You may know cranberries best for their tart flavor and their annual visit to the Thanksgiving table, but there’s a lot more going on with these bright red berries than you may have heard about.
The fruit of an evergreen shrub that grows in freshwater bogs, cranberries are produced mostly in southern Canada and northern United States. They are a member of the same family as blueberries, bilberries, and lingonberries and, just like their nutrient-powerhouse cousins, cranberries can add a lot of sweet benefits to your life year-round.
Here are 10 reasons to add more cranberries to your day-to-day meals and snacks.
Nutrient-rich food choice
Raw cranberries are packed with vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, A, and K, as well as B-complex vitamins, calcium, potassium, manganese, and copper. They also contain a number of flavonoids, such as quercetin and anthocyanins, that act as antioxidants in the body.
However, be aware that dried cranberries, when compared to the same weight in fresh cranberries, contain more sugar and less nutrients.