Do you still have fresh, whole cranberries left over from your holiday meals? Don’t throw them away; they offer powerful natural health benefits and their many uses go above and beyond the traditional accompaniment to ham or turkey dinners.
Where did cranberries come from?
Native Americans used cranberries as food (they make a wonderful natural preservative), wound medicine and red dye. They introduced this superfruit to the Massachusetts pilgrims who then went on to incorporate the berries into traditional Thanksgiving feasts.
Cranberries offer many health benefits
Would you be surprised to learn that cranberries are considered a superfruit because of their powerful antioxidant benefits? In fact, studies show that cranberries can help protect against some staph infections such as the MRSA (flesh eating bacteria) as well as fighting off a host of other diseases.
At the Experimental Biology conference in 2002 a study showed that eating fresh cranberries can prevent E. Coli from adhering to the wall of the bladder, which causes urinary tract infections. Now that researchers understand how cranberries protect us from UTI’s they are using this information to discover what else the active nutrients can do such as preventing stomach ulcers, promoting gum health, and fighting cancer.
In fact, as an antioxidant powerhouse, cranberries are almost unmatched. A study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry showed cranberries contain more disease-fighting antioxidant phenols than 19 other common fruits and vegetables.
Cranberries are heart-healthy according to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition, which showed 8 percent increase in HDL (“good”) levels of 30 overweight men with slightly elevated LDL. Increased levels of HDL have been shown to decrease risk of heart/cardiovascular disease.
Try this healthy cranberry smoothie recipe from The Gracious Pantry and get an invigorating boost of calcium and fiber to start your morning right.
Clean Eating Cranberry Banana Smoothie (Makes 2 servings)
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces fresh cranberries
- 2 small banana
- 1 cup canned, light coconut milk, no sugar added
Directions: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Now aren’t you glad you didn’t toss those leftover raw cranberries? What are your favorite things to do with this antioxidant superfruit?