Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated plants, and have been used for food and wine for centuries. Scientists have found grape vine fossils in the Mediterranean and Asia that are over 60 million years old.

Recent studies have shown this “prehistoric” fruit is more than just a sweet snack. Eating grapes may help keep your heart healthy.

Grapes and Heart Health

Grapes in all colors—green, red, and black—contain a high level of polyphenols. This chemical occurs naturally in fruit and is a type of antioxidant that packs some big benefits.

Polyphenols help relax blood vessels which improves blood pressure and flow. They also help reduce oxidative stress which happens when you consume a meal high in carbs, fats, and protein with no antioxidants. Too much stress can damage the body’s tissues and cells.

Additionally, grapes do not contain saturated fat or cholesterol—two components in food that may increase the risk of heart disease.

The nutrient content for a 1 cup serving of grapes is:

• 100 calories
• 0 grams of fat
• 27 grams of carbohydrate
• 288 mg potassium
• 4 mg of vitamin C
• 22 mcg of vitamin K
• 1/3 cup of water

Buying and storing tips:

• Unlike some seasonal fruit, grapes are available year round.
• Select grapes that are tight to touch and free of wrinkles.
• If they contain a powdery white coating—that is bloom and it’s good. It protects the grapes from moisture loss and decay.
• They are best stored in the refrigerator and should be washed before eaten.
• The best way to eat grapes is as a fresh fruit. Most jellies, spreads, and juices made from grapes have added sugars and can be high in calories.

Ways to incorporate more grapes into your diet:

• Add grapes to chicken or tuna salad.
• Make your own fruit cocktail with fresh grapes, peaches, pineapple, and cherries or strawberries.
• Freeze grapes and eat as a snack—just like a mini sorbet!
• Try dipping grapes in white or dark chocolate (instead of strawberries) for a sweet treat.
• Have a cup of fresh grapes for a quick, 100 calorie snack.

Common Names: grape seed extract, grape seed

Latin Names: Vitis vinifera

Background

• Grape seed extract, which is made from the seeds of wine grapes, is promoted as a dietary supplement for various conditions, including venous insufficiency (when veins have problems sending blood from the legs back to the heart), promoting wound healing, and reducing inflammation.
• Grape seed extract contains proanthocyanidins, which have been studied for a variety of health conditions.

How Much Do We Know?

• There are some well-controlled studies of people using grape seed extract for certain health conditions. For many health conditions, however, there’s not enough high-quality evidence to rate the effectiveness of grape seed extract.

What Have We Learned?

• Some studies suggest that grape seed extract might help with symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency and with eye stress from glare, but the evidence isn’t strong.
• Conflicting results have come from studies on grape seed extract’s effect on blood pressure. It’s possible that grape seed extract might help to slightly lower blood pressure in healthy people and those with high blood pressure, particularly in people who are obese or have metabolic syndrome. But people with high blood pressure should not take high doses of grape seed extract with vitamin C because the combination might worsen blood pressure.
• A 2019 review of 15 studies involving 825 participants suggested that grape seed extract might help lower levels of LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein. The individual studies, however, were small in size, which could affect the interpretation of the results.
• The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is supporting research on how certain dietary supplements rich in polyphenols, including grape seed extract, help to reduce the effects of stress on the body and mind. (Polyphenols are substances that are found in many plants and have antioxidant activity.) This research is also looking at how the microbiome affects the absorption of the specific polyphenol components that are helpful.

What Do We Know About Safety?

• Grape seed extract is generally well tolerated when taken in moderate amounts. It has been tested safely for up to 11 months in human studies. It’s possibly unsafe if you have a bleeding disorder or are going to have surgery or if you take anticoagulants (blood thinners), such as warfarin or aspirin.
• Little is known about whether it’s safe to use grape seed extract during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Keep in Mind

• Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.

As you enjoy fresh produce, follow these safe handling tips to help protect yourself and your family.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. Your local markets carry a wide variety of nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables. However, harmful bacteria that may be in the soil or water where produce grows can come in contact with fruits and vegetables and contaminate them. Fresh produce may also become contaminated after it is harvested, such as during storage or preparation.

Eating contaminated produce can lead to foodborne illness, often called “food poisoning.” So as you enjoy fresh produce, follow these safe handling tips to help protect you and your family.

Buy Right

You can help keep produce safe by making wise buying decisions.

• Choose produce that is not bruised or damaged.
• When buying pre-cut, bagged or packaged produce — such as half of a watermelon or bagged salad greens — choose only those items that are refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
• Bag fresh fruits and vegetables separately from raw meat, poultry, and seafood when packing them to take home from the market

Store Properly

Proper storage of fresh produce can affect both quality and safety.

• Store perishable fresh fruits and vegetables (like strawberries, lettuce, herbs, and mushrooms) in a clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40° F or below. Use a refrigerator thermometer to check! If you’re not sure whether an item should be refrigerated to keep its quality, ask your grocer.
• Refrigerate all produce that is purchased pre-cut or packaged .

Separate for Safety

Keep fruits and vegetables that will be eaten raw separate from raw meat, poultry, and seafood — and from kitchen utensils used for those products.

• Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with soap and hot water between preparing raw meat, poultry, and seafood and preparing produce that will not be cooked.
• If possible, use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
• If you use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards, run them through the dishwasher after use

Prepare Safely

When preparing any fresh produce, begin with clean hands. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after preparation.

• Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fresh fruits and vegetables before preparing and/or eating. Throw away any produce that looks rotten.
• Wash all produce thoroughly under running water before preparing and/or eating, including produce grown at home or bought from a grocery store or farmers’ market. Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommended. Produce is porous. Soap and household detergents can be absorbed by fruits and vegetables, despite thorough rinsing, and can make you sick. Also, the safety of the residues of commercial produce washes is not known and their effectiveness has not been tested.
• Even if you do not plan to eat the skin, it is still important to wash produce first so dirt and bacteria are not transferred from the surface when peeling or cutting produce.
• Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush.
• After washing, dry produce with a clean cloth towel or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present on the surface

What About Pre-Washed Produce?

Many pre-cut, bagged, or packaged produce items are pre-washed and ready-to-eat. If so, it will be stated on the packaging, and you can use the produce without further washing.

If you choose to wash produce marked as “pre-washed” or “ready-to-eat,” be sure that it does not come in contact with unclean surfaces or utensils. This will help to avoid cross contamination.

About Foodborne Illness

Know the Symptoms

Consuming dangerous foodborne bacteria will usually cause illness within 1 to 3 days of eating the contaminated food. However, sickness can also occur within 20 minutes or up to 6 weeks later. Although most people will recover from a foodborne illness within a short period of time, some can develop chronic, severe, or even life-threatening health problems.

Foodborne illness can sometimes be confused with other illnesses that have similar symptoms. The symptoms of foodborne illness can include:

• Vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
• Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and body ache

Take Action

If you think that you or a family member has a foodborne illness, contact your healthcare provider immediately.

• Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated fruits. Hieroglyphics show that Egyptians were involved in grape (and wine) production, and the early Romans were known to have developed many varieties.

• In California, the boom in grapes planted for fresh consumption arose in the early 1800s when a number of settlers recognized the untapped agricultural possibilities of the then-Mexican territory.

• Grapes are a form of berry. Grapes grow in bunches on climbing, woody vines that grow from the ground. Grapes can be grown in most temperate climates, but the vines thrive in tropical and subtropical regions with average annual temperatures above 50 F.

• Although most variety of grapes are very sweet, its glycemic index is still at a very safe level of 50. In fact, grape juice is an excellent stimulator of your body metabolism in helping to burn excess food and waste. It supplies heat and energy to the body in a short space of time after drinking.