Cranberries: Benefits and Recipes

My family recently enjoyed Massachusetts’ annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration, during which we toured the cranberry bogs and watched the fruit being harvested. It was a gorgeous fall day to enjoy such festivities, and we learned a lot about the cranberry.

Cranberry Harvest Celebration at A.D. Makepeace Company in Wareham, MA.

History of the Cranberry

Cranberries are one of three native fruits to North America (the others being blueberries and Concord grapes). Besides cooking with them, Native Americans used cranberries for treating urinary infections, fever, childbirth injuries and arrow wounds. They also used the fruit as a fabric dye and the plant leaf as a tobacco substitute.

Early settlers ate them to fight off scurvy, which did help since cranberries are rich in vitamin C. The fruit was originally dubbed a craneberry because the Pilgrims thought the plant resembled a crane’s red head and bill.

It wasn’t until 1816 that cranberries were first harvested successfully. Because the fruit requires such specific growing conditions (acidic peat soil, sand and a long growing season), only certain areas in the world can produce them. The main areas outside of Massachusetts include Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Quebec. Available in fresh form from October through December, the cranberry is a perennial fruit—some vines in Massachusetts are over 100 years old.

Loading the cranberry truck at A.D. Makepeace Company, Wareham, MA.

Cranberry Nutrition and Health Benefits

Cranberries contain vitamin C, manganese, fiber, vitamin E, copper and vitamin K as well as a host of phytonutrients and antioxidants. Most of these enzymes and nutrients are lost when the fruit is heated and processed into juices, sauces, etc. Want to experience the full benefit of cranberries? Eat them whole and raw.

This superfood is still being studied, but, in its full form, the cranberry’s heath benefits include:

Preventing Urinary Tract Infections – Research shows the fruit can help in prevention, but not necessarily for treatment of an infection you already have. Some of the compounds in cranberries prevent bacteria from sticking to the cells inside the urinary tract, which is why it can indeed be helpful to drink cranberry juice and eat cranberries if you’re prone to UTIs.
Reducing Inflammation – The anthocyanins in cranberries (compounds that give them their red color) have antioxidant power that fight inflammation in our cells. Regular consumption of cranberries has been shown to reduce inflammation in the gums, stomach, colon and cardiovascular system.
Improved Heart Health - The berry’s phytonutrients and antioxidants play a pivotal role in lowering LDL-cholesterol, reducing oxidative stress in blood vessels and preventing some enzymes that trigger artherosclerosis.
Cancer Prevention – Researchers have been studying the cranberry’s anti-cancer properties and believe it’s the array of phytonutrients that are responsible for inhibiting tumor growth and triggering tumor cell death. Again, while not known to be useful in treatment, cranberry intake may help with prevention, especially with breast, colon, prostate and lung cancer.

Cranberry Recipes

Even though eating cranberries raw packs the most punch, they are quite a sour fruit to chew. Here are some recipes using fresh cranberries that may help up your daily intake of this superfood. It’s cranberry season, so now is the perfect time to try them, especially for Thanksgiving!