FAQs about Cranberries

FAQs about Cranberries

Some important FAQs about cranberries. If there was a Q&A devoted entirely to cranberries, this is how it would look like...

Are there different species of cranberries?

Yes. There are different types of cranberries, divided under different species. For example, the cranberry specie “Vaccinuim macrocarpon L” is a close cousin of the huckleberry and blueberry in the Vaccinium genus. This cranberry grows in acidic bogs all over Canada and United States.

“Vaccinium microcarpum” is another specie of cranberries. This one flourishes in Asia and northern Europe. Their leaves are more triangular and the flower stems are hairless.

Why are cranberries so popular?

Why not? Cranberries are healthy and delicious, what more can you ask for? People have long known cranberries as effective treatment for UTI and other bladder complications. They're also known to prevent yeast infection, heart diseases, and certain cancers. In case you're already diagnosed with a tumor, eating cranberries also help by increasing the tumor cells' sensitivity to chemotherapy!

But that's just the health side. Cranberries are also delicious to boot. Fact is cranberries are popular as cakes, jams, jellies, sauces, cocktails, and as dried foods.

What is oxidation and how do we fight it?
Oxidation is the human body producing free radicals as a result of normal metabolism. But exposure to toxic chemicals drastically boosts this production of free radicals; uncontrolled amounts of free radicals can cause damage to normal cells, and compromise the person's health.

Cranberries contain antioxodants, though. So drink a glass of cranberry juice everyday.

Is it possible to measure the antioxidant qualities of cranberries?

Yes. A test called ORAC (or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) does that. In a test tube, the strength level of antioxidant is measured by how well it reacts to free radicals. And findings show that blueberries and cranberries have the same ORAC levels.

What else you want to know about cranberries? Because to make a long story short, it's everything you need to keep fit and healthy.

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