GOOD AND HEALTHY
Red Alert
Too good for just a single season, the assertive
cranberry boasts vitamins and fights infections.
BY MARGE PERRY PHOTOS ANDY LYONS FOOD STYLING JILL LUST
W H A T A R E T H E Y ?
CRAN BERRIES A R E T IN Y T A R T FRUITS, RICH IN VITAM IN C.
Valued by Native Americans for health properties long before talk of
antioxidants, cranberries were used to make poultices to treat arrow
wounds. Legend has it that “ibimi”—a Pequot Indian word meaning
“bitter berry”—was served at the first Thanksgiving. Settlers renamed
the fruit craneberry, for its blooms that resemble tiny white cranes, and
the name has since been shortened.
Sauces, jellies, and beverages made with this fruit are already familiar.
And now with the USDA ranking cranberries as a top-ten food high in
antioxidants, feel good about using them all year, in a variety of ways.
WHY THEY’RE
GOOD FOR YOU
■ HAPPY TUM M IES
Cranberry juice may not
cure an existing urinary
tract infection, but it does
help prevent one. A key
component in cranberries,
proanthocyanidins, or
PACs, keeps the bacteria
that cause infections from
sticking to the bladder
wall, so “bad” bacteria are
flushed out of the system.
A recent study showed that
daily consumption of an
8
-ounce glass of cranberry
juice suppressed the growth
of ulcer-causing bacteria.
(Unlike many antibiotics,
cranberry juice doesn’t kill
all bacteria, some of which is
healthful and necessary.)
■ HEART HEALTH
According to USDA
scientists, there is
compelling evidence that
cranberry phytochemicals
are good for the heart.
In one study, people who
drank
8
ounces of low-
calorie cranberry juice a day
significantly reduced LDL
(bad) cholesterol. In another
study, after
12
weeks of
consuming increasing
amounts of cranberry juice,
participants increased their
HDL (good) cholesterol.
Researchers caution that the
studies were small; more
research is under way.
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NOVEMBER 2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
