Not only are cranberries a sweet, tart little berry that brighten the flavor of anything they are added to, they boast a wealth of benefits that everyone should take advantage of.

Cranberry Health and Nutrition Facts

Some of the many benefits this tiny red fruit offers include:

• Heart Health: Cranberries are good for the heart! With all the antioxidants, resveratrol, anti-inflammatories and anti-clotting agents, fat and cholesterol have a hard time sticking to the arteries. This lowers LDL and raises HDL cholesterols.
• Oral Health: Each sip of 100%, no-sugar-added cranberry juice makes your mouth a healthier place, too. The juice has compounds that reduce bacteria that cause decay and rid your mouth of germs.
• Cancer Protection: Again, the antioxidants and resveratrol make this a positive force in your fight to reduce certain cancers.
• Avoid Ulcers: Thanks to the cranberry’s natural inclination to fight bacteria, you’ll have less ulcer-causing bacterias lurking in your stomach, as well as keep your entire digestive tract free of unwanted bacteria.
• Prevent UTIs: Stop a urinary tract infection before it starts, or start recovering from one naturally, by drinking 100% cranberry juice.
• Fight Colds: Try fresh-squeezed cranberry juice to prevent the sniffles.

If the cranberry included a nutrition label, it would have to start by stating its position as a super food, and would then mention these important nutrients:

• Antioxidants: You’ll find more of these disease-fighting molecules packed into the tiny cranberry than you will in larger fruits like apples, red grapes, strawberries, bananas or oranges.
• Resveratrol: This particular antioxidant has gotten a lot of attention this year for findings that link it to anti-aging, heart health and even reducing cancer risks.
• Vitamins: Cranberries are a generous source of Vitamin C, which can help fight colds, and Vitamin K, necessary for calcium absorption.
• Minerals: A generous source of manganese, which can help fight fatigue and improve memory, as well as potassium and calcium.
• Dietary Fiber: An ideal source of dietary fiber, which promotes digestive health.
• Low Calorie: A one-cup serving of fresh cranberries yields only 44 calories.

How to and Not to Eat Cranberries

As with any fruit, you’ll always reap more nutritional benefits by consuming the whole fruit, rather than a variation. That’s why you want to seek out the freshest cranberries possible, no matter how you plan to serve them.

• DO buy local, fresh cranberries (in season October-December)
• DO buy frozen cranberries with little to no additives
• DO prepare them, juice them or eat them whole
• DO eat dried cranberries as a snack, but watch for additives like sugar or high fructose corn syrup
• DON’T use canned or jellied cranberry sauces, which can yield more sugar than a candy bar!
• DON’T drink juices without reading the label to ensure it’s 100% cranberry juice
• DON’T forget a single serving of cranberries is one cup, or 3.4 ounces

Healthy Cranberry Recipes

Spicy Cranberry Dip

Cranberry Bread

Cranberry Cosmo

Cranberry Salad

Simple Mashed Cranberries

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Cranberries are Winter’s Super Food: Nutrition Facts and Recipes

Chew on That here again! I hope you’re enjoying your fall full of tasty ingredients. Maybe you’ve even added some new apple recipes to your repertoire! To continue our agenda of fall ingredients, this week we’re going to focus on cranberries.

Though termed a berry, the cranberry is unlike any of its summer berry counterparts. For one thing, it reigns at a different time of year, harvested in late September and early October, and widely consumed throughout the fall and winter months. The other distinction of the cranberry is its flavor. While most other berries can be eaten alone, cranberries are too tart to be eaten out of hand which is why they’re usually boiled into compotes or baked into all sorts of fall desserts.

So why go through all the trouble of masking some of the flavor of a berry that can’t stand on its own? Well it’s simply because there’s nothing else like the cranberry. Whether made into a sauce or baked in a bread or a scone, the cranberry is truly unique. The trick is complementing the berry with the right ingredients. Many recipes use tons of sugar to cover up the sour tartness of cranberries and we all know that’s not the best thing for our diets. The key is knowing that cranberries do have a sweetness about them and you don’t always have to add loads of sugar to bring that quality out. The following recipes highlight cranberries in a healthier way.

Healthy Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Cranberry Apples

Stuffing with Cranberries

Cranberry Oat Bread

Wild Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Apples

Just think, none of these recipes would be the same without the addition of cranberries. They’re the gems of the dish which is why they’re one of my favorite fall ingredients.

But aside from tasting amazing, cranberries are also incredibly good for you. Cranberries have been labeled the “wonderberry” and a “superfruit” because they are chock full of antioxidants and PACs (proanthocyanidins). Antioxidants strengthen the immune system while PACs help keep harmful bacteria out of the body. Cranberries are also a powerful agent in preventing urinary tract infections and reducing dental plaque! So with that said, there’s no reason not to make them a regular part of our diets. The following recipes help us incorporate cranberries into day to day dinners instead of just the big holidays.

Mixed Greens with Cranberry Dressing

Low-Cal Cranberry Fizz

Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze

Cranberry Crockpot Chicken

Cranberry Sloppy Joes

Lastly, let’s talk about the holidays. There’s no dancing around the fact that cranberries are a huge and essential part of the Thanksgiving meal. Every year I look forward to the cranberry sauce that I eat alongside my turkey. Only few flavor combinations can top that amazing meal! But the truth of the matter is cranberry sauce can have tons of sugar. Feel free to use a sugar substitute or simply cut back on the amount of sugar. You always want to use less sugar than cranberries. Here’s a basic recipe to follow for cranberry sauce, but feel free to adjust accordingly.

So cheers to all the delicious cranberry dishes to be made this fall. Go out and buy a few bags of fresh cranberries and cook to your heart’s content. And remember, it’s always better to make it yourself!

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Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Guest Blog: 11 Healthy Cranberry Recipes for Fall