by A. Sc.

Created on: May 10, 2008   Last Updated: June 16, 2008

Those sultry, smooth curves. That crisp, fresh river of juice. The slightly sweet and always tangy taste. Their alluring scent and provocative appearance. Cranberries may be a traditional part of Thanksgiving meals, but their appeal goes far beyond just turkey.

Cranberries have long been admired by Native Americans for their health and preservation benefits. The tart treats have also long been admired by wild bears for their pure taste. But most of all, cranberries have long been adored by the nutrition-concerned for their ability to add some actual flavor to otherwise bland health-food selections.

Whether used as a dye, medicine, or for preventing scurvy, cranberries have long been an important product for North American cultures. Because of their rich color, the berries are perfect for dying assorted fabrics. Because they are chalked full of anti-oxidants, they're also a wonderful preventative medicine. Because of their rich abundance of vitamin C, they were cherished by American sailors as a way to avoid scurvy.

These tangy treats are just one of three native American berries that are produced in commercial quantities on the Continent. The other two treats, blueberries and concord grapes have their own fantastic benefits, but still fall short of the amazing cranberry.

According to the biggest Cranberry company in the world, Ocean Spray, the nutritional benefits of cranberries are unparalleled in the fruit world. Ocean Spray, which sells about 70% of all cranberries on the market, was created in 1930 and has been stacking up studies on the tart berries ever since.

Three of these major studies, including one conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, indicate that the naturally-occurring antioxidants in cranberries are higher per gram than in other common fruits. These anti-oxidants are all around healthy warriors that help guard your body from issues like heart disease.

Not only do cranberries have these anti-oxidants to help clean and purify your body, they have one more amazing asset that helps even more. Proanthocyanidins, also known as PACs, are believed to help prevent some bacterias from lingering around and gunking up your insides.

According to the 1998 New England Journal Of Medicine, the PACs in cranberries are slightly different than PACs in other fruits, making cranberry PACs slightly more potent. In other words, if most fruit has basic PACs, cranberries have "Superman" PACs!

The overall benefits of cranberries can help in preventing or healing problems such as heart disease and digestive tract infections, but their biggest effect is on overall urinary tract health. According to numerous studies, including the March, 1994 Journal of the American Medical Association and the 1991 The New England Journal of Medicine, cranberries have an amazing effect in preventing certain harmful bacterias from sticking to the bladder.

So regardless if they're dried or juiced, boiled or baked, hot or cold, cranberries are just all around great for your body. They're also easy to mix with other foods and taste great alone or with any other flavors. Even without considering how happy you might make one particular company if you buy cranberries, munching these tart treats is always a good idea.

References:

http://www.oceanspray.com
http://www.uscra nberries.com

Studies:

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. USDA Database for the Proanthocyanidin Content of Selected Foods 2004

New England Journal of Medicine 1998

Journal of the American Medical Association, March, 1994

New England Journal of Medicine 1991

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