Super Foods Part 2: Grapes (Vitis)
The cultivation of grapes goes as far back as the Egyptians. The Roman and Greek armies are said to have marched on grapes, and the Russians have used grape fasting for many centuries. In recent times, however, the country most affected by the grape is France.
The French generally tend to eat higher levels of animal fat, but despite this they have a low amount of incidences of heart disease in France. This has lead nutrionists to coin the term ‘The French Paradox’. The paradox has been contributed to the above average consumption of red wine in the country. It is thought that the polyphenol antioxidant in grapes, called Resveratrol, has many health benefits, such as the reduction of platelet aggregation (harmful blood clotting) and the increase of vasodilatation (the widening of blood vessels which lowers blood pressure).
However, Resveratrol’s benefits do not stop there. As well as reducing the risk of heart disease, it has also been linked to inhibiting all cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, degenerative nerve disease, rheumatism, gout and viral infections, including AIDS! This is why grapes have been called ‘The nectar of the gods’! This is also why there are entire sanatoriums in Russia devoted to curing cancer by placing their patients on an exclusive raw, dark grape fast. The grapes are able to detoxify all the organs and tissues by restoring the integrity of starved cells. There have been some incredible cases of people being cured of both cancer and AIDS by simply fasting for 1-2 months on 2-4 pounds of dark grapes per day.
Yet grapes prove most effective as an everyday cure for constipation and gastritis. It is said that if you are suffering from severe gastritis, only eat the pulp and juice of 2-4 pounds of raw black grapes for the next few days. This should clean you out completely within just 48 hours! Any type of grape can be used, but the black variety are considered the best due to their nutritional content.
You can also simply use grapes as a detoxifier, in which case both the skin and seeds should be eaten along with pulp and juice, and no; a grapevine will not begin growing in your stomach if you eat the seeds as some people believe! Admittedly most those people are under 10 years of age, but maybe you are an advanced reader for your years and need some reassurance!! On a serious note the grapes will detoxify the blood, kidneys, liver and alimentary canal, which ultimately will detoxify your skin too.
The pips and skins contain powerful bioactive agents, such as oligomeric, which allows them to alkalise the bloodstream and digestive tract. This is important as pretty much all cases of poisoning, disease or breakdown in the body are due to a serious build up of acid in the cells. Oligomeric is another antioxidant that has been found to help with the prevention of heart disease and cancer.
The skins of grapes are actually very nutritious, which is why red wine is considered more beneficial than white wine, since it is only red wine that is fermented with the skins. The amount of fermentation time grape skin spends in contact with a wine, determines the wines resveratrol content. White wine as a result contains far less antioxidants than red as it is fermented after the grape skins have been removed.
The other important thing to learn about raw grapes is that they are a fantastic source of energy due to their sugar content. These sugars are exactly those used in cellular metabolism: glucose, fructose and a little levulose. This means that the sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream instantaneously, ready to be metabolised. It is things like this that have lead grapes to be called ‘The queen of fruits’ and raw grape juice to be named as ‘vegetarian milk’ owing to its ability to sustain nursing infants deprived of mother’s milk. It’s definitely a better option than homogenised and pasteurized cow’s milk! Quite simply, grapes are one of the best detoxifiers out there. They can cure the most deadly of today’s diseases, and they will give you the energy you need to live either a healthy lifestyle or to regain your health.
If you are interested in learning more about what foods you should be eating in order to lose weight then go ahead and check this out:
If you are looking for more information on dieting for your health, then I would recommend you purchase this series of ebooks from Healing Gourmet:
They explain everything in a clear and concise manner, so that you can fully understand what you should be eating in order to stay in good health, or to regain your health when you have let it slide. If the latter is the case, you must not delay. The longer you put it off the worse it will become. Act now. Eat some raw grapes today!
