Cranberries may not be your go-to fruit, but there is good reason to frequently incorporate this tart berry into your meal and snack rotation. While often associated with juice, cranberry sauce, and other sugary recipes, cranberries aren’t usually thought of as being as healthy as other fruits.
However, cranberries are in fact packed with many valuable nutrients, like antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber, all of which have many positive health benefits. When you eat cranberries, you’ll be loading up on powerful plant compounds that appear to have a positive impact in many areas of your body, including reducing certain diseases.
Read on to learn more about what happens to your body when you eat cranberries. Then for more healthy eating tips, make sure to check out the 44 Best High-Fiber Foods for a Healthy Diet.
The health benefits of cranberries
The most valuable nutrients found in cranberries are its antioxidants and plant compounds, many of which are concentrated in the skin of the cranberry. This fact means cranberries can be most impactful on your health when eaten whole, compared to being processed into a juice. Supplemental forms of cranberry may also possess concentrated amounts of these nutrients if the skin is used. However, you likely lose out on fiber when consuming cranberries in this form.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
When you eat cranberries, the antioxidants they contain provide a number of benefits. As with all antioxidants, these compounds stabilize damaging free radicals in your body, preventing them from causing damage to your body. Some of the compounds in cranberries have other health-promoting properties, too.
