The cranberry is a red fruit that grows on an evergreen shrub related to the blueberry bush. Early settlers in Massachusetts named the fruit "crane berry" because they thought the cranberry blossoms resembled the beak of a crane, and the name eventually was shortened to cranberry. Fresh cranberries are available for harvest in June and July. The nutritional composition of the cranberry provides a variety of health benefits, and drinking the juice is a convenient way to consume the fruit.
Vitamin C
The vitamin C content in 1 cup of cranberry juice cocktail is 107 mg, or 178 percent of the 60 mg the FDA recommends each day. The body does not store vitamin C and needs to meet the minimum requirement each day to heal wounds, repair blood vessels and protect healthy cells from damaging metabolic waste.
Calories
A 1-cup serving of cranberry juice contains 137 calories, or 7 percent of the standard 2,000-calorie diet. The nutrients cranberry juice provides justify including it in the diet in place of carbonated cola, which provides a similar level of calories but almost no nutrients and more sugar. The flavor of cranberry juice, mixed with carbonated water or plain, is tart, sweet and refreshing.
Water
The water content in a 1-cup serving of cranberry juice is 86 percent. The juice and other healthy beverages in the diet contribute to the approximately 64-oz. daily water requirement. Meeting the body's water requirement is important because it eliminates metabolic waste through the urinary tract and regulates blood pressure and cardiovascular health.
Urinary Tract Infections
Cranberry juice prevents bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract wall, preventing infections, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center website. The center recommends drinking 10 oz. of low-sugar or sugar-free cranberry juice cocktail or 3 oz. of pure cranberry juice daily to prevent or treat urinary tract infections.
Member Comments