain rich sources of vitamins A, C, B6 and folate.
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Minerals like phosphorus, potassium, iron, calcium, selenium and
magnesium are also present in grapes.
Grapes even contain fiber and proteins that could play an important role
in a strong and healthy life.
What are the amazing health benefits of grapes
Some of the health benefits of grapes include the following:
Migraine. Home remedy for migraine is ripe grape juice. Should be taken
pure (no additional water) early in the morning.
Blood cholesterol. Pterostilbene , a compound present in grapes helps
lower the cholesterol level. Saponins in grape skin prevents the
absorption of cholesterol by binding with it.
Alzheimer’s disease. Resveratrol in grapes reduces the levels of
amyloidal-beta peptides in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Grapes can
enhance brain health and delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.
Kidney disorders. Grapes reduce the acidity of the uric acid and help
eliminate the acid from the system thus reducing the pressure of the
kidneys.
Heart disease. Grapes increase the nitric oxide levels in the blood
which prevents blood clots thus reducing heart attack incidents.
Antioxidants in grapes prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which
blocks the blood vessels.
Indigestion. Grapes prevent dyspepsia. They cure indigestion and
irritation of the stomach.
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Anticancer properties. Resveratrol acts as anti-inflammatory. Effective
in breast and colorectal cancers. Anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins
have properties of anti-proliferate which can inhibit the growth of
cancer causing agents.
Prevents cataract. Flavonoids in grapes reduce the damage caused by free
radicals such as cataract apart from age related problems, heart disease
and cancer.
Macular degeneration is age related loss of vision. Studies suggest 3
servings of grapes daily to lower the risk of macular degeneration by
over 36%.
Asthma. Due to the high assimilatory power of grapes, moisture present
in lungs increases. Grapes have therapeutic value for asthma.
Breast cancer. In a recent study, purple colored Concord grape juice
helps prevent breast cancer. Experiment was conducted on laboratory
rats. There was a significant reduction in breast tumor mass after they
were fed the grape juice on the experimental basis.
Fatigue. It’s not the dark grape juice that gives an iron boost it’s the
light and white grape juice that prevents fatigue because it replenishes
the iron content in the body. So go for the light and white grape juice
for boost not the dark one.
Antibacterial activity. Red grapes contain antibacterial and antiviral
properties to protect you from infections. Its antiviral property is
effective against poliovirus and herpes simplex virus.
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