Dried Cranberries Nutrition

The most popular cranberry products are cranberry juice, cranberry sauce and dried cranberries. Dehydrated or dried cranberries are available in all health stores. Cranberry is obtained from evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines belonging to the genus Vaccinium and sub genus Oxycoccos. Various canned varieties of cranberries are available in markets.

Dried cranberries are common in the cooler areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Cranberries are a major crop in the US. The plant grows low to the ground like a vine. The leaves of the plant are smaller than the berries and the berries are white until they ripen to a deep red. Dried cranberries are tart and sweet and are added to salads, trail mix, muffins and thanksgiving dinners. Their deep red color makes the dish very attractive. White cranberries, the cranberries that are harvested before they turn the familiar deep red color, are used primarily in white cranberry juice drinks. Dehydrated cranberries are usually sweetened to alleviate tartness.

Dried Cranberries

Nutritional Value
100g of sweetened dried cranberries contain:

• Ash - 0.20 g
• Calcium, Ca - 10 mg
• Copper, Cu - 0.080 mg
• Carbohydrate, by difference - 82.36 g
• Energy - 308 kcal
• Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated - 0.658 g
• Fatty acids, total monounsaturated - 0.198 g
• Fatty acids, total saturated - 0.103 g
• Fiber, total dietary - 5.7 g
• Iron, Fe - 0.53 mg
• Lutein + zeaxanthin - 33 mcg
• Manganese, Mn - 0.265 mg
• Magnesium, Mg - 5 mg
• Niacin - 0.990 mg
• Pantothenic acid - 0.217 mg
• Potassium, K - 40 mg
• Phosphorus, P - 8 mg
• Protein - 0.07 g
• Riboflavin - 0.016 mg
• Selenium, Se - 0.5 mcg
• Sodium, Na - 3 mg
• Sugars, total - 65.00 g
• Thiamin - 0.007 mg
• Total lipid (fat) - 1.37 g
• Vitamin B-6 - 0.038 mg
• Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid - 0.2 mg
• Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) - 1.07 mg
• Vitamin K (phylloquinone) - 3.8 mcg
• Water - 16.00 g
• Zinc, Zn - 0.11 mg

Let us now see how the nutrients in dried cranberries are helpful in improving your health.

Health Benefits
Cranberries offer you a number of health benefits.

• Dried cranberries are high in Vitamin C and antioxidants. They help reduce the effect of free radicals and thus inhibit the development of cancer cells.
• They can inhibit bacterial infections and so are used widely for treating urinary tract infections and also ear and mouth infections.
• They act as the best weapon in the war against atherosclerosis, hardening of the walls of the arteries.
• They are packed with vitamins and hence cranberry concentrate pills are sold in the vitamin section of the supermarket.
• They offer cardiovascular benefits and help in immune system strengthening.
• They are even suspected of helping fight tooth decay.
• The dietary fiber in cranberries improves your digestive health.
• Cranberry juice prevents kidney stones.
• Cranberry juice also offers you a protection against Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
• The juice helps you avoid excessive use of oral antibiotics as it prevents a kind of rash, called jock itch, caused by a fungal infection.
• Cranberries help you maintain good cholesterol levels. If fresh cranberries are not available, you can use dried ones after soaking them in water.
• Cranberries help in detoxification of your body and they also contain vitamin E. So you can get glowing skin if you start consuming cranberries in proportionate quantity.

Various studies are going on to confirm the nutritional benefits of cranberries. Taking into consideration the dried cranberries nutrition facts, they are used in various products like cranberry pumpkin bread, salads and cereals.