Health Benefits: Raisins vs. Grapes

It's good to know what we are eating and why we choose certain ingredients in our food. But first of all, let's understand the health benefits of Raisins vs. Grapes.

Raisins are simply dried grapes. They make great alternatives to processed sugar and can help weight loss objectives. The vitamin C content is low, but they are rich in powerful antioxidants that can reduce signs of aging and prevent cancer, amount other benefits. (1)

Summary of benefits:

1. Rich in Antioxidants that are crucial to prevention of diseases
2. Has an exceptional ability to reduce signs of aging
3. It is nature's natural healthy sugar that digests easily in our body
4. Cholesterol and Fat Free
5. Prevent cavities and protect against tooth decays
6. Contains Vitamin K, C, E, B and mineral Boron which helps promote bone health and prevent osteoporosis. Boron helps the body better process estrogen and vitamin D. (2)
7. Prevents constipation due to its fibrous nature.

Now, the major difference between grapes and raisins. Since raisins are dried grapes, the concentration of all benefits above triple with raisins. Why? Simply because they are dried and takes less space. If you were to consume 100g of grapes vs. 100g of raisins, you have have tripled the amount of antioxidants in your body. However, the natural sugar content triples as well.

Therefore, in our Hershey's Chocolate Cake, we chose Golden Raisins over normal brown raisins because they are not as sweet and have a better bite and flavour to it. And with the presence of raisins, sugar was significantly reduce for a healthier cake.

References:
(1) http://www.benefitsoflife.org/benefits_of_raisins.html
(2) http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-raisins.html