The Ultimate Holiday Health Food

Posted Mon, Nov 19, 2007, 2:03 pm PST

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What can be dished up tart or sweet and melds with turkey and trail mix as easily as bread and sauces? Cranberries. And they’re so good for you, why limit them to holiday fare? Here are five reasons to eat them year round:

1. They’re antioxidant all-stars. Cranberries have more of these disease-fighters than apples, red grapes, strawberries, oranges, bananas, pears, grapefruit, pineapples, and peaches! And their antioxidant roster includes powerful resveratrol, the heart-protector in red wine, which is now being tested against breast, skin, prostate, and liver cancer.

2. They keep your ticker, well, ticking. Cranberries pack a triple whammy--not only are they antioxidants but they're also anti-inflammatories and anti-clotting agents. This confident combo helps prevent fats and cholesterol from sticking to artery walls and seems to lower bad LDL cholesterol and boost good HDL cholesterol.

3. They protect your pearly whites. Compounds in cranberry juice appear to reduce decay-causing mouth bacteria and dissolve clusters of unhealthy germs. Just be sure to buy sugar-free CJ or rinse well with water afterward (do the same with any sweetened drink).

4. They ward off ulcers and upset tummies. Cranberry compounds and bad bacteria loathe each other. Which is a good thing. Scientists suspect that the berries keep ulcer-causing H. pylori bugs from hanging around the stomach and flush other harmful bacteria out of your digestive system.

5. They fight infections down there. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are responsible for 8.3 million doctor visits each year. That’s a lot of waiting-room discomfort. But drinking cranberry juice significantly cuts the rate of UTIs and may even cure those that are already underway. The antioxidants (in this case proanthocyanidins) keep the pesky bacteria at bay.

No wonder these merry berries have become must-adds for health-conscious, age-fighting home cooks: Getting the right amount of antioxidants through diet or supplements can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.

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8 Comments

1. Posted by Hunkmuffin4u on Tue, Nov 27, 2007, 8:39 am PST

I guess I must start eating them to stay a healthy, happening hunk with a bright smile!
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2. Posted by borderlinebewty_2000 on Fri, Nov 30, 2007, 4:47 am PST

This is good information to know. I have always like cranberry juice but I must start incorporating cranberries in all areas of my diet.
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3. Posted by LILI on Wed, Dec 05, 2007, 9:53 am PST

I knew cranberry's were the "nija fruit" from the oceanspray commercial. These little berrys kick ass especial if you think you might be getting a blatter infection!!
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4. Posted by lterm2000 on Wed, Dec 05, 2007, 4:35 pm PST

This 'research' and article weren't sponsered by OceanSpray, by chance, were they?
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5. Posted by softpastel on Thu, Dec 06, 2007, 7:20 am PST

Do dried cranberries have the same benefits? I use them a lot in baking and trail mixes.
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6. Posted by stefnemcc on Thu, Dec 06, 2007, 12:30 pm PST

Good stuff 2 know. Maybe I'll even get my picky son to eat some after getting this info to him...i said maybe
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7. Posted by Timmy on Thu, Dec 06, 2007, 2:48 pm PST

Actually, the ultimate health food, anytime, is Xocai Healthy Chocolate. It is raw, unprocessed cocoa powder blended with the acai berry and then mixed with other healthy fruits and a little raw cane juice crystals . Raw, unprocessed chocolate has the highest antioxidant value on the planet and the acai berry is the second highest value. Nothing comes close to them. Compare 3.5 ounces of raw spinach with 1,260 ORAC to 3.5 ounces of acai berry with 18,500 ORAC and 3.5 ounces of unprocessed cocoa powder with 26,000 ORAC. Xocai Healthy Chocolate is caffeine-free, diabetic-friendly, vegan-friendly, vegetarian-friendly, high in fiber, low-fat, low-glycemic, without waxes or fillers or preservatives or trans fats or pesticides. Most importantly, it is delicious. You can get it in an X Power Square with 3,582 ORAC, a Nugget with 3,120 ORAC, a Protein Bar with 4,066 ORAC, an Omega Bar with 8,840 ORAC and an Activ Beverage with 4,275 ORAC per fluid ounce. Check out my website to confirm what I've just said. It's www.healthyanddecadent.com. If you would like to have a sample of Xocai, send an e-mail to me at trlamse@sbcglobal.net
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8. Posted by trlamse@sbcglobal.net on Mon, Sep 01, 2008, 2:30 pm PDT

An addendum on Mon., Sept 1, 2008 to my comment of #7. Posted by Timmy back in December of 2007. You will have difficulty getting to my site on Google. Try using Yahoo or Blingo to get to: www.healthyanddecadent.com or send me an e-mail at trlamse@sbcglobal.net. Thank you for checking out my site.
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