Children First 2006 - Grapes and sunshine

Grapes and sunshine

Written by Sun-Maid California Raisins

This article explains the goodness of California raisins – they are nutritious, healthy and make a great snack for children.

Raisins are a perfect natural and healthy food – just one serving of 40–50g makes up one portion of the recommended five-a-day fruit and vegetables. They are a great source of essential minerals and are high in fibre. Raisins are also virtually fat-free, contain no cholesterol and are full of natural fruit sugar, making them tiny nuggets of energy and an ideal snack for people of all ages. What’s more, they are always ready to eat and available throughout the year.

What makes raisins more special is that they are totally free of additives. They are not coated with oil or glazing agents nor do they need any preservatives to keep them fresh as the high sugar content does this naturally. You can eat raisins as they are or add them to dishes for flavour and nutrition.

The history of the humble raisin

Farming began in the Middle East around 8000 BC. It was about this time that people began to live in settled communities, and plant and tend their own food. Historians think that these early civilisations learned about viticulture – the art of growing grapes. Raisins were probably discovered by accident when the sun dried grapes on the vine.

Raisins were also known about in Ancient Greece and Rome and were very valuable. You could trade two jars of raisins for one slave boy in Ancient Rome. We also know that, in 218 BC, raisins were part of the food rations for Hannibal’s troops during his famous march over the Alps, accompanied by elephants. Although raisins were popular in the Mediterranean and the Middle East where they grew, they did not reach northern Europe until later on.

Even 200 years ago travel was difficult, slow and dangerous. Most people never went further than the place where they were born. They ate food, grown locally, straight after harvesting. Some food was preserved for use later, but most poor people had a dull diet during the winter months! Today, fresh food can be transported from one side of the world to another in days. It can also be preserved and packed in ways that make it safe to transport and easy to keep for long periods of time.

Harvesting raisins

Raisins come from a number of different countries, but the biggest producer is California, accounting for 80 per cent of all sun-dried raisins produced worldwide. They are made by drying freshly-picked grapes. Most are produced from Thompson seedless grapes. This thin-skinned variety is sweet, tasty and makes the most succulent, delicious raisins. It takes about 4.5lbs of grapes to make 1lb of raisins.

Raisins are grown and harvested all year round, almost entirely by hand, much the same way as a century ago. In late August, when the fully-ripened grapes have attained their optimum sweetness, the grape bunches are carefully hand-picked and arranged on rows of clean paper trays next to the vines. Here, they dry naturally in the late-summer Californian sun, a process that takes two to three weeks.

The drying grapes become raisins when their moisture content is reduced to about 14 per cent. The trays are then carefully folded, rolled and left to cure for a few more days. The harvest is completed when the raisins are collected in ‘natural condition’ and placed in large bins.

Because raisins are a natural product, the only ‘processing’ they undergo is thorough, meticulous washing and cleaning before packing. This begins when the raisins pass through a series of stemmers to remove stems, immature raisins and foreign material. They are then graded by size and thoroughly washed in pure mountain water before being transported to the packaging facility.

Healthy eating for your children

Health professionals worldwide recommend at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This helps maintain or improve our health and may reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and eye disease. One of the fastest and easiest ways to get more fruit into your diet is by eating raisins – as mentioned before, just one serving (40–50g) of sun-dried raisins equals one complete fruit serving.

Children learn healthy snacking habits in early childhood and this can have lifelong lasting effects – and it’s never too late to help change your child’s eating habits, even if they prefer junk food at the moment. Children often want the latest snack food, which may have been heavily advertised as a healthy option. Despite the advertising claims, these products may not be the most nutritious snack choice available.

As children strive for independence in their teens, their food intake becomes less supervised. And teenagers tend to eat more snacks and fewer regular meals. Therefore, as parents, you need to play a major role in helping your children to tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy snacks at an early age.

Snacks full of energy

California raisins are a convenient, easy-to-pack snack, full of energy as well as vitamins and minerals such as potassium and iron, antioxidants (which help prevent cancer) and dietary fibre.

Because raisins are also full of fibre, the body slowly absorbs their natural fruit sugars, giving a steady release of energy into the bloodstream without the ‘surge and dip’ of energy that comes from simple sugar-based sweets and drinks. This makes them ideal for active children and adults and is a natural and easy way to keep up those energy levels. They are also a great alternative to sweets, especially for children who love sugary snacks and need lots of energy.

California raisins:

Have no added oils or glazing agents.
Go anywhere!
Are always ready to eat.
Don’t spoil, bruise or need to be refrigerated.
Are 100 per cent natural – dried by the California sun.

A versatile food

Raisins are as versatile as they are delicious and nutritious, so add some sunshine to your everyday meals. Try these easy ways of adding some natural goodness to snacks:

Start the day by sprinkling a handful of raisins on your cereal.
Mix raisins with a favourite piece of chopped fruit and natural yoghurt.
Grab a packet of raisins for a quick and healthy mid-morning snack to keep you going until lunchtime.
Add raisins to a homemade coleslaw, or to carrots or a rice salad.
Grate your child’s favourite cheese and mix it with raisins. Add nuts or chopped crunchy vegetables such as carrots, cucumber, peppers or celery. You can also add this mixture to a baked potato as a delicious hot snack or it can be used as a sandwich filling.

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