Technically, there are over 50 varieties of grapes. But you don’t need to worry about that. All you need to know is that grapes are available in green, red and black varieties.

Why have grapes

Grapes have an unmatched portfolio in terms of their phytonutrient composition, and are good sources of vitamins and minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and sodium. This bestows on them anti-ageing and longevity benefits.

Grapes are 80 – 85 per cent water, high in fibre and are low in calories, which makes them a great snack that doesn’t make you fat. The water and fibre also helps relieve chronic constipation.

Grapes have resveratrol, the real hero endowed with many health benefits. This antioxidant is found in the skin of red and black grapes and is the ingredient that has lent wine the reputation as a heart-protector. It also has anti-ageing, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and cancer protective properties. Resveratrol also has neuroprotective functions and is useful in bolstering cognition and helps patients with Alzheimer’s.

Grapes benefit patients of coronary heart disease by increasing nitric oxide levels in their blood, which helps dilating the blood vessels [vasodilatation] and improves circulation. They also prevent excess clot formation, oxidation of LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis.

Though grapes are commonly believed to be bad for diabetics, they have a low glycaemic index. Diabetics can eat grapes in limited amounts without worrying about their blood sugar levels shooting up.

Grapes also contain properties that help in controlling rheumatism and gout.

How to buy

Select grapes with plump flesh, having translucent smooth skin. It should not wither away easily from the stem when you lift the bunch. Avoid grapes that bear cuts.

For the green variety, select grapes having a yellowish undertone.

For the red variety, select grapes that have little transparency with a rich red colour to it.

For the black/dark purple variety, select the ones that have a full deep blue black colour.

Wash the grapes thoroughly under running water before consuming. Grapes can be stored at room temperature if they are to be consumed soon. To store for a longer time, wrap them in a newspaper and store in refrigerator.

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Nutty benefits

• Reduces inflammation and oxidative damage.
• Lowers LDL [bad cholesterol] and raises HDL [good cholesterol].
• Provides enough roughage [fibre], facilitating efficient waste removal from the body.
• Improves cognition.

How to eat them

Nuts should be eaten in their natural form. Ideally, you should soak them in water overnight. This makes them easy to digest. It also reduces their heat-producing nature and improves taste and texture.

You can even peel the skin [in case of nuts like soaked almond] if you like. However, avoid eating dry roasted nuts as the healthy fats in them can turn rancid. Also, avoid eating the salty variety because of the high sodium content.

Don’t eat more than a fistful of nuts at a time—less is better as they are high in calories. Eating nuts in excess can cause allergic reactions in many people as they are also a concentrated form of protein.

The best time to eat nuts

Nuts are best eaten in the morning, in-between meals or post workout. Avoid eating them in the evening say between five and seven as a person’s hunger is at its peak during this time and you may eat a bigger portion than recommended. But if you are able to control your portions, have them any time.

Being energy dense, they are considered one of the best foods in winter.

How to store nuts

Nuts have a good shelf life [around six months] as they have little water content, which discourages bacterial growth and spoilage. They are best kept in dark coloured bottles stored away from sunlight in a cool place or refrigerator.

So the next time you visit the grocers, don’t forget to add nuts to your cart.

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Kiwifruit [also known as the Chinese Gooseberry] is imported from Italy, New Zealand or China. It is a powerhouse of nutrients and is included among the 20 super fruits by the berry doctor Paul Gross in his book, Superfruits.

The many health benefits of Kiwifruit

1. Kiwi is a rich source of Vitamin-C

Like any other gooseberry, Kiwi is a rich source of vitamin C—it has twice the amount of vitamin C content than in oranges. Being an excellent antioxidant, vitamin C cleans the body of free radicals, boosts immunity and helps maintain bone health and teeth. It also boosts immunity, prevents wheezing, asthma and improves lung function. Vitamin C also helps increase the absorption of iron, making it beneficial in anaemia.

2. Kiwi is abundant in antioxidant Vitamin-E

Kiwis are also abundant in vitamin E, another antioxidant. In fact, kiwi is the richest low-fat source of vitamin E. This adds a many points in the favour of the fruit because most good food sources of vitamin E like avocados are high in fats. Because of the high vitamin E content, kiwi helps in improving skin conditions and fertility.

3. Kiwi helps repair DNA

Kiwi contains plenty of chlorophyll and lutein, potent antioxidants, which help repair DNA and prevent degeneration of body cells. The lutein along with the vitamin C helps prevent cataract and age-related macular degeneration.

4. It helps prevent cardiac arrythmia

Kiwi beats even banana when it comes to high-potassium, low-sodium content, which helps prevent cardiac arrhythmia [irregularity in the rhythm of heartbeats] and control blood pressure.

5. It is the ideal fruit for weight-conscious

Kiwifruit is low in fat and calories, making it ideal for those who are calorie-conscious or people on weight-loss regimes.

6. Kiwi is safe for diabetics to consume

Kiwi has a low glycemic index and copious amounts of magnesium and hence can be had by diabetics.

7. It promotes brain development in children

Kiwi is abundant in dietary fibre, magnesium, folate and omega-3. Because of the folate and omega-3, it is excellent for brain development in children. The folate content also helps reduce hyperhomocysteinemia [a risk factor for coronary artery disease]. The fibre present in kiwis apart from lowering cholesterol also helps in relieving constipation.

8. Kiwi helps reduce risk of heart disease

Kiwifruit can reduce the risk of platelet aggregation and helps in the reduction of plasma triglycerides, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.

It also has small amounts of vitamin A and B, calcium, phosphorus and zinc.

How to eat kiwi

People struggle endlessly to understand how to eat kiwi. They don’t know whether to peel it, slice it or cut it lengthwise. The kiwifruit is ideally cut into half breadth-wise and scooped out with a spoon like you scoop out an ice-cream from a cup. But don’t worry if you have been eating it with the skin—the fruit is completely edible inside-out. Take care to wash the skin thoroughly before you eat it, though.

The cost factor

People find kiwi costly as it costs INR27 – INR35 per piece. Now consider this. Apples cost around INR120 – INR140 per kg and you get only around four or five apples in that. This means a single apple costs about INR27 – INR32 per piece, which is in the same range as a kiwifruit.

However, the good news is that kiwis are being grown in Himachal Pradesh and Manipur, which will make them easily available in India and bring down its price.

Kiwi is the most nutrient-dense food, according to a study published in The Journal of American College of Nutrition. It has a nutrition index of 16, which means it has the highest content of the 9 nutrients that are considered essential by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA].

It beats other fruits like papaya [14], cantaloupe melon [13], strawberry [12], mango [11] and orange [11] hands down.

Kiwi and chickoo

When the kiwifruit first hit the Indian market almost 6 – 7 years ago, its tangy taste did not appeal to many, as they had grown accustomed to eating sweet fruits like bananas, apples and mangoes.

People also didn’t like the feel of the outer peel of kiwi and would say it looks and feels like a hairy chickoo. But the Kiwi Gold variety is changing that opinion. The kiwi gold has a yellow flesh within the outer peel, which is not hairy. The fruit is sweeter in taste as compared to its green counterpart.

Try This Kiwi recipe

Kiwifruit sauce

Ingredients

• Kiwi juice: 50ml
• Orange juice: 100ml
• Sugar: 2tsp
• White wine: 10ml
• Kiwifruit, finely diced: 100g
• Butter: 1tsp
• Salt: to taste
• Pepper: to taste

Directions

Add butter to a heated saucepan. As the butter melts, add the freshly-made orange juice, followed by sugar and wine. Bring the sauce to a boil, add the kiwi juice and finely-diced kiwifruit. Immediately add salt and pepper to taste and cover the pan for a minute. Your kiwifruit sauce is ready. Used as a dressing on salads, in tarts, spread on a fruit pizza base or add it to a meat dish for a sweet and sour flavour.

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