Skip to main content

MCC Daily Tribune Archive

The Food of the Month for December is Cranberries!


As part of MCC’s Wellness Council, we bring you healthy eating ideas. Each month we will focus on a specific food and its nutritional benefits. Links with more information about each food are also provided. 

Did you know that cranberries are one of North America’s three native fruits?  Of all the fruits only the blueberry, Concord grapes and cranberry can trace their roots to North American soil.

Along with being a part of holiday celebrations, cranberries are also a healthy food. They have a high nutrient and antioxidant content while only having 25 calories per half cup. Cranberries are often referred to as a “super food.” According to Medical News Today.com possible benefits of cranberries are helping to prevent urinary tract infections, may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and benefit oral health. They are also a good source of vitamin C, fiber and vitamin E.  You should not have a high intake of cranberries if you take the blood thinner Coumadin.

Some ways you can incorporate cranberries into your diet are:

* Make homemade trail mix with unsalted nuts, seeds and dried cranberries
* Include a small handful of frozen cranberries in a fruit smoothie
* Add dried cranberries to your oatmeal or whole grain cereal
* Toss dried for fresh cranberries into your favorite muffin or cookie recipe
* Include fresh cranberries in an apple dessert like pie or cobbler

Check out some great recipes below for more ideas on how to use cranberries:

https://allrecipes.com/recipes/1049/fruits-and-vegetables/fruits/berries/cranberries/ <https://allrecipes.com/recipes/1049/fruits-and-vegetables/fruits/berries/cranberries/>

https://www.cranberries.org/cranberries/recipes.html <https://www.cranberries.org/cranberries/recipes.html>

Sandy Warren, Deneen Rhode, Tanya Mack, Matt Farley
College Wellness Council
12/08/2015