Cranberry Cures

Did you know that cranberries contain powerful antioxidants and flavinoids that can support heart health, prevent cancer, gum disease and tooth decay? Drinking just two glasses of cranberry juice a day can help reduce harmful cholesterol. Cranberries are well known for their ability to prevent urinary tract infections.  They contain a compound that prevents the harmful bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract thus flushing them out and not allowing them to multiply. For the same reason cranberries can be helpful for reducing stomach ulcers, because this same compound sticks to the stomach lining allowing the bacteria to pass through to the intestines. One glass of cranberry juice is said to equal the same amount of antioxidant properties of two cups of green tea. I like to keep frozen cranberries in my freezer and add them to my shakes, or stew them lightly with honey to make delicious compote to be used as a topping for oatmeal; yogurt and deserts or you can substitute it for jam. Cranberries are very tart, commercial cranberry juices tend to have very high sugar content.  Try using natural unsweetened cranberry juice mixed with sparkling water and a small amount of your choice of natural sweetener.  Agave, honey, maple syrup all mix easily with cold fluids and  make for a refreshing and nutritious  drink that even your kids will love. Please remember if you are using your cranberries to help reduce an infection; bacteria grows well in sugar, so for optimum results it is best to use unsweetened juice or dried encapsulated cranberry. Both can be found in your local health shop. Cranberries are recommended by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, see their website for recipes  http://www.heartandstroke.on.ca/