Cranberries are given a bad rap all of the time, but do you know why? Listed as a super food for years, people have gone to cranberry juice to cure UTIS, Kidney infections, yeast infections, and to boost health. Often disappointed, they chalk it up to another home remedy that doesn’t work. The truth of the matter though, is that people are often reaching for the wrong kind of cranberry juice. A lot of times, people are reaching for cranberry juice cocktail (which is an additive full, sugary drink) that was made primarily to mix with alcohol. What people don’t know are that natural cranberry juice benefits are plentiful, and when you’re talking about raw cranberry juice – you’re getting huge health benefits that you may not even know about.
The funny history of cranberries
Cranberries are one of the few “superfoods” that got its name here in America. Sailors and pirates used to much on nature’s tiny red candies while on board to ward off common illnesses like scurvy.
Studies have since shown that real cranberry juice (again, not juice cocktail) is packed full of nutritional benefits.
The Benefits of Cranberry Juice
Getting to the Good Stuff
- Womens Health: The first and probably most well-known benefit of cranberry juice is it’s ability to help with women’s health issues like UTI’s and yeast infections (as explained here, “6 Home Remedies for Women that You Should Know”)
- Dental Plaque: This less well known benefit of CJ is that it wards off dental plaque. While it may not whiten your teeth, it definitely keeps the bad plaque-causing bacteria off those pearly whites.
- Anti-Carcinogen: In a nutshell, the powerful anti-oxidants in our beloved cranberry juice help fight off free radicals in our blood stream that are the leading suspected cause of cancer.
- Blood Sugar Regulation: Studies show that cranberry juice may help treat diabetes and as such, is great for things like PCOS and insulin resistance.
When I came to love Cranberry Juice
As a woman with PCOS and sugar issues, I have had the unfortunate luck of frequent UTIs, Yeast Infections, and reproductive health issues. At one point, I was getting UTI’s every two to three weeks; unfortunately for me, I didn’t have health insurance. The third time I got a UTI in the course of a couple months, it was so painful I couldn’t even walk without wincing, so I went to the doctor. The doctor told me a few little tips / tricks that would help this go away and assured me that it wasn’t about how frequently I showered (as I embarrassingly explained I’d been showering twice a day).
On a mission to try and stop these recurring issues, I got on a regimen of one glass of organic cranberry-pomegranate juice (hard to get used to the taste of cranberry alone for me) and 2 pH balancing supplement pills a day. These supplements were all natural and I got them at the local holistic pharmacy in town. In addition to this, I started drinking more and more water.
I was happy to start seeing results in just a few days. Slowly the pain stopped, and before I knew it I stopped getting the UTIs.
Raw Cranberry Juice Recipe – With Ginger and Orange Infusion
So, as an ode to the beauty of cranberry juice, I tracked down a delicious, healthy, raw cranberry juice concoction that will make your tastebuds sing for joy!
Ingredients:
- 1 12 0z bag fresh cranberries
- 6 cups water, divided
- 1 large orange, zest and juice
- 1″ piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped.
- 1/3 cup agave, honey or maple syrup (to taste)
Steps:
1) Toss your cranberries, 2 cups of water, the orange juice and orange zest along with your ginger in food processor. Process until a slurry is achieved.
2) Transfer mixture to bowl and add remaining 4 cups water.
3) Let steep in refrigerator at least an hour.
4) Strain off into pitcher and add sweetener to taste. Top with orange slices if desired.
