As the summer season ends and the leaves start to turn into their autumn hues, grape lovers get excited. Crisp evenings. Red leaves on tree and vine. Wood smoke from that first fire of the season. Feeling cozy inside as the night flirts with frost. And grapes. Great big bunches of them hanging heavy on the vines, waiting to be picked. What more could a grape lover ask for?
Number One: Grapes
Our love affair with grapes has persisted through many centuries. Millions of people have enjoyed their flavour, and recognized their benefits. And it’s not just for the wine lovers! Fresh grapes and raisins have been part of the human diet, culture and folklore since time began. These days, grapes – wine and fresh – occupy the greatest number of hectares under cultivation worldwide, more than any other plant crop. (As of 2014, the worldwide vineyard was 7.5 million hectares, down from 8 million in 2006). Close to 8 million tons of grapes are produced annually in the USA alone – that’s a lot of grapes! Never mind the rest of the world. So why are grapes so popular in our cuisine and on our tables?
Grapes Have Anti-Aging Properties
As it so happens, grapes have some powerful health benefits. More and more research is emerging on the benefits of including them in your diet. These include:
- Reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and other age – related reasons for cognitive decline. The reasons for this are largely due to the polyphenols found in all parts of the grape – most notably, phenolic acids and anthocyanins. These compounds appear to halt age – related cognitive decline, and to improve memory in elderly study participants.
- Flavonoids (a member of the family of polyphenols) appear to offer protection to your eyes as you age, showing protective properties against macular degeneration and age – related cataracts.
- Proanthocyanidins might be a mouthful to say, but they have unique properties that help in the fight against aging. They prevent the breakdown of collagen fibres in the skin, joints, arteries, capillaries, and other connective tissues. Who doesn’t want more youthful looking skin?!
Fight Against Chronic Illnesses & Boost Immunity
Grapes are good for long-term health. These are some of the ways they help to guard against chronic illnesses and boost immunity:
- Grapes are high in vitamins that boost your immunity – A, C & K. They are especially useful in the fight against contagious illnesses such as colds and flu. In addition, vitamin K is essential for normal blood clotting after an injury or surgery, and vitamin A is necessary for a whole host of functions, including hormonal health and reproduction.
- Resveratrol, in particular, appears to be useful in treating diabetes, as it inhibits insulin resistance. This was found in studies using Grape Skin Extract (GSE). Resveratrol is found in the skin of the grape, and the highest concentration is found in red grapes.
- Proanthocyanidins might be a mouthful to say, but they have unique properties that help in the fight against aging. They prevent the breakdown of collagen fibres in the skin, joints, arteries, capillaries, and other connective tissues. Who doesn’t want more youthful looking skin?!
- Studies have shown that red grapes have powerful anti – microbial properties and are capable of helping infections in the gut and other parts of the body.
- Anthocyanins also appear to offer protection against several kinds of heart disease – notably coronary artery disease and heart attack. It also proved to be useful in controlling high blood pressure.
- Anthocyanins were named as being handy anti – cancer compounds, with the ability to inhibit tumour growth, and induce cancer cell apoptosis – the death of cancer cells. Anthocyanins give grapes and other fruits their red, purple or blue colour (blueberries are an excellent source of anthocyanins).
- The polyphenols at large are powerful anti inflammatories, which makes them useful in providing protection against some of the common inflammatory disorders such as asthma, joint inflammation, and arthritis.
How To Get More Grapes Into Your Diet
Debate continues to rage over the health benefits of wine versus fresh grapes. While some of us may prefer our grapes to come in a wine bottle, most, if not all, of the benefits can also be found in fresh grapes. And they are so delicious that they are easy to eat as a fresh fruit.
- Try grapes in a smoothie or as a raw juice. You can add other things such as baby spinach and beetroot leaves, some carrot or beetroot, an apple, or some kale – the sweetness of the grapes makes a delicious juice.
- Halve them and use them as a breakfast topper
- Eat them sliced in half on bread, with peanut butter
- Pack some as a snack for that afternoon slump time at work. They are better for you than chocolate!
- Use them in salads – they add a sweet tang to a mixed salad (seedless ones work best)
- Use them to make funny faces out of salad ingredients – your kids will love it!
The Fresher The Better
With all the research on the benefits of various compounds found in grapes, supplements abound, but as is most often the case, fresh is best. Different compounds complement and enhance each other and researchers are yet to discover many of the ways they interact. So when you eat the whole grape, you get all of them in one delicious, bite – sized package.
When choosing a nice fresh grape, check for damage, mould and rotten ones in the bunch. They should be a good colour with a light “blush” on the skin. Avoid any that are dull coloured, marked, or shrivelled. Fresh ones should should have a crisp texture. 
Take Grape Delight
These are just some of the many reasons to eat grapes – and they are so good for you that you don’t even need an excuse to indulge! Bon appetit!
References:
http://www.althealth.co.uk/help-and-advice/miscellaneous/proanthocyanidins/
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/resveratrol-supplements
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030314p20.shtml