Grapes- For whole body wellness

The old adage ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ implies that fruits are vital in your diet. The nutritive value of fruits cannot be overstated as a preventive measure to almost every kind of disease. Therefore, for your well-being and that of your little loved ones, consider the grape.

There are more than 50 different types of grapes which come in different colours: blue, black, blue-black, red, golden, green, purple, and white grapes, with a juicy pulp inside. Common varieties of grapes include Thompson, Flame, Ruby, Perlette and Tokay grapes.

Grapes can be eaten as a refreshing snack, since their water content is good for hydration. They can also be used in vegetable and fruit salads and be consumed in fresh or preserved form. They are canned in jellies, crushed to prepare juices or wines and dried to prepare raisins.

Nutritional Benefits

• Grapes contain Vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps wipe out free radicals that can harm your body cells.
• They also have flavonoids, which help protect blood vessels from rupture or leakage. The deeper the colour of the grapes, the richer the flavonoids.
• They contain vitamin B 1 which provides you with energy and is necessary to keep the nervous system healthy and functioning correctly.
• They provide potassium, which helps lower the blood pressure along with the possibility of stroke.
• They have a very high concentration of manganese, which contributes to strong and healthy bones. Manganese helps the connective tissue in your body to develop and helps your body to absorb calcium better.
• Studies have shown that grapes can prevent the build up of cholesterol.
• Grape juice contains a high concentration of a compound called resveratrol which has anti-ageing, anti-cancer, anti-inflammation and anti-viral properties.
• Grape seeds contain highly protective flavonol anti-oxidants that scavenge free radicals and promote the growth and repair of tissues. Moreover, they provide additional benefits like clearing the body of waste and fortifying the heart.
• Grapes contain large amounts of tartaric and malic acids. Also present in grapes are other acids like succinic, fumaric, and caffeic, which function with their own wonderful healing properties.

Health Benefits 
Heart problems
Grapes are beneficial in toning up the heart, reduce heart pains, and can normalize heart palpitations.

Anti-coagulant
Grape juice can help prevent blood clotting and in the process, help improve overall blood circulation.

Bladder
It cleanses the bladder, by cleaning out the kidney stones thus improving urination. It also improves bile flow and promotes elimination of waste materials.

Fever
Grape juice drank consistently reduces fever and helps relieve fatigue thus providing energy to the body.

Anti-inflammation
The anti-inflammatory agents in grapes greatly help reduce the risks of inflammatory problems like rheumatism, gout and asthma.

Cancer
Grapes are rich in anti-oxidants, and therefore, excellent for the prevention of cancer.

Liver
The abundance of minerals in grapes stimulates the cleansing activity in liver, which helps in detoxification.

Kidney
Grape juice is diuretic and is excellent for cleaning out the kidney and may help remedy kidney stones.

Constipation
Grape juice is a mild laxative which contains sugar, organic acid and cellulose to help clear up the bowels.

Eyes
The flavonol compounds in grape seeds are effective for the treatment of night blindness, cataracts, retinal disorders and vision improvement.

Indigestion
Grapes can relieve indigestion because they soothe the stomach as they are a light food.

Mouth and throat infection
Drinking juice of unripe grapes can help clear infections in the mouth and throat.

Skin
The cleansing properties of grape juice and the high Vitamin C content are very beneficial for the skin and help reduce acne.

Migraine
Certain compounds in grapes make this juice powerfully effective in relieving headaches and migraine.

NB: In case of any health condition seek medical advice first.

END: BL 33 / 8-9