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Today's Thinking, Why Raisins May Be Good!

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Today's Thinking, Why Raisins May Be Good!Todayshealthsite.com

Raisins

 

Todays Health Article
 
National Nutrition Month
 
Theme  “Eat Rightwith Color”

March 10th, 2011  

 
Today, you may have not even been looking for a good reason, to take along a box or a bag of raisins, for that afternoon snack.  Or perhaps  in your lunch  or your child’s snack. Although, I gave no thought as to whether they were actually healthy for me. In the past I had just come to appreciate raisins as a convenient snack with high energy level, and low fat. Raisins have always  been quick and easy and I have enjoyed eating them. Last of all  raisins almost never go bad, and they are available at almost any store.
 

Dried Grapes=Raisins 

Throughout history, dried fruits, have been able to keep their own name, except the raisin. Raisins are typically sun-dried, but may also be water-dipped, or dried by a mechanical process of oven air.  Among the most popular types of raisins are Sultana, Malaga, Monukka, Zante Currant, Muscat and Thompson seedless.

Raisins are the size of small pebbles, having  wrinkled skins, surrounding chewy flesh, that tastes like a burst of sugary sweetness. While the colors of raisins vary, they are generally a deep brown color, oftentimes with hints of a purple hue.    

The drying of grapes, into raisins, has been around since ancient times. Raisins were produced in Persia and Egypt as early as 2,000 BC, with one of their first mentions being in the Old Testament.  

After ancient Rome, the practice of drying grapes into raisins subsequently spread throughout the world. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand the word “raisin” is reserved for the dried large dark grape, with “sultana” being a dried large white grape, and “currant” being a dried small Black Corinth grape.  Australia, Turkey, Greece, Iran and Chile are some of the leading procucers of the raisin today.

Currently, the largest commercial producer of raisins is California in a region known as the San Joaquin valley where raisins have been cultivated since the 19th century.

The Tale of the California Raisin

 This would involves one enterprising grape grower, who creatively responded to the forces of Mother Nature. 1873, when a heat wave destroyed the grape harvest. The grower took the dried grapes, “The Raisins”, to a San Francisco grocer,  attempting to sell this ancient ,where he was met with great response and demand. Thus the beginning, and the rise in popularity of the raisin in America.

Raisin varieties

Varieties depend on the type of grape used, and are made in a variety of sizes and colors including green, black, blue, purple, yellow.     

  •  ”Golden raisins” are made from sultanas, treated with sulfur dioxide (SO2), and flame-dried to give them their characteristic  
  •  Seedless varieties include the sultana (also known as Thompson Seedless in the USA) and Flame grapes.    
  •  A particular variety of seedless grape, the Black , is also sun-dried to produce Zante currants, miniature raisins that are much darker in color and have a tart, tangy flavour.     
  •  Several varieties of raisins are produced in Asia and, in the West, are only available at ethnic specialty grocers.
  •  Green raisins are produced in Iran.     

Nutrition

The phenols found in fruit have repeatedly been show to have antioxidant activity and to help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells in the body.

The total antioxidant activity of many fruits and vegetables has been found to be exactly parallel to their total phenol content, and raisins take their place in this list right alongside prunes and apricots as an antioxidant-rich fruit.

The flavonols (one type of phenol belonging to the flavonoid family) in raisins appear to be least affected by the grape-drying process, but raisins do contain fewer phenols than grapes since many of grape’s phenols are largely lost in the conversion of grapes to raisins. These phenols include the hydroxycinnamics (caftaric and coutaric acids), procyanidins, and flavan-3-ols. Boron for Better Bone Health     

Boron is a mineral that is critical to our health, and has been of special interest in women in relationship to bone health and osteoporosis (bone softening). Boron is a trace mineral required to convert estrogen and vitamin D to their most active forms (17-beta-estradiol and 1,25-(OH)2D3 respectively). Estrogen levels drop after menopause causing osteoclasts to become more sensitive to parathyroid hormone, which signals them to break down bone. Studies have shown that boron provides protection against osteoporosis and reproduces many of the positive effects of estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women. Raisins are among the top 50 contributors to total dietary boron in the U.S. diet.

Protection against Macular Degeneration    

Children eat your carrots, but as adults it looks like fruit is even more important for keeping your sight. This data reported, a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology… “Eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.In this study, which involved over 110,000 women and men, researchers evaluated the effect of study participants’ consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARMD, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss.While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence of either form of ARMD, fruit intake was definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease.”

Serving Ideas:

  • Raisins are a great addition to any homemade granola or can be sprinkled over any breakfast cereal, hot or cold.    
  • Soak raisins  in water to soften for an easy-to-make compote served on top of chicken.
  • Add with plain yogurt to make a dessert parfait.
  • Raisins go well in most baked goods. Add them to bread, muffins and cookies.
  • Add raisins to brown rice to make a tasty side dish.
  • Raisins’ sweetness and texture make them a great addition to poultry stuffing.
  • Mix raisins with your favorite nuts for a high-energy, protein and fiber-packed homemade snack or trail mix.   

As you may have found other ways to add raisins to your diet, they are very adaptable to most foods already being eaten with just a little added flavor.

Raisins and Pesticide Residues and Sulfite

With the exception of organic foods, virtually all our municipal drinking water in the United States contains pesticide residues,and so do the majority of foods in the U.S..

Though pesticides are at very small trace levels, their negative impact on health is well documented. The liver’s ability to process other toxins, the cells’ ability to produce energy, and the nerves’ ability to send messages can all be compromised by pesticide exposure.

According to the Environmental Working Group’s 2009 report “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce,” grapes imported into the U.S. (not domestically grown grapes) are among the 12 foods on which pesticide residues have been most frequently found. Therefore, individuals wanting to avoid pesticide-associated health risks may want to avoid consumption of imported grapes or raisins unless they are grown organically. While imported grapes were among the top 12 foods found to have pesticide residues, grapes grown in the U.S. were found to be number 21 among the 47 foods tested.   

Commercially grown dried raisins may be treated with sulfur dioxide gas , a process to extend their shelf life. Sulfur-containing compounds are often added to dried foods like raisins as preservatives to help prevent oxidation and bleaching of colors.

The sulfites used to help preserve dried raisins can cause adverse reactions in an estimated one out of every 100 people, who are sulfite sensitive.

Sulfite reactions can be particularly acute in people who suffer from asthma. The Federal Food and Drug Administration estimates… that 5 percent of asthmatics may suffer a reaction when exposed to sulfites.Foods that are classified as “organic” do not contain sulfites since federal regulations prohibit the use of these preservatives in organically grown or produced foods.     

Todays Health Comments

Today’s raisins may be the snack or nutritional food we may need to be including in our diet more often. The  diverse use allows the raisin to be a practical food for all. I find myself snacking on them when we have them around  for my grand daughter, whom by the way loves them as well. For those who are looking for a snack and not add inches to the waistline. something that should be considered for a healthy resource.

 

March 11th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , , | Category: Todays Foods | 620 comments

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