Cranberry, also known as red cranberry, cranberry, cranberry or alpine blackberry, is a fruit used for:
- Helping in the treatment of urinary tract infections;
- Prevent the formation of kidney stones of the struvite type;
- Reduce the odor of urine;
- Prevent cavities, by avoiding the accumulation of bacteria in the teeth;
- Prevent colds and flu by being rich in antioxidants like vitamin C and flavonoids.
This fruit acts to prevent the development of bacteria in the urinary tract, being effective mainly in the prevention and treatment of recurrent urinary infections.
How to use
The form of use and the amount of cranberry to be consumed varies according to the purpose of the treatment, as described below:
Prevent urinary infections
To prevent urinary infections, Cranberry should be used in 400 mg Capsules twice daily with plenty of water, or take 90 ml per day of the juice of that fruit in the proportion of 30 g of fruit per 60 ml of water.
In cases of active urinary tract infection, one should increase the amount of juice to 400 to 950 ml per day, in addition to taking the antibiotics prescribed by the doctor.
Prevent dental plaques and cavities
To prevent plaques and cavities in the teeth, water-diluted cranberry juice should be consumed in the proportion of 45 g of fruit per 100 ml of water.
Prevent kidney struvite stones
To prevent the formation of struvite stones in the kidneys, one should consume 1/2 cup of fresh cranberry, 15 g of dehydrated cranberry or 90 ml of the fruit juice, in the proportion of 30 g of fruit for each 60 ml of water. In these cases, the consumption of this fruit should not exceed 1 liter of juice per day.
Nutrition Information for Cranberry
The following table gives the nutritional information for 100 g of cranberry.
| Amounts per 100 g of cranberry | |||
| Energy: 46 calories | |||
| Water | 87.1 g | Fibers | 4.6 g |
| Proteins | 0.39 g | Folic acid | 1 mcg |
| Fats | 0.13 g | Vitamin C | 13.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 12.2 g | Manganese | 0.36 mg |
The cranberry can be consumed in the form of fresh fruit, dehydrated fruit, in juices and vitamins or in capsules.
Contraindications
In cases of benign prostatic hypertrophy or obstruction of the urinary tract, the cranberry should only be consumed according to medical advice.
To treat recurring urinary infections, see the best Home Remedies for Urinary Tract Infection
