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Hang on, there are many.
Calories & Macro Nutritional Info
Cranberries have 50 calories per serving.
One serving is equivalent to 1 cup of chopped cranberries (fresh). It’s about 110g with most of the calories coming from carbohydrate.
More …
Protein: 1/2 gram
Carbs: 12 grams
Sugar: 4 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Fat: 0 grams
Looking at the data you’ll see that they have a moderate amount of carbs and sugar which is usually a concern for people. But with fresh cranberries you need not fret. They’re a lower glycemic food (like many fruits and vegetables) which means that the sugar or carbohydrate contained in this berry doesn’t really do much to spike your insulin, which is key when talking about health.
So that leaves a fruit that, when eaten, will give you lots of water (they are 90% water), fiber (5 grams per serving) and many other nutrients that I’ll talk about below.
Vitamins and Minerals
VITAMIN C – A serving of fresh cranberries will provide about 25% of your DV. And we all know that this vitamin is linked with a healthy immune system, which is why it’s likely the most popular vitamin and vitamin supplement out there and why having enough is important, especially in our diet.
It also helps with your body’s collagen production, which is required to create and maintain healthy teeth, gums, joints, skin, bones, blood vessels, etc. It also really helps with wound healing and as treatments for other ailments which is one of the uses the Native Americans had for this berry hundreds of years ago.
MANGANESE – A serving of raw cranberries contains an huge 20% of your DV for this mineral. Manganese (not magnesium) is an important part of several enzymes in your body and is involved with many other functions to keep your cells working properly. One of the body’s most important antioxidant enzymes that takes care of your cells, exists because of manganese.
Phyto Nutirents/Antioxidants
PROANTHOCYANIDINS – Proanthocyanidins are nutrients naturally found in high concentrations in cranberries that stop bacteria from sticking to parts of your body internally, including the urinary tract – hence why people say that cranberries prevent urinary tract infections (UTI’s). Those same compounds also prevent bacteria from adhering to teeth which results in good oral hygiene and may prevent cavities.
POLYPHENOLS – Polyphenols are pretty much antioxidants which protect our tissues against damage from toxins.
To date there are tens of thousands of polyphenols identified.
Some studies suggest that polyphenols in cranberries may reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing platelet build-up and reducing blood pressure via anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
Female Specific Benefits
It’s said that consuming fresh cranberries will have beneficial effects for the following conditions for women:
– Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections
– Reduced Risk of Breast Cancer
– Increased Cardiovascular Health
– Pre-eclampsia Prevention
There have been a few studies that have suggested that cranberries MAY help with these conditions but they don’t sound very definite. My view is that they may be helpful to a degree but won’t do much if there isn’t an overhaul or inventory taken of one’s entire lifestyle – sleep, diet, exercise and stress. Getting those aspects right will likely give much more to a woman in terms of health benefits than any single food will.
Adding cranberries and other fresh fruit to your diet is definitely a good start and will add notable, nutritional value to your body.
Male Specific Benefits
Again it’s said that consuming fresh cranberries will have beneficial effects for the following conditions for men:
– Increasing “Good” Cholesterol Levels
– Urinary Tract Infections
– Preventing Prostate Cancer
– Kidney health
Just like with the women above, these are MAY statements. “Cranberries may help, they may show this or that etc.”
Clean up your diet men, eat plenty of healthy foods, including cranberries and reap the rewards that way, through a holistic approach.
More
Cranberries are also said to:
– Help prevent ulcers
– Help ward off UTIs
– Help with gum disease
– Help protect the gut microbiota
– Provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions that benefit the cardiovascular system
– May help reduce “bad” cholesterol
And much more. One interesting historical fact is that the Native Americans used to help the settlers by having them eat the vitamin C-rich wild cranberries to help with their scurvy. It was also used back then to help with indigestion, inflammation and as a compress on wounds.
You could go on for ages about the benefits of cranberries but what’s outlined above are the more commonly known, and important benefits the berry has on your health so it’s worth giving them a try …
… either in it’s raw form or in a juice. Just not dried. In their dried form they are mostly sugar which negates any health benefit you get.
Hope this helps.
– Cranby