Cranberries are one of the healthiest things you can add to your juice. They are full of super powerful antioxidants and polyphenols. But you don’t get the benefit if your drinking some store bottled cranberry juice. If you want to get the polyphenols and full range of anti-oxidants, you should juice fresh cranberries.

 

Fresh Cranberries V.S. Cranberry Cocktail

 

One of the best things about cranberries are flavanoids. These are polyphenols that scientific studies have linked to improved cardiovascular health and long term longevity.

 

The stuff you get in the supermarket has loads of sugar. Normally it is High Fructose Corn Syrup. You don’t want to drink that garbage. It does taste nice, but it’s horrible for your body. Also, the processing that all juices you see for sale in the supermarket undergo make them basically worthless. You want fresh juice. The enzymes, anti-oxidants and other nutrients will be complete.

Not Just for Urinary Health

 

Everyone knows that cranberries are great for treating urinary infections and kidney stones. What most are not aware of is that cranberries can be very helpful for heart problems. The recent studies have found that drinking cranberry juice has been found to raise the “good cholesterol” and lower the “bad cholesterol”. There are also results that show that there is a decrease in Homocysteine. High levels of homocystine has been shown to be related to heart disease.

Precautions When Taking Medications

 

If you take any heart medication, or blood thinners, then it is important to look at the potential side effects. Some medications, such as Warfarin, are said to interact with cranberries. This can increase the affect the drugs have. If you are taking any medication for heart disease or high blood pressure you should speak to your physician before drinking large amounts of cranberry juice.

How Should You Juice Cranberries?

 

I don’t drink cranberry juice straight. I either add cranberry to a mix juice or I add water to the cranberry juice.

 

I buy fresh cranberries. You can get a giant bag of them at Costco.  Wash them, then put them in the juicer.

 

I use an Omega Juicer. It’s a masticating juicer. That means it slowly squeezes all of the juice out of the cranberries. The pulp is very dry. I used to have an older juicer that was a centrifugal style—it used blades to slice up the fruit—and the pulp was always wet. That meant you were not getting a decent amount of juice.

When I am making a green drink with kale or spinach, I will alternative between a lemon or cranberries. They add a nice sour flavor, and they are also very healthy. The amount is up to you. I have found that you can add up to a cup of cranberries without it making the juice too sour. I also add in celery and a granny smith apple.