Cranberries, also known as bounceberries or craneberries, are native to North America and thrive in the Northeast and Northwest where farmers cultivate them in sandy bogs. Berries sold whole must be harvested by hand, but berries for juice are machine harvested. Over a third of the entire United States cranberry crop is used for the production of cranberry juice, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although cranberry juice made from concentrate has a significant amount of vitamin C, it has very little else in the way of vitamins and minerals. If you're interested in increasing your vitamin and mineral intake, consider drinking unsweetened juice not made from concentrate instead.
Macronutrients
The U.S. Department of Agriculture calculates that an 8-oz. serving of cranberry juice made with water from concentrate contains 111 calories, 28 g of carbohydrate, 9 mg of sodium, a negligible amount of protein and no fat, cholesterol or fiber. Almost 100 percent of the calories derive from carbohydrates.
Vitamins
The same serving of juice offers 28 percent of the vitamin C, 5 percent of the pantothenic acid and 2 percent of the vitamin B-6 that the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends adults consume daily. It also contains smaller amounts of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin A.
Minerals
Cranberry juice from concentrate contains only trace amounts of essential dietary minerals, providing 1 percent of the magnesium and less than 1 percent of the calcium, iron, potassium and zinc adults are advised to consume daily.
Considerations
Unsweetened cranberry juice not made from concentrate offers significantly more nutritional value than cranberry juice made from concentrate. In terms of mineral content, it delivers more than twice the calcium and zinc, and four times the iron, magnesium, and potassium that juice made from concentrate does. When it comes to vitamins, unsweetened cranberry juice provides twice the thiamine and four times the riboflavin, vitamin B-6 and vitamin A. Unsweetened cranberry juice also supplies 20 percent of the vitamin E and 11 percent of the vitamin K adults should consume daily, although these vitamins are not even present in the juice made from concentrate.
Serving Suggestions
Because cranberry juice made from concentrate contains a considerable number of calories without offering significant nutritive benefit, consider cutting your juice with water to reduce the caloric density. Use sparkling water for a refreshing treat. Also consider adding cranberry juice made from concentrate to other fruit juices for added flavor.
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