Whether you are planning to have cranberry sauce, cakes, chutney, or punch, this fruit is an unmissable one to have in your Christmas menu. We all love it — and it is delicious no matter how you decide to prepare it. However, only a few know that there is more than one reason to make cranberries a vital part of your Christmas menu. Indeed, these berries have incredible health properties and can help with a variety of conditions, from UTIs to eyesight. If you are all about finding new natural remedies to protect your health, you can’t miss out on cranberries. Check this berry’s properties below.
By Team Savant
It Is a Superfood
We all know how good foods such as blueberries and spirulina can be for your health, and we strive to regularly include them in our daily diet as much as possible. However, somehow, cranberries don’t always make the shopping list. Nonetheless, cranberries are delicious superfoods that should be in your winter diet. Their nutritional profile includes essential vitamins such as A, C, E, and K, as well as potassium, calcium, and copper and manganese. All this packed in only 46 calories for one cup of cranberries!
It Can Relieve UTIs
Cranberry juice or specific cranberry supplement for UTI have been seen to help prevent and treat some Urinary Tract Infections. Because of the antioxidants and polyphenols contained in cranberries, these fruits have powerful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. These compounds are also helpful in preventing conditions such as E. Coli.
It Can Improve Eyesight
Cranberries are one of the superfoods that protect your eyes’ health and sight. They do so by strengthening the blood vessels located at the back of the eyes. Because of this, they have been seen to help improve eye conditions such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration.
When combined with other berries such as blueberries, mulberries, and blackberries, cranberries can look after the blood circulation around the eyes, preventing blockages and lowering high blood pressure.
It Lowers Blood Pressure
An increasing number of adults around the world suffer from high blood pressure. This condition can develop into much more serious conditions if left untreated. However, it is easily preventable and can be relieved through diet.
If you wish to lower your blood pressure naturally, berries have a must-have in your diet. Among these cranberry juice can help to dilate blood vessels, which, in turn, can help circulation and blood flow. Additionally, berries contain high quantities of anthocyanins, which give them their characteristic colour. Anthocyanins have the power to increase the levels of nitric oxide in the blood while reducing the production of molecules that are blood-vessel-restricting. The combination of these two actions can lead to lowered blood pressure.
It Looks After Your Gut Health
Several new studies have been confirming the important role that our gut and gut bacteria play towards our health. Indeed, many conditions are directly relatable to the microbiome composition. In turn, our gut bacteria composition can be improved, changed, or influenced through our diet and lifestyle. Foods such as cranberries can help you keep your gut bacteria healthy and balanced.