Unveiling the deep, dark mystery.

Dark-skinned blue and purple fruits, like the Concord grape, tend to have lots of natural antioxidant power, as measured by ORAC, and contain antioxidants and plant nutrients not found in many other colors of fruits and vegetables. But why is that important? Just what are antioxidants?

It seems antioxidants are appearing everywhere these days…associated with everything from skin creams to red wine to chocolate bars. And there’s reason for all the hype. These sought-after bioactive compounds are naturally found in certain foods and appear to help protect against the damaging effects of unstable molecules in our bodies.

There's a name for these unstable molecules, and you've probably heard a lot about them too - they're called free radicals. Free radicals are a normal part of everyday life and in small numbers they are a not a big problem. However, exposure to environmental factors like pollution and UV rays can also trigger the formation of free radicals. An abundance of unchecked free radicals isn't good news for your body, and overtime can be harmful to overall health.

Luckily, science suggests that antioxidants can help neutralize free radicals and protect the body against these potentially damaging molecules. Vitamins C, E and A (as beta-carotene), and the mineral selenium, as well as certain plant nutrients (such as polyphenols) can act as antioxidants. Polyphenols are found naturally in colorful fruits, vegetables and in plant-derived drinks like grape juice made from Concord grapes.

Drinking Welch's 100% Grape Juice is an easy, delicious way to add the antioxidants vitamin C and polyphenols to your diet.