Cooking With Cranberries: 5 Ways to Use it in Daily Meals

Urinary Tract Infections are very common among women. Women around the world tend to go for dietary supplements to boost their immunity and stay clear of infection. However, a natural source to boost your immunity and keep chances of UTI at bay is Cranberry. Researchers believe the chemicals in cranberries keep bacteria from sticking to the cells that line the urinary tract where they can multiply.

At https://t.co/Z6GGtwMFxU, we are dedicating the month of December #ForWomensHealth in association with @USCranberriesIN. Stay tuned to learn about #UTI, its prevention, discussion with health experts, and more. pic.twitter.com/Rl0SKsUcLC

— SheThePeople (@SheThePeopleTV) November 30, 2017

But cranberry juice tastes highly tart and consuming it fresh can be a challenging task.

There are also canned, jellied and dried options in the supermarkets, but then the companies destroy its original contents by adding more flavour and sugar to suit our taste buds. Thereby defeating the purpose of having cranberries. So how do you actually munch through these tang-y berries while keeping its goodness intact?

Research says that cranberry is actually better than many “superfoods” like spinach, blueberries, or even green tea.

There are a few ways you can enjoy its very taste. Here are a few options:

• In many parts of India, seasonal cranberries are cooked as regular veggies with green chillies and lots of spices. People eat it with chapattis and it actually tastes really good because of its savoury spicy flavours.
• Cranberry smoothie: Smoothies are a great way to incorporate cranberry into your diet without losing its substance of low cal and sugar. Just pop in fresh or frozen cranberries into your favourite smoothie and viola! Enjoy a healthy dose of antioxidants. It will also help the body clear out of high-level E-coli that messes with the urinary tract walls.
• Add to salads: Fresh cranberries can be a great addition to the regular salads that we have at our home. Add olive oil as per your taste and chopped fresh mint along with salt and pepper. Cook it until the cranberries look caramelized. It is a great way to have cranberries with rice.

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• Add Cranberries to dips and salsa: Another great way of having cranberries is to team it with salsa and Greek yoghurt dips. The hint of cranberry and slight taste can totally change the flavour of your regular dip. It's enjoyed around the world.
• Use cranberry instead of raw mangoes: Many people use raw mangoes for its savoury taste in several recipes in India and elsewhere. To add a dosage of cranberry into one’s diet, we can replace raw mangoes with it.

Research says that cranberry is actually better than many “superfoods” like spinach, blueberries, or even green tea. A cup full of cranberries has only 45 calories, 12 grams of carb, and 2 grams of sugar. Apart from that, it also has phytonutrients that prevent tooth decay by impeding bacteria to stick to our teeth. These and more benefits included, it would probably be a good idea to start eating them right now.

Picture credit- Livestrong.com