Cranberry Juice Calories And Its Amazing Benefits for Drinking

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Cranberry juice is the liquid juice of the cranberry, typically manufactured to contain sugar, water, and other fruit juices. Cranberry – a fruit native to North America – is recognized for its bright red color, tart taste, and versatility for product manufacturing. The amount of calories present in Cranberry juice is 46 calories.

Benefits of Cranberry Juice Calories

You may have heard that drinking cranberry juice can help with a urinary tract infection (UTI), but that’s not the only benefit.

Cranberries are packed with nutrients to help your body ward off infections and boost overall health. In fact, throughout history, they’ve been used to treat:

• urinary issues
• upset stomach
• liver problems

Cranberries grow in marshes and are often water-harvested. When the berries are ripe and ready to pick, they float in the water. Being on the water’s surface exposes them to more sunlight. This may increase their nutritional value. Like most fruits, you get the highest level of nutrition when you eat cranberries whole. But the juice is still chock-full of benefits.

Read on to find out how drinking cranberry juice can benefit your health.

Good Source of Vitamin C And E

Unsweetened, pure cranberry juice is a good source of both vitamin C and vitamin E. It’s also a decent source of several other vitamins and minerals, including:

• vitamin C: 26% of the daily value (DV)
• vitamin E: 20% of the DV
• copper: 15% of the DV
• vitamin K1: 11% of the DV
• vitamin B6: 8% of the DV

Vitamin C and E are strong antioxidants that play an important role in overall health.

Cranberry Juice Calories Prevent Urinary Tract Infections

Cranberries contain proanthocyanins, a class of compounds commonly found in plants. It’s believed that these compounds can help prevent UTIs by stopping bacteria from attaching to the lining of the urinary tract. If bacteria can’t grow and spread, an infection is unable to develop.

Unfortunately, research on cranberry juice has been mixed. Some studies show cranberry juice to be effective in reducing the risk of UTIs, while others have found that it isn’t an effective treatment.

More research is still needed to determine the exact benefits.

Heart Health

Cranberries also contain other phytonutrients with anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation plays a role in damaging blood vessels over time, including the arteries. The damaged arteries then attract plaque, causing atherosclerosis.

Phytonutrients in cranberries could help guard against inflammation, delaying the process and offering protection against heart disease.

A 2019 study in men who are overweight and have obesity showed that the daily intake of a high-polyphenol cranberry beverage for 8 weeks improved several risk factors for heart disease. There’s also some evidence that cranberry juice can help to prevent dental plaque that builds up on teeth and causes gum disease.

Rich in Antioxidants

Like other fruits and berries, cranberries contain powerful phytochemicals that act as antioxidants, including:

• vitamin C
• vitamin E
• quercetin

Antioxidants help to protect your body from cell damage due to free radicals. Free radicals contribute to the aging process and may also be risk factors for developing chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. Research published in the Journal of Nutrition found that cranberries might have a role in preventing cancer through dietary changes.

While a diet rich in various whole fruit, berries, and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of cancer, there’s no conclusive evidence that cranberries or cranberry juice protects against cancer on its own.

Improves Digestive Health

The same compounds that help protect the heart also improve your digestive system function. According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice, they can prevent the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) from growing and multiplying in the stomach lining.

This is important because when H. pylori are allowed to grow out of control, stomach ulcers may form. Studies in animals suggest the antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory substances in cranberries may provide protection against colon cancer, too. However, it’s unlikely that cranberry juice has the same effects.

Cranberry Juice: Properties

Cranberries have many health benefits and are considered by many to be a superfood. To get the most out of them in juice form, you will need to ensure you’re drinking pure cranberry juice. However, that’s easier said than done.

Cranberries are naturally quite sour and very bitter. Because of this, the most readily available cranberry juices aren’t pure but sweetened and diluted. If you can’t find pure cranberry juice in supermarkets, check your local health food store. But be warned – it isn’t exactly delicious.

So that just leaves the question, why is cranberry juice good for you? As this is for pure Cranberry Juice Calories, not the sweetened and diluted kind, let’s break down the contents of the cranberries themselves.

Cranberries Are an Excellent Source of:

• Vitamin C: One of the most important vitamins you need to be consuming on a daily basis, vitamin C is essential for a healthy immune system. It’s well known for being able to prevent colds and flu, but it can also help prevent serious conditions like cancer, strokes, and other things.
• Vitamin E: Necessary for maintaining healthy cardiovascular, nervous and reproductive systems. It also benefits your brain, skin and vision. Vitamin E deficiency is rare in humans, however. You’re probably getting enough of it in other foods, although there’s no harm in making sure.
• Cranberries are also a good source of these vitamins:
• Vitamin A: Famously known to improve vision (there’s a clue in its other name, retinol). Vitamin A also benefits cell division, which has positive consequences for growth and the immune system.
• Vitamin K: One of the more overlooked vitamins, vitamin K is important for blood coagulation and binding calcium to bones. In other words, a vitamin K deficiency means you aren’t making the most from your daily calcium intake.
• Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, and B12: B vitamins are essential for cell metabolism and, consequently, healthy blood and skin. The good news is that cranberries contain most of them.

Additionally, Cranberries Contain The Following Minerals:

• Calcium: Necessary for healthy bones and teeth.
• Magnesium: Affects more than 300 enzyme reactions in the human body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose balance, and blood pressure regulation.
• Potassium: Another all-rounder like Magnesium. Potassium has multiple functions, including general organ health, but is particularly important for maintaining a healthy heart.
• Selenium: An important contributor to human metabolism. You only need a tiny bit and deficiencies are rare, which may be why you haven’t heard of it.
• Iron: A crucial part of red blood cell production and a healthy cardiovascular system.
• Zinc: Involved in more or less every function of the body. Humans require just a tiny bit for proper immune function, wound healing, blood clotting, and thyroid function among many other things.

Is it Good to Drink Cranberry Juice Every Day?

While chugging a jug of the stuff on the regular is bound to have some unpleasant consequences, a glass of this nutrient-packed juice a day will do you good. So what’s the best time to drink cranberry juice? Anytime is cranberry time, but people with bladder problems or acid reflux might opt for drinking it in the morning rather than at night when discomfort could interfere with their sleep.

Potential Side Effects

Cranberry juice calories have a kick because it is acidic. This chemical property means it can temporarily make conditions like acid reflux worse. It can also briefly irritate your gums and lips, or even some people’s bowels. If consumed in very large quantities, it can lead to kidney stones, so it’s important not to overdo the juice. Anyone on the blood thinner Warfarin should steer away from the juice because it has been found to magnify the medication’s effects.

Recipe of Cranberry Juice

Ingredients

• 1lb fresh cranberries or 1 lb frozen cranberries
• 1 quart water
• Sugar

Directions

• Wash and drain fresh or frozen red-ripe cranberries
• Combine cranberries and water in a large pan
• Bring to a boil
• Reduce heat and cook until berries burst
• Strain juice through a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth
• Sugar can be added to juice to your taste
• Reheat juice until it is almost, but not boiling
• Pour into jars
• Allow to cool before refrigerating

Conclusion

Cranberry juice is safe to consume in moderation, drinking too much can cause side effects such as upset stomach, diarrhea, and blood sugar spikes. In the past, it was believed that cranberry juice can slow the growth of bacteria and therefore is useful in treating urinary tract infections.

Cranberry Juice Unsweetened (1 cup) contains 30.9g total carbs, 30.6g net carbs, 0.3g fat, 1g protein, and 116 calories. There are 104 calories in 8 ounces of Cranberry Juice (Unsweetened). * The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet.

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