Are Grapes Good for Weight Loss? Yes! Doctor-Backed Tips to Boost Their Slimming Power

Love grapes? Most of us do: A recent poll shows they’re the third most popular fruit behind only strawberries and bananas. That’s great news because for such a petite food, they pack a boatload of health benefits, including disease-fighting antioxidants. But are grapes good for weight loss, too? In a word, yes. We spoke with a leading doctor about how to maximize the slimming effects of grapes, including which superfoods to pair them with to enhance their benefits and the best time of day to enjoy them.

Are grapes good for weight loss?

One cup of grapes contains just 100 calories, notes national women’s health expert Pamela Peeke, MD, author of the New York Times bestseller The Hunger Fix: Food Addiction. “Obviously, they’re very sweet—which is why you should eat no more than one cup per day—but since they contain natural sugar, they won’t spike your blood glucose levels like processed foods would,” she says. “And what’s really great about grapes is they’re rich in anthocyanins, plant compounds that decrease inflammation.”

That’s important, she explains, because chronic inflammation triggers the release of stress hormones that can lead to weight gain. What’s more, a study in Cureus shows that anthocyanins help thwart the accumulation of fat in the liver (which can contribute to weight gain) and may even help treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

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Grapes’ high water content also make them great for weight loss. Think of them like little water balloons in your stomach: as they “inflate,” they take up more space, leaving you feeling more satisfied.

How to boost the weight-loss benefits of grapes

Interested in eating grapes for weight loss? Here’s how to add them to a balanced diet and supercharge their health benefits:

Choose the right types of grapes

The darker its skin, the healthier the grape. “Red, blue and purple varieties contain higher levels of resveratrol, a polyphenol that protects cells from free radical damage and indirectly aids in weight loss,” explains Dr. Peeke. In fact, research shows that resveratrol prods the release of adiponectin, an obesity-fighting hormone shown to help control fat storage.

Eat them in the morning

The time of day you snack on grapes definitely influences their effects, declares Dr. Peeke. She explains that since our insulin levels are most effective in the morning, this is the best time of day for our body to metabolize the natural sugars in grapes.

“The insulin will gobble up the sugar, but if you eat grapes too late in the day, when insulin levels are lower, the excess sugar in your system will get packaged into fat more easily,” she explains. That’s why she likes to “front-load” her carbs by eating them earlier in the day and enjoying protein and veggie-rich meals closer to dinnertime.

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Try these smart pairings

To easily (and deliciously) reap even more of the health benefits of grapes, consider combining them with other superfoods, suggests Dr. Peeke.

Enjoy a grape smoothie: “I love making a smoothie with banana, spinach, kale, grapes, cucumber and a touch of fresh mint. It’s like you died and went to heaven!” she raves. In a blender, combine one small banana (diced), 1 cup spinach, 1 cup kale, ½ cup red grapes, ½ of 1 cucumber and a bit of fresh mint to taste.

“Each one of these ingredients has its own gifts,” reveals Dr. Peeke, explaining that the greens are rich in soluble fiber, which spurs weight loss, while the high water content in the cucumber and grapes leaves you feeling fuller longer.

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Grab a few almonds: “Combining about ½ cup of grapes with a handful of almonds makes for a very balanced, satisfying snack. What you have here are healthy fats in the nuts and wonderful, wonderful carbohydrates from the grapes,” she explains.

Add grapes to cottage cheese: High in satiating protein, cottage cheese helps control appetite and suppress cravings. To jazz up plain cottage cheese, consider taking a page out of Dr. Peeke’s book by sprinkling a few sweet grapes on top. Yum!

Toss them in overnight oats: Soak about ½ cup old-fashioned oats in ½ cup milk overnight, and you’ll wake up to a delicious, healthy breakfast. Brimming with complex carbohydrates, overnight oats boost your metabolism and keep weight gain in check, explains Dr. Peeke. “Sprinkle a few sliced grapes on top to add a bit of sweetness and, oh my goodness, so good!” (Check out our easy overnight oats recipe).