Food of the Day: Raisins

Yes, yes, I know that National Chocolate-Covered Raisin Day is not for a whole month (March 24th, if you were wondering), but I’d like to take a moment and appreciate this most delicious of foods. This may or may not be a thinly veiled attempt to justify the approximate 600 grams of raisins I have eaten in the past two days (that’s about 1800 calories btw; Costco is an evil place). Anyways.

Raisin and people go waaaaay back. To at least 1490 BC (and probably before then, because let’s be honest, wherever there is raisin, there is grape. And then there is wine and we’ve been winos for centuries). According to the funny propagandists raisin site above, you could trade two jars of raisins for a slave in ancient Rome. Also, they were handily portable warrior food.

Raisins are among the top nutritional sources of the trace element Boron.  Yes, Boron. You need it for bone health (especially post-menopausal women), turning vitamin D and estrogen into their active forms and other yummy things. 

Of course they have lots and lots of delicious, dark n’ purply antioxidants (though not as much as fresh grapes), handy for their cancer-fighting properties. Indeed, researchers at Tufts University ranked raisins and prunes as the #1 cancer-fighting fruits.

Oleanolic acid (also an antioxidant) in raisins actually kills bacteria in the mouth, protecting gums and preventing cavities - this despite raisin’s usual spot on the “bad for teeth” list of snack foods. Oleanolic acid has other health benefits too, including liver protection. Who knew?

Raisins are really high in iron. Let’s just say that my 600 grams of raisins gave me 90% of my daily iron intake (raisins have 1.88 mg of iron per 100 grams - beef has between 2 - 4 mg/100grams. Impressive, non?)