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Why you should eat grapes ‘with the skin’ [푸드인사이트]

This is a corner that identifies foods or foods that cause hot problems that are good to eat at this time.
Clinical nutritionists present the nutrition and effectiveness of foods, how to choose, how to store, and how to eat.

The grapes are tangy and soft, and the sweet and sour flavor is excellent. There are many ways to eat grapes, but the important thing is to eat them with the skin on. Let’s find out why.

Grapes that are effective in relieving fatigue, antioxidants, and improving cholesterol levels
Grapes are rich in various nutrients enough to be called the queen of the fruit world, which has a good effect on health. It is rich in vitamin C, vitamin B1, and vitamin B2 along with moisture and organic acids, so it is good for skin health and recovery from fatigue. In addition, it is rich in polyphenols such as tannin, catechins, and anthocyanins, which act as antioxidants, anticancer, and antibacterial. Potassium, which is abundant in grapes, helps the excretion of sodium and prevents an increase in blood pressure. In one study, 15g of grape pectin was provided to 200 people for 4 months, and as a result of checking blood cholesterol levels, LDL cholesterol was reported to be significantly reduced and the HDL-cholesterol ratio was increased.

The internal structure of a grape kernel | Source: Clip Art Korea
Polyphenols – flavonoids and resveratrol, more abundant in the skin than the flesh
The representative function of many polyphenols in grapes is their strong antioxidant function. Among polyphenols, flavonoids act as very powerful antioxidants in our body to prevent cardiovascular disease and act as anticancer agents. Grapes are a representative food rich in flavonoids. It is particularly abundant in the skin rather than the flesh. Grape skins are rich in flavonoids as well as resveratrol. Resveratrol is a substance known to have anticancer, antiviral, neuroprotective and antidepressant effects. In a domestic study comparing resveratrol content by grape variety, the seedless variety, which is easy to eat with the skin on, had the highest content at 14.36mg/100g. Another domestic study investigated the content of functional components in grape flesh, skin, seeds, and matsutake branches.

grape skins. The main causes of the French paradox
Flavonoids and resveratrol are effective in preventing cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis by preventing lipid peroxides from accumulating in blood vessels. Among countries that consume a lot of animal fat, there is the French paradox, which means that only the French have a very low incidence of heart disease, also because the French often drink wine made by fermenting grape skins makes it. That is why we should eat grapes with their skins on them.

Grapes are soaked in water to wash dirt and debris from inside the bunches |  Source: Getty Image BankGrapes are soaked in water to wash dirt and debris from inside the bunches | Source: Getty Image Bank

When washing, run water X, soak in water and shake to wash O
You don’t have to worry about the white powder on the skin of the grapes because the sugar in the grapes itself is not a harmful substance, but comes to the surface. Rather, the state of the white powder on the surface is the state of good grape flavor. However, it is good to wash it gently with water to remove residual pesticides and dust. When washing grapes, it is better to soak them in water for 1 to 2 minutes and shake them several times rather than washing them with running water. This alone removes most pesticide residues. A few drops of baking soda or vinegar can also help.

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