Holiday Food: All About Cranberries?

Answer 1

Cranberries are another one of those wonderful fruits that hit the dinner table around the holiday season. Like the pomegranate, cranberries are very healthful red-colored fruits that are at their peak between October and December. Today, freezing techniques and juicing make them accessible all year.

One of the reasons we enjoy cranberry around Thanksgiving is that the American Indians created a cooked sweetened sauce from the fruit for their fall feasts. They were also used decoratively (as a red dye) and medicinally, as their skins and juice were thought to help stop bleeding. An interesting fact: Cranberries have also been called “bounceberries” because the ripe ones bounce.

When selecting cranberries for consumption, choose those that are deep red in color. The deeper the color, the more highly concentrated the antioxidants are, making the fruit more healthful. Fresh ripe cranberries can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 20 days or frozen for several years. When the fresh berries are out of season, cranberry juice and dried cranberries are often readily available.

Nutritionally, cranberries are low in calories and high in vitamin C and fiber. They are also good sources of manganese and vitamin K.

Cranberry juice is probably best known for its ability to help prevent urinary tract infections. In addition to its strong acidity, cranberries are also high in proanthocyanidins (PACs) that acts as a barrier to bacteria that might otherwise latch onto the urinary tract lining. Because of this property, cranberry juice may also be beneficial for preventing other types of bacterial infections. For example, it is being studied in the prevention of stomach ulcers due to a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori.

Cranberries also contain phytonutrients, or plant compounds that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that are beneficial for the prevention of diseases such as Heart disease and cancer. The primary phytonutrients in cranberries are phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids.

Two conditions may cause you to need to limit the amount of cranberries in your diet: kidney stones or if you are taking a medication called warfarin (Coumadin). Cranberries, while being low in oxalate themselves, cause an increased urine concentration of calcium oxalate which appears responsible for the formation of some kidney stones. Cranberries are high in vitamin K, which plays a role in blood clotting, so those who take warfarin for anticoagulation (prevention of blood clots) will need to monitor the amount of vitamin K they consume.

Want to include more cranberries in your diet? Whole Foods offers these tips:

• Use these recipes for a fresh holiday cranberry relish or cranberry sauce (much better than canned)
• Add dried cranberries to a salad or use them to top oatmeal
• Try cranberries in quick breads or muffins instead of raisins)
• Make a simple trail mix with dried cranberries and lightly roasted nuts.
• Create a delicious non-alcoholic holiday beverage mixing unsweetened cranberry juice with an equal part of another favorite fruit juice and sparkling mineral water.

Other articles you may also like:

Making Healthy Holiday Choices

With Fruits and Vegetables, Eat the Rainbow

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