by Janet Hackert, Regional Nutrition and Health Education Specialist
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Cranberries are often part of a holiday feast, but their nutritious tastiness is worth having anytime.
Like many fruits, cranberries are high in fiber and Vitamin C and low in calories and fat. A cup of these tangy berries, fresh, has just 51 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 24% of the vitamin C the average person needs in a day.
Cranberries are packed with antioxidants that may help maintain heart health and reduce cholesterol. The tannins in cranberries may help prevent gum disease and urinary tract infections. In the lab, cranberries prevent bacteria from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract and the gum line. According to Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, November 2010 edition, "a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials investigating cranberry intake and urinary-tract infections showed that there has been some benefit established in reducing the number of infections in women." Their effect on other subgroups is not yet clear. Cranberry juice is often the form used when deliberately seeking to prevent infection; and the fluid in the juice does help maintain hydration which is known to help prevent infection.
Cranberries are very tart, so are often consumed in combination with sugar. For example, "an eight ounce glass [of cranberry juice "cocktail"] contains 30 grams [or about 1/8 cup] of sugars and 137 calories."
For some wonderful recipes, go to http://extension.missouri.edu and type "cranberry" in the search box at the top right. You’ll find a cranberry orange chutney, roasted beet and spinach salad with cranberries, and a basic cranberry sauce that uses fresh cranberries, sliced apples, sugar, grape juice, cinnamon and ginger. Use fresh, frozen or unsweetened dried berries for the best nutritive value.
Bonus tidbit: if homemade cranberry bread turns green (without being spoiled) it may just be that the baking powder/soda reacted with the berries’ pigment. Add extra cranberries or a little lemon juice to avoid this reaction. Too much acid though could make the bread yellow.