Be Berry Aware: Not All Cranberry Juices are Created Equal!

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

My husband loves cranberry juice.  In fact, it’s one item that you can almost be sure to find in our fridge on any given day.  Which is great, because it’s so healthy.  Just one 8 oz. cup of cranberry juice provides the same health benefits as if you ate 1 1/2 cups of whole berries.  And that’s a pretty big deal when you consider that 70% of Americans do not get the recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables.

But did you know that not all cranberry juices are created equal?  Because I didn’t until just recently.  I thought that no matter what juice I pulled off the shelf, he was getting a maximum amount of vitamins and nutrients.  Turns out, that’s not the case…not at all.  So many of those products listed as cranberry juice contain very little cranberry juice or contain large amounts of high-fructose corn syrup.  As a result you need to check the label to make sure you are buying a product that has cranberry juice listed as the first juice.   High-content cranberry juices include Trader Joe’s 100% Cranberry, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail, and Langers Cranberry Juice Cocktail, just to name a few (see infographic below for complete list).  I mean, if you’re going to purchase and consume cranberry juice, why not make sure that you’re getting all the nutrients possible?

Unfortunately, there are some people that find cranberry and cranberry juice to be too tart.  Admission: I’m one of them.  Luckily, there are tons of ways to get your daily dose of cranberries without drinking the juice on its own.  Need ideas?  Okay…

• Mix ¼ cup of pure cranberry juice with 1 cup of iced tea (you can also use lemonade or lemon-lime soda instead of iced tea!).  And don’t feel bad adding some sweetener like Stevia if you like your iced tea a little sweeter.
• Substitute cranberry juice for water the next time you’re making your oatmeal.
• Make a Cranberry Sangria by mixing a bottle of fruity red wine, 4 cups of cranberry juice, 1 cup of orange juice, 1 thinly sliced orange, 1 cored and thinly sliced apple, ½ cup of fresh or frozen cranberries, then chilling for 4 hours.  Serve over ice.

And of course that’s not all!  There are tons of other healthy options you can create by using cranberry juice – salad dressings, marinades, hot cranberry drinks for wintertime, the sky is the limit!

To learn more about cranberry juice and all it’s benefits, check out the Be Berry Aware website.  Do you drink cranberry juice?  Do you use cranberry juice while you cook?  How do you use it?

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