A Fruit A day .

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Health benefits of Cranberry

For many years people have realized the benefits of cranberry juice when it comes to urinary track infections. However, cranberries have many more health benefits as well.

Cranberries are grown and harvested today in some Northern American states as well as Canada. As a general rule cranberries are ready for harvest in the fall of the year September, through October. Cranberries which are going to be made into cranberry juice or sauces are harvested by a water method. In this method, the plants cranberries are flooded causing the berries to let loose of their vines and the collected. However, cranberries which are intended for whole fruit are harvested with the use of special machines which are designed to pick the fruit from the vines.

One can find cranberries in various forms such as juices, fresh fruit, dried fruit, and sauces. Cranberries should not be a fruit to be eaten only on holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas as many southern families do. Cranberries have a great health benefit which includes antioxidants.

Everyone is concerned about their cholesterol levels today and for good reason. Adding cranberries to your daily diet will reduce the "bad" cholesterol in your body. At the same time cranberries contain much flavonoids, which stop certain types of cancer. One type of cancer which shows promising results when people add cranberry to their diets is breast cancer. Cranberries show that they have the ability to lower the occurrence of tumors in the breast.

Those who have issues with urinary tract infections are quit aware of the benefits of drinking cranberry juice. The development of E. coli to the inside of the urinary walls causes one to get urinary track infections. Cranberry juice prevents the attachment of the E coli bacteria from adhering to the walls of the urinary track. When one has a history of urinary track infections they should drink a glass of cranberry juice daily to prevent re occurrence.