Tag Archives: Grape juice

15 Mar

Best Grapes For Grape Juice And How To Choose Them

Grape varieties may be more commonly associated with wine than juice, but grape juice is refreshing treat that can easily be made at home. While the most common red and green grape varieties make delicious snacks, they are unsuitable for juicing. The following guide can help you choose the best grapes for juicing so you can enjoy a tall glass of sweet and tangy grape juice at home.

Concord Grapes

These small dark grapes are the most popular American variety and are much hardier than European varieties. Widely regarded as the best grapes for juicing, Concord grapes have a sweet and slightly tart flavor that also makes delicious jellies and jams. The grapes create the quintessential taste and color that most people associate with grape juice. Grown in the northern and midwestern regions of the United States, these grapes are readily available throughout the year but are best from late summer to mid-fall.

Niagara Grapes

Stemming from New York, these white grapes are one of the best grapes for juicing because of their light and sweet flavor that is more mild than other varieties. The white fruit also yields a lighter-colored juice that is less likely to cause stains than purple varieties like the Concord.

Delaware Grapes

Grown throughout the northeast region of the United States, Delaware grapes are great for juicing because of their juicy flesh and sweet taste. These lovely grapes are smaller than the aforementioned varieties and are pinkish in color. Delaware grapes ripen quickly in late summer and early fall and yield a light-colored juice that will not stain the hands that made it.

best grapes for juicing

Choosing Grapes for Juicing

Concord, Niagara and Delaware grapes reach their peak around late summer and last until mid-fall. Many people believe that grapes can be immediately placed in the juicer as soon as they turn color, but even darkened grapes can yield a bitter and sour juice.

For best results, choose grapes mid-season that feel firm. Sample a few grapes from each cluster, as not all of the grapes will ripen at the same time. Look for seeds that are brown and mature instead of light tan or green. The ease in which the grapes come off of the cluster is another indication of ripeness. Ripe grapes can be removed easily without much resistance.

Before putting your grapes in the juicer, wash them throughly and remove the stems. Concord, Delaware and Niagara grapes are easy to skin and only the flesh should be placed in the juicer.

14 Mar

Grape Juice Side Effects – Can You Drink Too Much Of It?

Drinking too much grape juice can cause mild side effects mostly pertaining to bowel movements. For example, some grape juice side effects include an upset stomach, indigestion and diarrhea.

Other possible but rare side effects of drinking too much grape juice are nausea and vomiting. More serious grape juice side effects could include infections and muscular problems. Other side effects experienced from drinking too much grape juice include dry mouth, coughing, sore throat and headaches. For those who are allergic to grapes, drinking grape juice will – obviously – cause an allergic reaction.

Finally, drinking large amounts of grape juice could result in an iron-deficiency and lead to anemia.

Grape juice side effects

Enhanced by Zemanta
12 Dec

4 Top Health Benefits of Grape Juice

Grape juice is a delicious and inexpensive alternative to orange or apple juice to have with your morning cereal. However, what you might not realize is that by drinking red or purple grape juice, you’re possibly ingesting one of the most heart-healthy beverages on the planet. Grape juice has tons of positive benefits for your body including benefiting your heart health, blood pressure and even slowing down your body’s aging process. Here you will find four main health benefits of grape juice:

Grapes

Heart Health

Red wine has long been praised for its heart benefits, including its ability to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, reduce the incidence of blood clots, lower blood pressure and prevent damage to the blood vessels in the heart. While these are all great things, many people don’t like red wine or try to stay away from alcohol. Thankfully, studies have shown that grape juice, particularly juice from red or purple grapes, has most of the same heart benefits that red wine does.

In a study published in 2007, a group of 12 men and women with coronary heart disease were asked to drink 21 oz. of Concord grape juice every day for 14 days. Other changes to their diet weren’t necessary. After 14 days, all 12 participants showed better dilating blood vessels and lowered LDL levels. These results have been replicated many times over, and improved heart health can be seen by drinking just one glass of grape juice a day.

Health benefits of grape juice

Lower Blood Pressure

In 2004, Korean scientist studied the effects of grape juice on blood pressure. A group of men with high blood pressure were asked to drink one and a half cups of grape juice daily for 8 weeks. After this time, all men showed a dramatic improvement in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Brain Power

Grape juice doesn’t just keep your heart healthy, it can actually improve the performance of your brain. The flavonoids, a type of antioxidant, in the grape are responsible for this. Antioxidants are almost like the vacuum cleaners of the body, working to clean up all the free-radicals that cells produce when they burn oxygen for energy. Scientists theorize that these flavonoids help keep the blood vessels in the brain clear of blockages and increase nitric oxide, which keeps the vessels clear as well and increases blood flow to the brain. The extra blood helps the brain function better, and studies in lab rats shows this might help with concentration, memory and other brain functions.

Grape juice

Health Benefits of Grape Juice And Anti-Aging

Grape juice contains another powerful antioxidant called polyphenol. Polyphenol is best known as an anti-aging component. In elderly rats, drinking grape juice has been proven to slow down a lot of the motor skill and memory issues that affect both rats and humans during the aging process. In humans, polyphenol has been shown to slow down Alzheimer’s disease progression, reduce the incidence of colon cancer and other cancers common in older people and improve reflexes and memory. These anti-aging health benefits of grape juice can be received by drinking as little as two glasses of grape juice a day. So if you’ve been drinking grape juice regularly since childhood, you might have already done more than enough to improve the quality of your older years.