A new ad featuring Alton Brown promotes Welch’s concord grape juice as a way to help boost your health and immune system due to its polyphenol content.
What are polyphenols?
- Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant
- Found mainly in fruits, but also in some vegetables, chocolate, tea, and coffee
- There are at least 5,000 individual polyphenols reported in scientific literature
- All polyphenols have an antioxidant effect, but the magnitude of the the effect can vary quite a bit (meaning some are more potent/helpful for your health then others)
Current evidence strongly supports that polyphenols help with the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, osteoporosis, and suggests a role in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes. However, the research is limited, therefore no specific recommendations have been made for the general population or for particular populations at risk of specific diseases.
So yes, drinking Welch’s grape juice will provide you with polyphenols because polyphenols are found mainly in fruits and their associated fruit juices. However, remember it is always better to get all the wonderful nutrients fruits have by eating their original, whole-food source (i.e. eating the grapes instead of drinking the juice). Otherwise, you are missing out on some great beneficial elements fruits have to offer, like fiber, and sometimes you are taking in more calories and sugar by consuming the juice form. In fact, some polyphenols are of their highest concentration in the fruit’s peel, which is not consumed if you are merely drinking the juice.
There are many other great sources of polyphenols, some of these include:
- red apples
- cranberries
- blue, black, and strawberries
- kiwi
- pears
- plums
- potatoes
- red wine
- yellow onion
- parsley
- soy flour
It’s a good thing Welch’s grape juice is made from the whole grape…skin, seeds and all!