Cranberries are one of the delicious berries, and can be enjoyed in every form: ripe, dried, candied, diced, and juiced. The perfect natural combination of its sweet and sour taste makes these Northern America berries so very addicting. From being a staple of Thanksgiving dinners to being the perfect snack on the go in dried form, they truly deserve the title of super berries given the wide array of benefits of cranberries.
These berries can also be added to any breakfast cereals, yogurts, trail mixes, and even some vegetable salads, to give it a zesty flavor. It is rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
Now, you might be thinking that since all good things have a flip aside, cranberries might too. But, the truth is, cranberries just go wide of any flaws whatsoever. In addition to being deviously delicious, they are also incredibly good for your health and beauty.
Top 10 Health And Beauty Benefits Of Cranberries
1. Heart Health
Cranberries improve cardiovascular health helping in lowering bad cholesterol levels that clog arterial walls and lead to various heart diseases. A cup of organic cranberry juice is supercharged with antioxidants and prevents against atherosclerosis, accumulation of fatty plaques, and cholesterol. The flavonoids that are found in cranberry juice help promote healthy blood flow throughout the body.
2. System Cleanse
Talking about the uses of cranberry juice for health, the antioxidant properties of cranberries are a power to be reckoned with. This juice helps flush out your system, improving your overall metabolism and digestive system; which makes cranberry juice one of the top choices of health experts.
3. Prevents Urinary Tract Infections
Another one of the benefits of cranberries is that the proanthocyanidins found inside cranberry juice stop bacteria from attaching themselves to cells of the bladder walls. It also helps flush toxins out of the body through the natural urination process. The bacteria don’t get a chance to multiply on the bladder walls owing to the high acidity of the juice.
4. Fighting Cancer
The proanthocyanidin present in the cranberries decreases growth and prevents the multiplication of cancer cells and helps to stop spreading cancer throughout the body. Cranberry juice contains phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins which combat micro tumors from taking over blood cells. On the other hand, the anti-carcinogenic properties of the juice also help in preventing breast cancer, spleen cancer, etc.
5. Improving Dental Health
Being a dark-hued berry, you might want to ask yourself, is cranberry juice good for dental health too? The answer is yes.
Cranberries can benefit your teeth since they inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, which induce plaque formation and lead to cavities. Cranberries can even help freshen your breath!
6. Boosting Your Immunity System
The antioxidants in cranberry help flush out the harmful toxins that can suppress and damage the natural immunity system. The powerful phytochemicals found within the berries protect body cells from free radicals, and in turn help strengthen your immune system. The cranberry juice nutrition also increases good cholesterol (HDL) in your body, while reducing the bad cholesterol (LDL).
7. Losing Weight
If you want to lose weight fast, start your morning off with some delicious cranberries. You can use dried cranberries as whole day munchies as they are a great source of dietary fiber which ensures that your digestive system functions properly and you don’t overeat. One of the top dried cranberries benefits is that they do not contain any fat, which makes them a healthy choice for inclusion in most meals limiting your caloric intake. Cranberries are full of essential nutrients and vitamins, both of which are critical factors in maintaining a healthy diet.
8. Anti-Aging
When talking about uses of cranberry juice for skin, one of the top uses is that the antioxidants present in cranberries helps your body to get rid of free radicals that contribute to the natural aging process bringing in wrinkles and fine lines. Cranberry juice helps your skin look young, promotes healthy skin cells, gets rid of any unwanted blemishes or redness, promotes healthy skin cells generation, and also prolongs internal organ functions.
9. Beautiful Skin
Cranberry juice contains a natural acne-fighting compound called resveratrol, which helps in curing acne in a natural way. Its antiseptic properties help ensure you don’t have bacterial infections on your face. It also helps soften up the skin promoting healthy collagen production owing to high levels of vitamin C. The collagen helps softens up the skin, giving it a bright radiant glow, and a perfectly youthful appearance.
A cranberry face mask can be used as a natural skin toner as they are very acidic and work against oily skin. The cranberry juice mask can help give your skin a lighter tone if used on a regular basis.
10. Healthy Hair
Vitamins A and C present in cranberry help promote the growth of strong healthy hair. Vitamin C helps repair any damaged hair follicles. Amongst all the other benefits of cranberries, cranberries also help prevent psoriasis, dandruff, and alopecia.
Now, go enjoy your cranberries with renewed love and energy. However, remember it’s always better to prepare a juice from fresh cranberries than using canned ones. Hope this article on the benefits of cranberries is helpful.
Cranberry juice health benefits
Cranberry juice is derived by extracting red cranberries that grow in hanging vines. Cranberries are native to the temperate region of the United States and in other parts of the world as well. However, cranberry juice is available all over the world. If you love cranberry juice, here is some more good news for you! A recent study has shown that drinking three glasses of cranberry juice daily significantly increases the level of “good cholesterol” in the blood. Plus, it has other bonuses as well. Regular consumption of cranberry juice also raises the level of plasma antioxidants that reduce the risk of developing heart diseases.
Below are some of the top benefits of cranberry juice –
- The antioxidants present in the cranberry juice help eliminate free radicals and protects the cell from getting damaged
- Drinking regular cranberry juice kills certain bacteria in the stomach that can cause ulcer of stomach cancer
- Urinary tract infection caused by E Coli bacteria can be treated by regular consumption of cranberry juice. Some of the chemical compounds present in cranberry juice prevent the bacteria from sticking to the wall of the cell and help the body to flush out the bacteria easily
- Bacterial infection of the ear and respiratory system in children can also be treated by drinking cranberry juice. A research study has revealed that certain strains of Haemophilusinfluenzae that cause infection in the nose and throat of most children can be eliminated from the body by regular drinking of cranberry juice. The compounds in the juice interfere with the pili of the bacteria and flush it away from the body
Cranberries chemical extracts do not allow breast cancer cells to multiply in a test tube, however, it is not known whether it would work on women or not.
For maximum cranberry juice health benefits, consume cranberry juice in its purest form. Many juices available in the market contain only 30 percent of the juice and the rest is water and additional sweetener. Pure cranberry juice might taste a bit tart and bitter.