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WHAT'S NEW
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Grape expectations
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Recipes and information that showcase the greatness of grapes.
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By Mairlyn Smith
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Eating five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day reduces your chance of developing heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Dietitians, doctors and Canada's Food Guide have been telling us that for years. Are you getting yours?
The Concord grape is a sumptuous orb scientists say is filled to the brim with nature's elixir -- once pressed, it yields a health-heightening juice loaded with flavonoids. Studies indicate that flavonoids appear to be potent fighters in disease prevention by acting as antioxidants in the body. Antioxidants, in turn, help to reduce the build-up of plaque formation on artery walls, allowing blood to flow through the arteries better; they also appear to make the platelets in the blood less sticky so that they are less likely to form clots, both benefits for maintaining heart health.
To make sure that you are getting a variety of fruits and veggies everyday, why not try adding to your diet one small glass of 100 per cent Concord grape juice two or three times a week, or try one of the following recipes.
Click titles to see recipes
Beet and Pear Salad Over Watercress
This is an upscale, simple-to-make salad that always gets raves from company. This dressing is so wonderful you'll want to double it and serve it over plain greens just for you!
Secret Ingredient Spaghetti Sauce
Spaghetti sauce made with grape juice? Before you discount this original idea -- give it a try. It's totally kid-friendly and any healthy recipe that a kid will eat is worth trying! Besides, this all-purpose sauce can be used for almost any recipe that calls for tomato sauce, so it is a healthy, handy staple, too.
Vineyard Glazed Pork Chops
Pork chops are a weeknight favourite in many Canadian households and this simple treatment not only makes them succulently glazed but also incorporates the healthy benefits of grape juice.
Chicken With Peppercorns and Capers
The grape juice adds a slightly sweet taste to this spicy and savoury dish that goes well with rice.
I heard it through the grapevine
Follow these tips to get the best health effects from grape juice.
• Since all fruit juices are very concentrated sources of calories, limit your consumption to one 4-oz (100 mL) glass per day, which is considered one serving of fruits and vegetables.
• All grape juices are not created equal. Most studies have been done using purple grape juice from Concord grapes. When buying read the label to make sure that you are getting 100 per cent Concord grape juice.
Pressing questions
While there has been much discussion by medical professionals about the health benefits of drinking red wine, research into the benefits of purple grape juice is at a more preliminary stage. It isn't yet clear whether wine or grape juice will prove to be a better choice in the long run. What scientists do say is that both drinks contain flavonoids which stimulate blood platelets to produce nitric acid, a chemical that plays a role in preventing hardening and inflexibility of the arteries, two conditions associated with heart disease. Further research is necessary to determine whether the ethanol in wine provides health benefits that would make it more beneficial than nonalcoholic purple grape juice in delivering these heart health benefits.
Unrelated research also shows that many Canadian women are not eating enough fruits and vegetables and that increased consumption of alcohol is linked with higher rates of breast cancer. As a result, choosing to drink grape juice may be a better alternative than red wine for women who struggle to consume the recommended five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, or for women who are at a high risk for breast cancer or alcohol-related problems such as liver disease.
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