One of the most commonly consumed dry fruits in Pakistan is what is known in English as Raisins. Kishmish, as it is known locally, is the dried form of grapes and is commonly consumed in the winter season as opposed to the summer when fresh grapes are mostly consumed. People often talk about Kishmish as a snack but almost never about how the consumption of Kishmish benefits you in terms of your health.

At the same time, as with any other food, especially a sweet one, there are also some possible negative effects that should be kept in mind when consuming it regularly. So, in this article, we will tell you about both the benefits and the risks of eating Kishmish regularly.

The Kishmish Benefits

First of all, we will start with some of the major benefits of eating this dry fruit.

Mouth Health

An interesting place to start off with regarding the health benefits of raisins is the unique benefits it has for the health of your mouth. Kishmish dry fruit contains certain nutrients like oleanolic acid, which is thought to have antibacterial properties.

When you chew raisins, the release of this nutrient in your mouth kills much of the bacteria that live in your mouth and may cause bad breath, as well as diseases of the gums and the formation of plaque on your teeth.

Disease Prevention

Like most other dry fruits, raisins have a high amount of antioxidants. But it might be true that raisins contain more antioxidants than most everyday dry fruits, because of the fact that they are concentrated versions of fruit rather than a nut.

Antioxidants are thought to be the main fighting mechanism of your body against chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease and most diseases that are an effect of aging, like Alzheimer’s.

Kishmish most prominently contains phytonutrients, something that is also among the benefits of akhrot, another common dry fruit. This antioxidant is known to prevent diabetes and osteoporosis as well.

Intestinal and Gut Health

Kishmish is also known to be very beneficial for the health of your digestive system. The high amount of tartaric acid that is present in Kishmish is known to be beneficial for digestion, reducing inflammation in the gut, as well as stomach gas, something it is commonly used for. It also improves the absorption ability of your intestines, leading to better health.

Sugar Source

Kishmish is possibly the most commonly consumed sweet food in the category of dry fruits and related foods. The only thing even coming close might be peanut butter, one of the most consumed dry fruit products in the world.

But even the best peanut butter in Pakistan cannot compete with the benefits that Kishmish can provide for people like athletes as an energy booster pre-workout snack.

Kishmish Price

Before we move on to the risks associated with Kishmish, we should tell you about the price of it, as that is essential to any decision regarding the inclusion of food into your regular diet.

The current Kishmish price in Pakistan is 1000 rupees for one kilogram, which means that they are actually on the lower end of dry fruit prices in Pakistan and thus can effectively be included in a regular diet.

The Potential Negatives

As stated before, like any other food raisins also have some risks that are associated with the regular consumption of them that should be kept in mind to consume them in the most effective manner. The main ones are these:

Weight Gain

While it is true that Kishmish is good for people with sugar due to its low glycemic index, it still does, like most dry fruits, contain a high amount of calories.

What this means is that unmonitored high levels of consumption of raisins can cause you to gain weight instead of losing it, so it is a good idea to both know your daily calorie requirements and monitor their consumption so that you can manage your weight and still gain the benefits of this dry fruit. Coconut oil in Pakistan is another dry fruit related product that is known for causing the opposite effect if not monitored carefully.

Harmful Chemicals

Grapes are, unfortunately, one of the dry fruits that are known to commonly have pesticides used during their cultivation. What this means is that these grapes, when dried to make raisins, also have some residual chemicals from these pesticides that are extremely harmful to the human body. 

To prevent this, it may be a good idea to at least wash your raisins before consumption or usage, or it may also be a good idea to opt for organic produce, which is cultivated with minimal chemical use.

Conclusion

Kishmish as a dry fruit is one of the few instances when a dry fruit is eaten more for its taste than for its nutritional value when the reality is that if it is consumed with care, it can have manifold benefits for the human body. If you would like to buy this and more dry fruits online, you can find them at discounted rates and good quality on platforms like Leyjao.pk