When eating a grape that contains seeds, the natural reaction may be to quickly spit it out, but is this really necessary? Grape seeds are edible and contain fiber and beneficial plant compounds. What are their benefits?
Can grape seeds be eaten?
According to a report published by the Very Well Health website, grape seeds are edible and contain a complex composition of nutrients and plant compounds, including protein, fiber, oils, water, and polyphenols.
Polyphenols act as antioxidants, helping to protect cells from damage caused by stable, unstable molecules known as free radicals.
For most people, swallowing grape seeds or chewing them along with whole grapes is generally safe.
Is eating grape seeds safe for everyone?
There are no known major safety concerns when eating the seeds naturally found in grapes. Grape seeds are edible, but their hard texture and shape may make them a choking hazard for some people. Its slightly bitter taste may be unpalatable to some.
Research has detected trace amounts of pesticides and metals in samples of grape seeds. However, pesticide residues were limited and below permissible regulatory limits. The potential for exposure to alarming amounts of pesticide residues or metals is linked to consuming large quantities or concentrated food ingredients, not simply eating a handful of grape seeds.
Grape seed extract is different from eating the seeds
It is important to distinguish between eating natural grape seeds and grape seed extract, which is a concentrated nutritional supplement that contains far greater amounts of grape seed compounds than a person would normally get from eating grapes.
Although grape seed extract is generally well tolerated, it is recommended that you consult your doctor or healthcare provider before starting to take it, to ensure it is appropriate and effective for you.
Lentils may seem like a simple and humble food, but they are considered one of the foods rich in nutrients that can provide multiple benefits to the body when included regularly in a balanced diet. It is a good source of plant protein, fiber, and carbohydrates, and contains a group of essential nutrients, including zinc, folate, and magnesium. Eating it regularly may be associated with supporting metabolic health, enhancing heart health, and helping with weight management, according to the Very Well Health website.
Below are the most prominent changes and benefits that the body may benefit from eating lentils regularly:
1. Increase consumption of protein and fiber
Lentils contain abundant amounts of protein and fiber, which are two essential nutrients, especially for people who follow a vegetarian diet.
One cup of cooked lentils provides about 18 grams of protein, an amount that exceeds what is provided by some other protein alternatives, such as Greek yogurt, or two large eggs. The same amount also provides 15.6 grams of fiber, equivalent to 56 percent of the recommended daily value of this nutrient.
Getting enough protein is important for many body functions, including maintaining muscle function, supporting bone strength, and regulating hormones. In addition, foods rich in fiber can help reduce the risk of some chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer.
2. Help regulate blood sugar levels
The benefits of fiber in lentils are not limited to supporting digestive health, as it can also help regulate blood sugar levels.
Lentils are classified as low-glycemic index foods, which means that they do not usually lead to a rapid rise in the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Research indicates that eating lentils can help stabilize blood sugar levels after eating.
In another study, mixing lentils with rice or instant potatoes resulted in lower blood sugar levels than eating rice or potatoes alone.
3. Support heart health
Lentils, like other legumes, are known to support heart health through several mechanisms. Some studies indicate that eating only a quarter cup of lentils daily may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.
In addition, other evidence suggests that eating lentils may be an effective way to help lower levels of harmful cholesterol (LDL) and total cholesterol, which in turn may contribute to reducing the risk of heart disease.
4. Help with weight management
Lentils, when used as a substitute for certain food ingredients, such as pasta or bread, may be an effective nutritional tool to help manage weight.
Research suggests that a diet rich in protein and fiber can be an effective approach to losing and managing weight. This is due, in part, to the fact that these two nutrients take longer to digest, which helps you feel full for longer. This, in turn, may lead to reduced appetite, and thus a possible reduction in overall calorie consumption.
Some preliminary evidence also indicates that lentils may play a role in modifying some of the enzymes responsible for fat digestion and absorption in the body. However, more research is still needed to determine the nature of this role and the extent of its impact more precisely.
It is not new that hormonal fluctuations may affect a woman's mood, but new research has found that high levels of a certain hormone, in particular, may affect the activity of an area of the brain that helps regulate emotions.
The study linked high progesterone levels, which vary depending on the stage of the menstrual cycle, and the difficulty of distinguishing between the more difficult and easier emotional situations in daily life, according to a report published by the “Everyday Health” website.
“We often hear broad generalizations that hormones make women more emotional, nervous, or irrational, but the scientific truth is much more complex and nuanced,” said the study's lead author, Macia Boydes-Rutger, Ph.D., a psychologist and associate professor at the University of Barcelona in Spain.
He added: “There are many myths surrounding hormones, and I am interested in separating myth from reality.”
A study reveals a surprising relationship between a female hormone and emotion regulation
In the study, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, researchers recruited about 120 women who had normal menstrual cycles, meaning they were not using hormonal contraceptives.
Participants answered questionnaires about their mood and the stage of their menstrual cycle, and also provided saliva samples to measure hormone levels.
The participants then underwent an MRI of the brain while performing a task designed to simulate an “easy” or “hard” emotional response.
In the “easy” task, the researchers showed the women a happy or angry face, then asked them to behave normally, such as approaching the happy face and avoiding the angry face.
As for the “difficult” task, they were asked to act in a counter-intuitive way, that is, to avoid the happy face and approach the angry face.
The researchers found that women with high levels of progesterone showed similar patterns of activity in an area of the brain known as the lateral frontal pole while performing the “easy” and “difficult” tasks.
Boyds-Rutger explained that this region is involved in regulating behavior and emotions, noting that the results suggest that the brain was not able to easily distinguish between the two tasks when progesterone levels were high.
The researchers also discovered that women reported worse moods when their prefrontal cortex, which is involved in thinking, planning and problem solving, was not able to easily distinguish between different emotional situations.
The researchers concluded that the effect of progesterone on certain areas of the brain “may contribute to mood changes.”
When does progesterone rise in women?
Progesterone is a major reproductive hormone, and although it is usually talked about in the context of women's health, men also produce it in small quantities.
Progesterone levels in women change naturally throughout the menstrual cycle.
“We (women) are not in the same hormonal state throughout the month,” said Thea Gallagher, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at NYU Langone Health School of Medicine in New York City.
She added that progesterone levels tend to be relatively low during the first half of the menstrual cycle, and then rise after ovulation.
This rise occurs during the luteal phase, which usually begins after ovulation and continues until the beginning of the next menstrual cycle. Progesterone levels drop again before the period begins if pregnancy does not occur.
Gallagher explained that a woman's brain and body are constantly adapting to these hormonal changes.
“We are still learning how these changes affect things like mood, stress, and emotion regulation,” she said.
Why might progesterone be associated with mood changes?
Research has not directly examined whether women have difficulty distinguishing between stressful and less stressful situations when their progesterone levels are high.
“Instead, we looked at how clearly the brain represents different combinations of emotional stimuli and actions, such as approaching an angry face rather than automatically avoiding it,” Boyds-Rutger said.
He believed that progesterone may make brain signals associated with emotional control “more blurry,” making it difficult for the brain to determine the appropriate response when there is a conflict between emotional information and immediate impulses.
He added that this explanation is consistent with previous research indicating that progesterone may increase sensitivity to threat and impair emotional control, but he pointed out that the results of previous studies are not completely consistent.
Gallagher explained that the brain may also not be able to process emotional demands as efficiently as usual when progesterone levels are high.
“Ideally, our response would be somewhat proportional to what is actually happening,” she said. “A simple inconvenience does not necessarily require the same emotional resources as a truly difficult situation.”
She explained that the brain's difficulty in distinguishing between these different requirements may make regulating emotions more difficult than usual.
Doctors: Hormones are one factor within a more complex picture
Boydes-Rutger cautioned against interpreting the results as progesterone being “bad” for mood.
He said: “Progesterone is an essential hormone and has many important functions, and the correlations we observed were relatively minor differences between women among healthy women.”
He added: "The most useful conclusion is that hormonal status appears to be one of many biological factors that can contribute to natural variation in the way the brain regulates emotions, and perhaps in the way we feel."
He noted that a better understanding of these effects may ultimately be important for women who suffer from pronounced mood changes related to hormonal fluctuations.
Since men also produce progesterone, Boyds-Rutger said more research is needed to find out how it affects their mood.
Gallagher called for putting the findings in context, saying: “Hormones are just one part of a much larger and more complex picture when it comes to our emotional experiences.”
