Health Benefits of Grapes

Grapes are loaded with nutrients and contain antioxidants. Here are seven great reasons to snack on grapes or add them to your meals:

1. Health-Protecting Antioxidants

Grapes are rich in health-protecting antioxidants, including resveratrol and flavonoids. These antioxidants are found mainly in the skin, stem, leaf and seeds of grapes. Some research suggests that whole grapes deliver the same amount of antioxidants that are in grape juice and wine but have the added benefit of providing dietary fiber.

2. Heart Disease

The polyphenols found in grapes, have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and support a healthy heart by promoting relaxation of blood vessels to help maintain healthy blood flow and function.

3. Weight Loss

When you’re striving for weight loss, the goal is to eat low-energy, dense foods like grapes. Meaning, you want to eat a greater volume of lower calorie foods. This helps you feel fuller on fewer calories.

4. Eye Health

Research suggests that regular grape consumption may play a role in eye health by protecting the retina from deterioration. Specifically a grape-enriched diet resulted in a protective effect on retinal structure and function.

5. High Blood Pressure

Grapes are naturally full of potassium, an essential dietary mineral and major electrolyte. Your average seedless green grapes contain right around 175 milligrams of potassium per cup, red grapes nearly 290 milligrams, and black grapes 200 milligrams. It may be that low potassium intake is just as big of a risk factor in developing high blood pressure as a high sodium intake. Plus, potassium can help combat excessive sodium in the body. Grapes are recommended to those with high blood pressure to help negate the effects of sodium in the body.

6. Blood Sugar and Diabetes

Grapes do not tend to highly elevate your blood sugar when eaten, nor do they highly increase insulin levels. Since high insulin levels cause insulin resistance, choosing foods with a lower insulin response rate, like grapes, will help to prevent you from developing the insulin resistance characteristic of Type 2 diabetes.

7. Colon Health

In a small study of colon cancer patients, those who consumed a grape-enriched diet were able to inhibit certain genes that promote tumor growth in the colon. This benefit was observed in the healthy tissue of the subjects’ colons, not the cancerous, indicating a potential role for grapes in helping to maintain a healthy colon.