Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Grapes - Every Day Foods That Kill Cancer and Contribute to Health

What About Grapes?
Grapes have been farmed for about 8000 years, starting in the Middle East. Yeast, which is found on the skin of grapes, led to the production of wine, with the first wineries being dated to around 4000 BC. Purple grapes are native to North America in the wild, and were a staple in the diet of many Indian tribes.
Today, I think, many of us take grapes for granted, and they are often overlooked from a nutritional standpoint. Sure, most of us have heard about resveretrol, but I think there is often a disconnect between the nutrients scientists isolate in the lab, and the food that we put on our table.
Grapes are easy to come by today. They are in nearly every grocery store, market and convenience store across North America. In Eastern and Mediterranean regions grapes are a staple food, but in North American, people eat less fruits and vegetables and more grains and animal protein.
So what is it that makes a grape one of the foods worth adding to your diet?
  • Low Glycemic Index- Even though grapes taste sweet, they have a relatively low glycemic index. This means they provide the benefit of better blood sugar control. Science has proven that an increase consumption of grapes, and grape products such as juice, are associated with better insulin control, and lower insulin resistance.
  • Resveretrol- Resveretrol is a health buzzword today, and for good reason. It is a compound found in the skin of grapes. It is actually a natural fungicide that helps protect the grape. As is often the case with plants in nature, their protective compounds are the ones that offer us the most health benefits. In this case, grapes grown organically tend to have the most resveretrol, because they need to develop their own defenses. Resveretrol has been proven as an anti-fungal, antimicrobial, and anti bacterial. Even more exciting is resveretrol's ability to help cut off the blood supply to cancerous tumors. As an anti-cancer agent, resveretrol is at the top of the list.
  • Antioxidants- Grapes, and specifically the antioxidants in them, have been scientifically proven to reduce blood pressure, protect heart muscle, and increase stores of the master antioxidant glutathione which protects our cells from aging. These berries also have tannins and anthocyanins.. the same compounds which give green tea some of its healthful benefits.
At the end of the day, we eat food, not nutrients. If you want to add a healthy food with many health benefits, you can bypass the exotic fruits, and head right for the grapes. Adding them to a well balanced diet with an abundance of fruits and vegetables can help keep you healthier than ever.

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