CONCORD GRAPE JUICE (this weeks superfood spotlight)

I'm not a big advocate for drinking fruit juice simply because even natural juices contain a tremendous amount of it's own sugar and causes spikes in your blood sugar levels. However the benefits of concord grape juice cannot be denied. Concord grape juice ranks the highest in antioxidant activity among 13 juices tested.

Adding More Purple into Your Diet

Concord grape juice (not surprisingly) belongs to the purple family. Recent data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) revealed that people who consumed purple/blue fruits and vegetables on a regular basis had a lowered risk of metabolic syndrome. (Metabolic syndrome is a condition in which a group of risk factors for heart disease, including stroke, and Type 2 diabetes occur together)

1. As a rule, high-fiber, low-cal, filling real fruit is always better than fruit juice. Toss blueberries into your morning breakfast cereal, or purple grapes into your salad.
2. If you feel like a glass of juice, try concord grape juice. Make sure to check the labels and look for 100% concord grape juice instead of grape juice blend.


Health benefits of concord grape juice.

* promotes healthy arteries: Researchers from the University of Wisconsin conducted a small study to investigate the potential health benefits of Concord grape juice back in late '90s. They found that people who drank about 2 cups of Concord grape juice daily for 2 weeks had significantly more flexible arteries. The same group of researchers followed up with a second study two years later. They found that similar health effects can be achieved by drinking just one cup of Concord grape juice. The results of this study were published in the American Journal of Cardiology in September 2001.

* lowers blood pressure: Researchers from South Korea investigated the effects of drinking Concord grape juice in men with high blood pressure. They found that subjects who drank about 1.5 cups of Concord grape juice daily for 8 weeks significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The results of this study were published in BioFactors in December 2004.

cheers
Nik