【Fan Zhihong registered nutritionist original content Welcome to forward】
Author: Wu Jia Fan Zhihong
Nowadays, everyone on the earth knows that sweets are unhealthy, and foods high in sugar can promote obesity and increase the risk of many chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. However, after all, many people always want to eat something sweet during the day, and baked goods also need a little sweet ingredients. Besides, adding extra salt is not healthy, but eating original oatmeal porridge and original egg cake every day is a bit tedious after all...
How do you balance sweetness, nutrition and health? This brings us to the protagonist of our article today: the raisins.
Raisins are dried fruits made from sun-dried grape fruits. Why is it said that the raw material is "grape fruit"? Because there are many varieties of grapes, they can be made into dried fruits, so the term raisin is a collective name.
From the point of origin, the seedless white raisins produced in Xinjiang, as well as blackcurrant raisins, are among the famous products, but there are also many imported products. In terms of color, it includes green, white, khaki, red and black varieties. In terms of size, there are raisins the size of soybean kernels, and there are also so-called dried that are more than two centimeters long – their English names are raisins.
Knowledge point 1: Dried fruits and preserved fruits and preserves are not the same thing. Traditional dried fruits are products made by sun-dried, dried, or vacuum-dried fruit, with neither sugar nor salt. Those fruit crisps that are vacuum fried in vacuum will have a very high fat content and they are not raisins.
Of course, some dried fruits are too sour to be imported without adding some sugar, and even if some sugar is added, it is not higher than other fruits with dried sugar, so it is also sold and eaten as dried fruits. For example, dried hawthorn with sugar, dried cranberries with sugar, dried blueberries with sugar, etc. If we really want to eat them as a snack, we can only eat them with sugar.
Grapes are a very sweet fruit, so after it is dried, the sugar will be concentrated and the heat will be concentrated, which is normal. According to China's food composition table, 100 grams of raisins contain 334 kcal of calories, which is similar to that of rice and white noodles. Among them, carbohydrates are 83.4 grams, protein is 2.5 grams, and fat is 0.4 grams. From a protein point of view, it is lower than the white noodles of rice, while the carbohydrate content is slightly higher than that of various grains, mainly fructose and glucose, and the sucrose content is very low.
Some people may say with disdain: it turns out that raisins are a lot of sugar... In fact, this is not fair. There are a lot of good things in the raisins.
However, what most people don't expect is that raisins have many health effects! For example —
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > advantage 1: raisins reduce the risk of dental caries</h1>
In people's impressions, raisins eat sweet, and a little sticky, should promote caries, right? However, in recent years, more and more research has suggested that eating raisins does not cause caries, but reduces the risk of caries (provided you brush your teeth normally). Eat raisins before going to bed without brushing your teeth, then it's not the raisins' fault).
There are 3 main factors that contribute to caries:
decreased oral pH (acidic environment dissolves enamel on the surface of the tooth),
Food sticks to the teeth,
Bacterial activity in the oral cavity[1].
First, the sweetness in raisins is mainly contributed by glucose and fructose, while sucrose is so small that it can be ignored [2]. It should be known that sucrose is a good raw material for the bacteria in dental plaque to synthesize "adherent dextran", and "adherent dextran" is an important causative factor for caries and gum disease [3].
Wong et al. studies [4] show that eating raisins alone does not lower the pH in the mouth below the threshold for enamel to dissolve. At the same time, raisins also have a good bacteriostatic effect. In vitro bacteriostatic tests showed that raisins have a certain inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, etc. Natural antioxidants such as oleanolic acid have inhibitory effects on Streptococcus deformed, which causes caries [5]. Riverro-cruz extracted different antibacterial components from raisins and found that oleanolic acid and linoleic acid had strong bacteriostatic activity against two oral pathogens [6].
Utreja et al. studied the effects of raisins and breakfast cereals containing raisins on the acid production of plaque in young children, and found that raisins did not significantly reduce oral pH for a certain period of time, and the degree of reduction was much smaller than that of cereal foods. Compared with grain foods such as oats and bread, raisins are removed from teeth at a higher rate than most cereal foods [7]. That is, if the raisin is placed in oatmeal as an ingredient, it will not adhere to the surface of the tooth for a long time.
These properties have led scientists to believe that eating raisins in daily diets is beneficial and harmless to oral health.
In addition to being tooth-friendly, why are raisins a healthy snack? Because it has other shining points.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > advantage 2: raisins increase satiety and improve dietary quality</h1>
Raisins are rich in dietary fiber, and compared to the same calories, it has a good feeling of fullness. At the same time, it is not a food that is prone to excess. Putting a dozen raisins makes people feel that food becomes delicious, but few people eat raisins in large bowls because it is easier to produce satisfaction.
Patel et al. have studied the diet of children aged 8 to 11 years old and found that eating raisins appropriately after class can increase satiety and reduce children's intake of snacks such as potato chips and chocolates. At the same time, raisins, as a pre-meal snack, also help to suppress appetite, do not increase the total calorie intake, and help reduce the risk of obesity in children [8].
Subsequently, Fulgoni et al. studied the effects of raisin and raisin-containing foods in children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years on nutritional intake and dietary quality [9]. The results found that people who regularly consumed raisins consumed significantly higher dietary fiber, potassium and magnesium per day, while their intake of added sugars, monounsaturated fats and total fats was lower compared to those who did not eat raisins. Eating foods containing raisins has similar results. In addition, people who ate raisins and raisin-containing foods also had significantly higher intakes of fruits and whole grains than those who did not eat them.
This shows that consumers who eat raisins or foods containing raisins are also some people who value the quality of their diets. Eating raisins does not drag down the nutritional quality of the diet.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > advantage 3: blood sugar is not fast, it belongs to low and medium GI foods</h1>
Although raisins taste sweet, the glycemic index is not high. The glycemic index (GI) of food is divided into low (< 55), medium (55–69) or high (> 70). From the literature on GI tests for raisins, glycemic index values range from 49 to 69 and insulin index values range from 47 to 54, both at low and moderately low levels [10]. Therefore, people with diabetes or insulin resistance can also enjoy raisins in small amounts without increasing their total carbohydrate intake.
A prospective longitudinal cohort study in the United States found that eating grapes in moderation did not increase the risk of diabetes, and that ingestion of grapes and raisins reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 19 percent compared with drinking juice three times a week [11].
China's research has found that when raisins and rice are eaten together in a 1:1 ratio, it is no more than when eating rice alone. If raisins, almonds, and rice are eaten together, blood sugar is significantly lowered after a meal [12].
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Advantage 4: High potassium food, which is beneficial for blood pressure management</h1>
Studies have also shown that if raisins are used instead of daily snacks as a tea break food, it is beneficial to control blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular disease [13].
First, the raisins concentrate the mineral components of fresh grapes, especially potassium. The potassium content in 100 g of regular raisins reaches 995 mg, which is nearly 20 times that of refined white rice. Such a high potassium food is still very meaningful for modern people who now have a high intake of sodium in the diet and potassium deficiency. In addition, there are dozens of milligrams of calcium, which is also higher than the white surface of rice.
Secondly, the dietary fiber and antioxidant substances in raisins are relatively rich. Then, the raisins also "inherited" the many antioxidants in the grapes. In the process of drying, some antioxidants are concentrated, and some components are oxidized and decomposed. Among them, the dark brown, purple-black raisins have a stronger antioxidant capacity because the peel contains more anthocyanins. After all, to eat grapes is to spit out the skins of the grapes, and no one will spit out the skins when eating raisins.
By the way, if it is a raisin with a thicker skin, the content of dietary fiber is also considerable, which is good for preventing constipation and bowel cancer.
How to eat raisins more healthy and delicious?
Not only are they eaten directly as snacks, but there are many good ways to eat raisins that can be added to your menu.
Make salads: Sprinkle a little raisin on the vegetable salad to add to the good taste.
Natural sweetener: When making milkshakes, oatmeal or steamed buns, breads, and pancakes, you can put a handful of raisins to increase the sweet flavor.
Cooking: Do you remember the raisins in Xinjiang pilaf? In fact, it is good to eat raisins with mashed potatoes and stews.
Mix with sugar-free yogurt: Homemade sugar-free yogurt is particularly delicious along with raisins.
Of course, every time we have to remind you that although the raisins are good, they are only part of a healthy diet. A balanced diet is the foundation of health. In addition, do not eat too much to eat, use it to replace other processed snacks will have a better health effect. #Health Guardian ##Learning Sharing Officer##Health Science Contest#@Toutiao Health
Regarding dried fruits, you may also want to see:
Concentrated dry goods are the essence? Dietitian reminds: these dried fruits must be eaten in limited quantities!
Dried fruits are sweeter than fruits, can blood sugar control people eat them? How much is appropriate to eat?
Answers to three questions about dried fruit cooking
bibliography:
1 Zhou Xiaoming, Guo Chunmiao, Fan Dingyu, etc. Research progress on nutrition and efficacy of raisins. Food Research and Development. 2015，36(19):179~183
2 Fujii H, Sun B, Nishioka H,et al. Evaluation of the safety and toxicity of the oligomerized polyphenol. Food Chemistry and Toxicology. 2007, 45:378–87 (?)
3 Cury JA, Rebelo MA, Del Bel Cury AA, et al. Biochemical composition and cariogenicity of dental plaque formed in the presence of sucrose or glucose and fructose. Caries Research. 2000; 34: 491–497
4 Wong A, Young D A, Emmanouil D E, et al. Raisins and oral health. Journal of Food Science, 2013, 78(s1): A26-A29
5 Damle S G. Does raisins protect against cavities?. Contemporary Clinical Dentistry, 2013, 4(2): 131
6 Rivero-Cruz J F, Zhu M, Kinghorn A D, et al. Antimicrobial constituents of Thompson seedless raisins (Vitis vinifera) against selected oral pathogens[J]. Phytochemistry Letters, 2008, 1(3): 151-154
7 Utreja A, Lingstrom P, Evans C A, et al. The effect of raisin-containing cereals on the ph of dental plaque in young children[J]. Pediatric Dentistry, 2009, 31(7): 498-503
8 Patel B P, Bellissimo N, Luhovyy B, et al. An after-school snack of raisins lowers cumulative food intake in young children[J]. Journal of Food Science, 2013, 78(s1): A5-A10
9 Fulgoni VL 3rd, Painter J, Carughi A. Association of raisin and raisin-containing food consumption with nutrient intake and diet quality in US children: NHANES 2001-2012. Food Sci Nutr. 2018 Nov; 6(8):2162-2169.
10 Olmo-Cunillera A, Escobar-Avello D, Perez AJ，et al. Is Eating Raisins Healthy? Nutrients. 2020, 12(1): 54.
11 Muraki I, Imamura F, Manson JE, et al. Fruit consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective longitudinal cohort studies. BMJ. 2013 Aug 28; 347:f5001.
12 Zhu R, Fan Z, Dong Y, et al. Postprandial Glycaemic Responses of Dried Fruit-Containing Meals in Healthy Adults：Results from a Randomised Trial. Nutrients, 2018，10, 694
13 Wang Linlin,Dong Yang,Fan Zhihong. Dried Fruits and Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Food and Nutrition, 2020, 26(6): 63-67
14 Yang Yuexin, Editor-in-Chief, Chinese Food Ingredient List (Standard Edition), Peking University Medical Press, 2018
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<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Fan Zhihong</h1>
He is a scientist at the Beijing Food Nutrition and Human Health High-tech Innovation Center
Director of the Chinese Nutrition Society
Director of China Association for Health Promotion and Health Education
The China Association for Science and Technology employs chief experts in nutrition science communication
Ph.D. in Food Science, China Agricultural University