Grapes

Food · Fruit · Food, Typed Supps

Contains resveratrol — the same compound sold as a standalone supplement.

Stage by stage

Intake (Skin-concentrated compounds): Chewing releases resveratrol and other polyphenols concentrated in the skin.
Stomach (Sugars & polyphenols released): Natural sugars and polyphenols begin releasing during digestion.
Small intestine (Resveratrol absorbed, then cleared): Resveratrol absorbs relatively well initially, but like the supplement form, is broken down and cleared by the liver very quickly.
Bloodstream (Brief antioxidant activity): Circulates briefly with antioxidant activity before being processed by the liver.

Timing

Eating with skin on retains more resveratrol and fibre than peeled or juiced.

Time to effect

Hours: Resveratrol blood levels rise then drop quickly given rapid liver clearance.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free.

In season

August to October in the northern hemisphere, February to April in the southern.

Satiety

162 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — high. Measured by Holt et al. (1995).

Environmental footprint

1.5 kg CO2e and 420 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Berries & grapes" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Cheap — roughly £3 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Resveratrol
Vitamin K
Fiber (with skin)

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 67.2
Protein: 0.8g
Carbohydrate: 14.4g
of which sugars: 14.4g
Fat: 0.1g
of which saturated: 0g
Fibre: 3.5g
Sodium: 6mg

Food vs. supplement

Grapes are the source plant behind resveratrol supplements — but you’d need an impractically large amount of grapes or wine to match a concentrated supplement dose, since resveratrol content in grapes themselves is fairly low.

Kitchen tip

Eating them with the skin on keeps the majority of the antioxidant compounds, which concentrate there rather than in the flesh.

Common myth

“Eating grapes gives you the same resveratrol dose as a supplement.” In reality: Grape resveratrol content is relatively low — you’d need an unrealistic quantity of grapes to match typical supplement doses.