Healthy Diet Cranberry also a superfood?

Cranberry: The American relative of the cowberry

The Cranberries originating from North America are known in Germany as "Superfood" with high health potential. The close relatives of the cranberry contains many phytochemicals, which are said to have healing properties, but in contrast to domestic berries also neat expensive. And if there is even "superfood", is left undecided. Nevertheless, the cranberry can score nutritionally.

The ripe fruits of cranberry look like big cranberries. This is not surprising, because the "Großfrüchtige Cranberry" Vaccinium macrocarpon - as the cranberry is called by the German name - botanically belongs to the same genus as the cranberry. Because of the similarity and the slightly larger fruits, the cranberry is sometimes mistakenly called a cultivated cranberry, which it is not.

Cranberry fruits are about the size of small cherries and slightly ovate. The ripe - and botanically genuine - berries shine ruby ​​red. Under the firm shell hides bright and firm flesh with the embedded seeds. Inside each berry there are also four air chambers, making them lighter than water. This is made use of during the harvest: the cranberry fields are flooded, the ripe berries are separated from the plants using special machines, and then the floating fruits are collected.

Cranberries are not characterized by a particularly high content of individual vitamins or minerals. So about 11 milligrams of vitamin C are contained in 100 grams of berries, about as much as cranberries. The health potential of cranberries is mainly due to the abundance of phytochemicals. In particular, the polyphenols contained in the cranberries - the so-called oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPC) - have a strong antioxidant effect and thus protect well against free radicals. In addition, the OPC itself should in turn activate vitamin C and increase its antioxidant activity and prolong the activity of vitamins A and E. In addition, they have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial.

Overall, the low-calorie fruits are attributed many healing properties: they are to prevent urinary tract infections, lower cholesterol, strengthen blood vessels and the cardiovascular system, reduce cell aging and damage and sometimes even inhibit cancer cells or the formation of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Mature cranberries will probably rarely land as fresh produce in the mouth. They are sour, harsh and have a astringent effect, so they are usually processed. It can be dried or boiled to your personal taste, with or without added sugar, and then processed further - for example to juice, syrup, jelly or sauce. The fruits go very well with meat dishes or baked cheese. Traditionally, for example, in America, the cranberry sauce is the turkey on Thanksgiving. Also for cakes and desserts or for cereal, the small berries are very good. Dried and lightly sweetened cranberries are kept cold for several months. Heike Stommel, bzfe