Be Berry Aware Campaign

Disclosure: I received a compensation in return for this post. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. However, all thoughts are my own.

I’m sure that most of us, self included, have room for improvement when it comes to health and nutrition. When it comes to nutrition it’s important to get the most nutritional value from the foods that you eat. But it’s difficult to always eat what is best for our bodies, and sometimes even more difficult to know which foods we should be eating for optimal nutrition. Wouldn’t it be nice to know which foods are going to give you the most bang for your buck, so to speak?  Cranberry juice is the perfect example of this. Through the Be Berry Aware Campaign, I’ve learned that not all cranberry juice is created equal and here is why.

There are many benefits to drinking cranberry juices like the fact that it’s high in antioxidants and good for your kidneys, but juice with a higher content of cranberry juice may have the most health benefits. In fact, drinking 8 ounces (1 cup) of 27% cranberry juice provides the same health benefits as 1½ cups of whole berries.

If you are worried about drinking juice with a high sugar content, you can avoid excess ‘added sugar’ by selecting 100% fruit juice with a minimum of 27% cranberry juice.

Did you know?
100% cranberry juice is considered a “nutrient dense” beverage – per calorie, it packs more nutritional value than other beverage choices. Also, the rich red color of cranberry juice is derived from anthocyanin’s which are naturally occurring flavonoids – a type of antioxidant with health promotion potential.

Some fun ways to add cranberry juice to your diet…

When making oatmeal try replacing the water with cranberry juice.

Add pure cranberry juice to a vinaigrette with a touch of honey to perk up your salad greens or add a unique flavor to a marinade.

Mix 1/4 cup of pure cranberry juice (or 1 cup of cranberry cocktail or 100% juice blend) with 1 cup of sparkling lime water. If you prefer a sweeter flavor add a few drops of liquid stevia or substitute a diet lemon-lime soft drink. Serve over ice.

My personal favorite is instead of having a cocktail, mix 1/4 cup of pure cranberry juice with 1 cup of club soda. Add a twist (or two) of lime.

In a nutshell…
High-content cranberry juice is a delicious and healthful drink. An 8 oz. cup of 100% juice, with a minimum of 27% cranberry, meets the 2010 Dietary Guidelines as a fruit and/or vegetable allowance.

I’m really excited by what I have learned through the Be Berry Campaign, and from now on will be on the lookout for “cranberry juice” as the first/main ingredient on nutrition labels.

* I received a compensation in return for this post. This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media.

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