Grapes are a longtime companion of man. People drink fresh juice, dry berries and make wines from juicy sweet and sour berries. The physicians of ancient Greece prescribed fresh grapes to speed up the metabolism and treat the throat ; they were well aware of the beneficial properties and contraindications to the use of berries.
According to its useful, taste and dietary characteristics, grape juice is one of the most valuable. It is distinguished by a high content of biologically active substances and vitamins.
What is rich in grapes?
Useful properties and contraindications of grapes are due to its complex chemical composition.
First of all, juice should be noted. It contains up to 80% of water, saturated with acids, vitamins, mineral salts and sugars.
It is very refreshing and has a tonic effect. In addition, the juice is nutritious (sugar content can reach 30%). When these substances enter the human body, they turn into glucose and serve as an excellent source of carbon. Grape juice is a powerful antioxidant that protects against premature aging. It treats anemia and migraine, acts as a diaphoretic and diuretic, gently eliminates constipation.
Skin and bones: all in business!
What is useful in grapes besides juice and tender pulp?
1. Grape peel. It has wax, enin, pectins, essential oil, tannins and dyes. The peel of red grape varieties is especially useful : it contains phytoalexin resveratrol, which can protect against diseases associated with aging and has anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties.
2. Grape seeds can also not be ignored. And although the vine has been cultivated by man for more than a thousand years, seed oil has been received relatively recently. It is used not only in food: pharmacists use it to make drugs that help maintain healthy heart and blood vessels, and anti-allergenic drugs.
The bones contain proanthocyanidins, quercetin and catechins - the most powerful antioxidants, many times superior in their properties to vitamin E.
In vino veritas - truth in wine!
Speaking about grapes, useful properties and contraindications for use, we should mention the French paradox - a term coined in 1968. The French traditionally eat heavy and fatty foods, drink, but at the same time remain slim, and the percentage of heart diseases they have is one of the lowest in the world. Many explain this by the moderate use of good red wine, which contains flavonoids that strengthen the walls of blood vessels.
In addition to the well-known grape treatment - ampelotherapy, in the wine-growing regions its separate direction is applied - enotherapy (treatment with natural wines). The main strength of this treatment is not the degrees, but the grapes themselves.
The beneficial properties and contraindications of ampelotherapy are very close to each other. Here we must listen to the words uttered by Avicenna many centuries ago: "Wine is our friend, but deceit lives in it ... Drink it in moderation and the kingdom will last a lifetime."
Possible harm
Is the grape useful for everyone, or are there certain contraindications to the use of these gifts of nature saturated with useful substances?
People with severe tuberculosis, diseases of the oral mucosa, stomach ulcer and duodenal ulcer, and a tendency to diarrhea should refrain from its use. Do not eat grapes for diabetics and people who want to lose weight.