The benefits and harms of cranberries for the human body
Cranberries are known to many as a plant with red northern berries that are very healthy. However, not everyone knows how beneficial these fruits affect the human body. However, there are contraindications to their use. About how many valuable substances in cranberries, what is their effect on the body and what diseases are treated with drugs based on it, read below.
The chemical composition of cranberries
There are three main varieties of garden cranberries - large-fruited, ordinary and small-fruited. Their chemical composition is approximately the same. To fully appreciate the quality of the culture, check out the content of nutrients in berries. The values of BZHU, vitamins, minerals and nutritional values are given below.
Proteins fats carbohydrates
Like all food products, cranberry berries contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
| In fresh fruits, the composition of the BJU is as follows: | In dried berries, BZHU are distributed as follows: |
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Vitamins and minerals
Cranberries contain many beneficial substances. In the chemical composition of berries there are vitamins, macro- and microelements necessary for the human body.
Fruits contain vitamins of groups B, A, C, K and E. Berries are also rich in macro- and microelements. Most in the product of potassium and forsfor. It also contains calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron and zinc. The table below shows the exact amount of these elements per 100 grams.
| Vitamins (in mg per 100 g): | Trace elements (in mg per 100 g): |
| A - 3 mg | Iron - 0.25 mg |
| B1 - 0.012 mg | Potassium - 85 mg |
| B2 - 0.020 mg | Calcium - 8 mg |
| B3 - 0.101 mg | Magnesium - 6 mg |
| B6 - 0.057 mg | Sodium - 2 mg |
| B9 - 0.001 mg | Phosphorus - 13 mg |
| C - 13.3 mg | Zinc - 0.1 mg |
| E - 1.2 mg | |
| K - 0.0051 mg |
Cranberry Calorie
The nutritional value of raw berries is 46 kcal per 100 g. Due to the low calorie content, the product can easily be included in the diet. Dried fruits are more nutritious: their calorie content is 308 kcal per 100 g.
Beneficial features
Fresh cranberries have many beneficial properties.
- The fruits are capable of:
- strengthen immunity;
- relieve swelling;
- thin the blood;
- clean the vessels;
- saturate the body with useful substances.
Dried fruits are equally beneficial. Their only minus is high calorie content. Due to drying, the nutritional value of the product increases. This should be taken into account for people who eat strictly according to a certain calorie intake per day.
Frozen berries have the same effect as fresh ones. Storage in the freezer does not reduce the beneficial properties of the product. Fruits can be thawed and used in the same way as raw ones.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the beneficial effects of the described berries on the health of women, men and children. Subtleties of use and benefits for all genders and ages are given below.
Did you know? The English in the 17th century called cranberries "bear berries." This is due to the fact that the fruits loved to eat bears.
For women
Cranberries are a valuable product for women of any age.
- Regular use of fruits allows you to:
- lose weight due to a small amount of calories;
- improve the condition of the skin and hair;
- relieve pain with PMS;
- cure thrush.
Cranberries are extremely useful during pregnancy. Berries saturate the body with vitamins, which is necessary for the normal development of the fetus. A mandatory component of the diet in all trimesters, vitamin C, is contained in the product in large quantities. Many pregnant women suffer from swelling: this problem can also be dealt with by consuming cranberry juice or fruit drink daily.
For men
The usefulness of cranberries for men is due to tonic properties: due to this, potency improves and libido increases. Berries can also be consumed to prevent prostate cancer. Regular use reduces the risk of malignant tumors .
The product is also useful for muscle growth. Athletes are recommended to include it in the diet during active training.
Learn more about cranberry properties for men.
For children
Cranberries can be introduced into the diet of babies along with fruit and berry complementary foods. The optimal age depends on the type of feeding:
- on GV - from 8 months;
- on IV - from 6 months.
Up to 3 years, berries must be prepared before use. To do this, boil the fruits for about 3 minutes and grind through a sieve. Since the introduction of complementary foods and up to 3 years, the daily dose is 10–20 g of the product. From 3 years old, a child can eat as many berries as he wants.
Application features
The range of cranberries is very wide. Fruits are used in medicine for the treatment of various diseases, as well as components for home cosmetics. Do not forget about cooking, because in addition to the healing properties of the berries have a great taste.
In folk medicine
Naturopaths often use cranberry juices, fruit drinks and mixtures with other ingredients. Thanks to the useful components, berries-based products have a therapeutic effect on the body. Especially useful are drugs for gastritis, oncology, pancreatitis, thrush, gout, diabetes, diarrhea and high blood pressure . They are also used to dilute blood and cleanse blood vessels. Below are recipes tested by traditional medicine adherents.
Important! Do not use these remedies as the main treatment. Before use, consult your doctor.
With gastritis
Healing beet-cranberry drink is useful for gastritis with low acidity. To prepare the product, mix:
- cranberry fresh - 1 cup;
- freshly squeezed beet juice - 1 cup.
A mixture of juices is taken three times a day. The recommended dose for one use is 50 g.
For blood thinning
There is a prejudice that cranberry drinks and dishes thicken blood. Because of fears, many people with this problem refuse to eat berries. In fact, cranberries dilute blood. To achieve the result, use cranberry-garlic mixture. To prepare the product, mix:
- crushed cranberries - 1 kg;
- chopped garlic - 200 g;
- honey - 500 ml.
Leave the mixture to infuse for 12 hours. Take the product 2 times a day, 30 g at a time.
Read also articles on this topic:
In oncology
Cranberry juice helps recover after chemotherapy . To get a quick result, the drink is taken daily. Juice is introduced gradually, starting with 1 tbsp. l The dose is daily increased by a tablespoon until the amount of the drink grows to one glass. Naturopaths also call cranberry juice an effective prevention of cancer.
With pancreatitis
It’s very useful for a person with pancreatitis to consume a cranberry-based drink. To prepare it, take:
- cranberry berries - 250 g;
- honey - 1 tbsp. l .;
- water - 1 l.
Beat the berries in a blender. Boil water, pour boiled water over mashed potatoes. Sweeten the drink with honey and mix, leave to infuse for half an hour. Strain it before taking.
With thrush
Cranberry juice is useful for thrush - it is a fungal vaginal disease that is treated with medication. However, therapy would not be successful without a diet. Sweet and yeast foods contribute to the growth of the fungus. Sour food, in particular, cranberries, contributes to the treatment of the disease.
Important! Do not dilute the juice with sugar and honey when treating thrush: in this case, the product will not be useful.
Naturopaths recommend cranberry juice as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of this disease. Introduce a freshly squeezed drink into the diet and drink daily in an amount acceptable to you.
With diarrhea
Diarrhea will pass quickly with a cranberry drink. To prepare a natural medicine, mix in containers:
- cranberries - 2 tbsp. l .;
- boiling water - 200 ml.
Infuse the drink for 60 minutes. Drink the product 4 times a day, 100 ml at a time. The course of admission is until the end of the disease.
With gout
Traditional doctors recommend cranberry preparations for patients with gout. There are several drug options. The most effective are fruit drinks and onion-garlic mixture with cranberries and honey.
To prepare the fruit drink, prepare:
- cranberry berries - 150 g;
- water - 500 ml;
- sugar to taste.
Mash the berries, strain through a sieve, fill with water and boil. Remove the drink from the heat, strain again, cool and sweeten with sugar. Drink fruit drinks daily in a glass per day.
It will be useful for you to read about the properties of currants with gout.
To prepare the treatment mixture, beat in a blender:
- cranberry fruits - 250 g;
- onions - 150 g;
- garlic - 100 g;
- honey - 500 ml.
Take a tablespoon of the product 3 times a day before meals.
For cleaning vessels
Cranberry-based preparations help cleanse blood vessels. Effective cleaning and atherosclerotic plaques. Of particular value to the body in this case is alcohol tincture. To prepare the product, prepare:
- cranberries - 400 g;
- water - 400 ml;
- alcohol - 100 ml;
- sugar to taste.
Crush the berries, pour alcohol and water. Add sugar to the mixture, mix. Leave the product to infuse for 2 days. After cooking, drink tincture 1 time per day, 25 g after eating.
Also learn about the use of ginger, lemon, garlic for cleaning vessels with aneurysm.
With diabetes
Cranberry juice is an effective adjunctive therapy for diabetes. To support the body, you need to drink fresh. 250 g of drink should be consumed daily. The course of treatment is 3 months.
Under pressure
Cranberry-based drinks are good for hypertension. For the treatment of high blood pressure, it is recommended to prepare a decoction of the following components:
- berries - 2 glasses;
- sugar - 0.5 cups;
- water - 200 ml.
Grind the fruits with sugar and fill with water. Boil the mixture and strain. Take the product 1-2 times a day as tea, diluting 2 tsp. prepared drink in a glass of boiling water.
In cosmetology
Cranberry components are useful not only for ingestion: berries are used to create homemade masks. The properties of the product for skin and hair are especially appreciated. Some of the recipes are listed below.
Masks for oily skin
Cranberries help with oily skin: masks with berries eliminate shine, tighten pores and improve complexion. Beauticians offer many tools that are easy to prepare with your own hands.
Learn more about making cranberry face masks at home.
To prepare the first version of the mask, mix:
- crushed cranberries - 2 tsp;
- potato starch - 2 tsp.
Apply on face and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse off the mask with cool water.
Also, the mask of the following components has a healing effect on oily skin:
- cranberry fresh - 3 tsp;
- rice flour - 1 tsp.
Mix the ingredients until a smooth paste is obtained and apply on the face. After 10 minutes, rinse off the mask thoroughly.
Did you know? Since 1994, cranberries have been considered the official symbol of the state of Massachusetts.
Hair masks
Cranberry-based masks help restore loose hair. To prepare the product, beat in a blender:
- cranberries - 2 tbsp. l .;
- buckwheat flour - 1 tbsp. l .;
- olive oil - 1 tbsp. l .;
- honey - 1 tsp;
- egg - 1 pc.
Apply the mask to the hair, put on a shower cap on top and fix with a towel. Rinse off recommended after half an hour. Use a shampoo to rinse.
The second version of the mask will help strengthen your hair. To prepare the product, mix:
- cranberries - 3 tbsp. l .;
- burdock oil - 1 tsp;
- honey - 1 tbsp. l
Apply the mixture to your hair, wrap it with plastic wrap and a towel on top. After half an hour, rinse the mask with plain water. The course of treatment is 5-7 weeks every 3 days.
We advise you to read about the treatment of cranberry lice.
In cooking
The main use of cranberries is culinary. From the berries make excellent juices, compotes and jelly. From the fruits you can make tasty and healthy jam . Tea is also appreciated - this delicious drink is drunk for pleasure and to enhance immunity.
Juice
The drink is easiest to make from fresh berries. You can also use thawed fruits. Juice can be prepared with water and sugar in a juicer. Cranberry fresh, which is made using a juicer, is very tasty - it can be sweetened to taste.
Compote
The simplest version of cranberry drink is compote. It’s easy to prepare the drink: boil 3 liters of water and add 500 g of berries, boil the mixture for 10 minutes and add sugar to taste. Before use, the compote can be filtered.
Kissel
To prepare jelly, in addition to the main ingredient, starch and sugar will be needed. In a 3-liter pan, crushed berries, sugar and water are mixed. All components are to taste. Separately mix 1 tbsp. l potato starch and 1 glass of water. The resulting mixture is poured into a pan and cooked over low heat until thickened.
Jam
There are many recipes for cranberry jam. The easiest way to grind the fruits with sugar, cook and preserve in jars. You can also use additional ingredients. Berries go well with apples.
Read the best cranberry jam recipes.
Cranberry tea
For the preparation of tea 1-2 tbsp. l cranberries knead in a cup. Next, you need to boil 200 ml of water and pour the fruits. Infuse tea for 15–20 minutes. The drink is combined with sweets, pastries or you can drink it by yourself.
Contraindications
- Cranberries have several contraindications. Berries and dishes from them will harm in the following situations:
- allergy;
- hypotension;
- gastrointestinal ulcer;
- hyperacid gastritis;
- stones in the kidneys;
- pathology of the liver.
The number of useful properties of cranberries is huge. This is a cure for diseases, and a component of delicious dishes, and a cosmetic product. It is important to consider contraindications and possible harm to the body. With proper use, berries will only benefit.
