Can you Eat Grape Seeds?

Are Grape Seeds Good to Eat?

Growing up my parent always bought seedless grapes. For a long time that's how I thought grapes were. I mean, the seedless grapes had seeds inside which you could see, but I didn't know the seeds got hard.Eventually I learned that grapes had hard seeds, to which I pictured the seeds must be like a cherry seed - very hard and too big to eat. I'm pretty sure you shouldn't eat a cherry seed but then again I haven't tried...My first experience with a true natural grape was when I was traveling in the Balkans in 2017, more specifically on a bus from Split, Croatia to Zagreb, Croatia. I was suffering from a massive headache and just overall unpleasantness! The 8hr bus ride was not doing me any favors, but thankfully the bus stopped and I decided to go in a grab a snack. I saw some grapes which I thought might be able to quell my headache so I bought some.I immediately noticed that the grapes were huge! Must have been at least double the size I was used to. When I ate one I noticed the crunchiness inside and I knew I had ate the seed.I then decided to keep eating them because I figured it wasn't bad for you. But I didn't know that they were in fact very good for you to eat! (I did notice grape seed oil, and grape seed extract after I got back home to my super centers)

Benefits of Grape Seeds

Grape seeds are a tad bit bitter but that means they have a lot of powerful nutrients. A diet high in fruits and vegetables has been shown to have immense health benefits. While meat is great to have as well, our diet should consist of a lot more fruits and especially vegetables to have optimum health.Grapes are extremely beneficial to our health, in fact, red wine has the same benefits! But eating grapes wont make you unable to function!

Oligomeric Proanthocyanidin Complexes

Grape seeds are known for oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes which doesn't readily roll off the tounge so we will refer to them as OPC's, OPC's are a powerful antioxidant. Make sure to learn about antioxidants in general if you aren't fully familiar with them because they are absolutely essential to our diets. In short, antioxidants help to block free radicals which cause premature aging of the skin and your body in general. By adding more antioxidants to your diet you can help keep yourself looking younger longer.The OPC in grapes are found in higher quantities in red grapes, and they are not limited to the seeds, they occur in the skin as well. However they are more densely packed in the seeds of the grapes.

Eye Health

My biggest fear in life is going blind. I think that would be a terrible thing! I make sure to take great care of them and one great thing is that grapes and the seeds can help!Grapes contain two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, this is from the red pigments in the grape. It turns out, our eyes contain the same family of carotenoids however the one in our eyes are thought to be the only place they are as they don't occur in plants.This means that when we eat lutein and zeaxanthin they help strengthen the carotenoid in our eyes. They are thought to neutralize the free radicals in our eyes. This means they may help to reduce oxidative stress and damage to the retina, and help prevent cataracts and other conditions.Additionally high levels of resveratrol - which functions like an antioxidant - has been suggested in laboratory settings to protect against various eye problems, including age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract, and among others.However, it remains unclear exactly how it works, and how it might be beneficial to humans.

Heart Health

Heart disease is the #1 killer in America and really the developed world. There are many causes for it and diet plays a major role in helping to prevent it.Grape seeds have been shown to improve joint flexibility, they also may help improve blood circulation by strengthening your capillaries, arteries and veins, blood circulation plays a major role in the health of your body.Grape seeds have also shown to have a link in helping to lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is caused a lot by a high sodium content. Ingesting potassium in your diet has been shown to help offset the rise blood pressure caused by sodium. Grapes contain a decent amount of potassium.In fact The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends increasing potassium intake while decreasing sodium consumption to help improve blood pressure and overall cardiovascular health.Resveratrol and other the polyphenols in grapes may help to prevent platelet build up in arteries in conjunction with lowering blood pressure.

Diabetes

A 2013 study was published by the BMJ suggested that certain fruits may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in adults. However this study showed that juices do not have the same properties. In fact, fruit juices really are not that good for you.In this particular study, there were 187,382 participants over a period of 22 years. In that time 6.5 percent of the participants developed diabetes; However, those who consumed three servings a week of blueberries, grapes, raisins, apples, or pears had a 7% lower risk of type 2 diabetes when compared with those who had not.Because of the high amount of sugar in grapes many people wonder if they should be part of a diet if you are diabetic. But the American Diabetes Association said it is perfectly acceptable to eat grapes as well as other fruits as long as the carbohydrates are accounted for in your meal plan.

Helping With Cancer

Free radicals are thought to be the cause of many types of cancers. This is because free radicals are exactly that, an unstable molecular particle zipping around. This is from the metabolism of oxygen which is unstable its self. Free radicals are thought to blast into our bodies and very occasionally blast through a cell and alter a strand of DNA. This has a repetitively low chance of causing a problem, but sometimes the problem is the cause of cancer. Antioxidants help protect the body of these free radicals which might help fight against cancer.

Problem With Eating Grapes for Health

Grapes are awesome for you, they make a tasty snack. But many of these benefits are found with much higher doses than you would be able to get eating grapes alone. Grapes are also very high in fructose, which isn't very good for you.The seeds don't have the fructose like the flesh does, but I haven't seen grape seeds sold in the store by themselves, and they are rather bitter so it probably wouldn't sell well anyway. One of the best ways to get the health benefits of grapes without the potential issues is to ass a grape seed extract to your diet.