Eating black raisins reduces acidity, fights against cancer, prevents osteoporosis, lower risk of heart disease, aids digestion, lowers blood sugar, gives skin a natural glow, protects eye health, aids in preventing anemia, and promotes hair growth.
Black raisins are made by drying out black seedless grapes under the sun or in a dehydrator. They have a darker color compared to other raisin varieties and are tangy and sweet. Raisins make a quick and simple snack throughout the day. People can use them as a topping for yogurt and cereals, and they can also include them in many other dishes, such as baked food, trail mix, and granola. You can also brew a variety of drinks with raisins.
In This Article:
- 15 Must-Know Health Benefits of Eating Black Raisins
- Nutritional Value
- How can I Safely Eat Black Raisins?
- Are There Any Side Effects?
- Can It Be Eaten During Pregnancy?
- Can We Give Black Raisins To My Kids?
- Simple Recipes with Black Raisins
15 Must-Know Health Benefits of Eating Black Raisins
Raisins are loaded with antioxidants, amino acids, carbohydrates, calcium, and other key nutrients, thus making it an ideal snack. They have many benefits, including:
Reduces Acidity
Raisins contain ample amounts of advantageous minerals, such as iron, copper, magnesium, and potassium. These are alkaline in nature and can help balance acidity levels in the stomach.
Fight Against Cancer Cells
Raisins are a great source of antioxidant compounds. Dietary antioxidants are necessary, as they can protect the body from oxidative damage and free radicals. Oxidative damage and free radicals are the causes of many types of cancer, tumor growth, and aging.
Prevents Osteoporosis
Raisins can be used for keeping the bones healthy since raisins contain high amounts of calcium. Along with satisfying amounts of calcium, the food also contains Boron, which is a micronutrient that is required for the body in small amounts but still needs to be consumed.
Lower Risk of Heart Disease
Regularly eating raisins can help reduce cardiovascular issues, such as high blood pressure, as compared to other snacks. This is because raisins are low sodium food that is also a good source of potassium, which helps keep the blood vessels relaxed.
Aids Digestion
Raisins are an easy way to help keep the digestive system healthy and functioning. Raisins contain important soluble fibers, which give the body to your stool and help it pass through easier. This helps improve digestion and promote regularity.
Lowers Blood Sugar
Compared to eating other snacks, regularly eating raisins can help lower a person’s blood sugar. Even though raisins have a more concentrated amount of sugars than most fresh fruit, consuming raisins (compared to processed snacks that decreased hemoglobin) is good for regulating your blood sugar.
Gives Your Skin A Natural Glow
Black raisins have properties for blood purification. This means that raisins help in flushing out dangerous fluids, toxins, and dirt from your system. These are usually responsible for skin problems especially acne, spots, wrinkles and more. The antioxidant content in black raisins makes it perfect for destroying the free radicals that cause skin damage and aging. It also protects the skin from sun damage and pollution, all of which cause fine lines, wrinkles, and dullness in the skin.
Protects Eye Health
Raisins contain polyphenols, which are antioxidants that protect the cells in the eyes from free radical damage. This is, in turn, helps protect the eyes from eye ailments, such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
Good for Hair Growth
The iron helps the blood circulation in the body and to the hair follicles. This ensures that there is the regulation of the hair growth functions and treatment of hair thinning. It keeps hair fall at bay completely.
Aids in Preventing Anaemia
Raisins may play a part in preventing anemia since they contain good amounts of iron, copper, and vitamins that are essential for producing red blood cells and transporting oxygen throughout the body. Having a handful of black raisins each day will make sure that you meet the daily iron requirements of the body.
Makes Your Teeth Stronger
It can prevent the teeth from decaying and helps fight against germs and cavities. It also prevents the growth of bacteria which cause tooth decay. It contains one of the best phytochemicals required by the body, as well as contains oleanolic acid.
Meets Daily Protein Requirements
A single serving of Black raisins contains around 3 % of Protein. This helps in building your muscles and improving blood and bone health. You can either take raisins as a snack or add them to your protein shake for improved results. Soaked raisins are also quite rich in amino acids.
Keeps The Kidneys Healthy
Black raisins are known to prevent the formation of kidney stones. It works by cleansing the body of toxins and flushing them out. In this process, these stones also get eliminated.
Curbs Food Cravings
With high levels of fiber in black raisins, if eaten with breakfast, this can actually help you feel full for a long period of time and control hunger pangs and prevent extra calorie intake. The natural fruit sugars like fructose and sucrose present in black raisins can keep you full for much longer.
Can Boost Energy Levels
A lot of people prefer taking raisins before a workout session because black raisins boost your energy levels and make you active. Eating soaked raisins can instantly rejuvenate the body.
Nutritional Value:
1 Cup of serving size:
- Total Calories: 408
- Total Carbohydrates: 107 gm
- Dietary Fiber: 9.8 gm
- Potassium: 1284 mg
- Sodium: 12 mg
- Proteins: 5.9 gm
- Vitamin A: 2.1 %
- Vitamin C: 11 %
- Calcium: 9.5 %
- Iron: 26 %
How can I Safely Eat Black Raisins?
Black raisins are commonly treated with sulfur dioxide after getting dried up. Thus, it is recommended to soak them in water for a couple of hours before eating them. It can help in stripping off the unnecessary minerals on the outer skin. This way the benefits of black raisins soaked in the water increase.
Are There Any Side Effects?
While raisins are generally good, there are some circumstances when raisins may not be the ideal snack. For people looking to control their calorie intake or lose weight, they may want to be mindful of eating large amounts of raisins. While a single raisin contains the same number of calories as a single grape, raisins are much smaller and this can easily cause over-eating.
Another concern about eating too many raisins is the increase in soluble fiber. Too much fiber may cause stomach upsets, such as cramps, gas, and bloating. Some people may even develop loose motions.
Can It Be Eaten During Pregnancy?
It is completely safe to consume raisins while pregnant. Dried black grapes are very nutritious and consuming them during pregnancy can be very beneficial for the health of both the expecting mom and her baby.
Can We Give Black Raisins To My Kids?
Because of their small size, small children may have to avoid raisins and go for fresh fruit instead.
Simple Recipes with Black Raisins:
- Rainbow Chard Salad with Raisins and Walnuts
Ingredients:
- half a large bunch of rainbow chard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Wash the chard well and let dry. Fold the leaves in half and slice away the tough stalk. Discard or compost. Cut the leaves in half, lengthwise, then slice into fine ribbons. You should have about 4-6 cups of finely sliced chard.
- Put the walnuts in a small, heavy frying pan over medium heat and toast for about five minutes, shaking to keep them from burning. Add the raisins to the pan right at the end just to warm them through.
- Whisk the sugar, olive oil, wine, and orange juice together and taste. Adjust to taste and add salt and pepper.
- Toss the raisins, hot walnuts, chard and dressing all together. Distribute among individual salad bowls and sprinkle Parmesan on top.
- Sour Cream-Raisin Bars
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raisins
- 1 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats (not the quick-cooking kind)
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon soda
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups sour cream
Directions:
- Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with hot water. Allow them to plump while preparing the crust and filling.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. Blend the butter in small gobs, stirring as little as possible until the butter is evenly distributed throughout. Scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the topping and set it aside. Pat the rest of the topping into the baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and sour cream in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened. The sauce will pop slowly, but if it boils more rapidly, turn down the heat. Drain the raisins and stir them into the sour cream mixture.
- Pour the sour cream and raisin filling over the baked crust. Bake for another 15 minutes until the edges are set but the middle is still very jiggly. Crumbled the rest of the oatmeal mixture over the top of the bars and bake for another 15 minutes. The bars will still wobble a bit in the middle (like firm pudding) but will set more firmly as they cool.
- Allow cooling completely before cutting into bars.
Sources:
- http://gunaorganics.org/health-benefits-organic-black-raisins
- https://stylesatlife.com/articles/black-raisins-benefits/
- https://www.thekitchn.com/five-ways-to-eat-1-97840
