Cranberry Tea
Benefits Of Cranberry Tea
While some of the benefits of cranberry tea may be over exaggerated, it is still a matter of adding one plus one and coming up with two. Most herbal teas are healthy, and cranberries are known to be very healthy. Cranberry tea then, could be expected to be a healthy drink.
The problem we face in drinking most herbal teas or most specialty teas for that matter, is that while there is often some truth to the benefits to be gained of drinking a particular tea, one never knows how much or how often the tea should be consumed for the supposed benefits to kick in.
It's probably fair to say that if you drink herbal tea on consistent basis, and it doesn't have to be the same tea all of the time, you will probably gain some benefits. Assuming that holds true for cranberry tea as well, what can you expect?
The cranberry is regarded as one of our super foods. It's right up there with the blueberry, the carrot, and a few other fruits and vegetables packed with nutrients, antioxidants, or both. The cranberry contains both, but is best noted as a powerful source of antioxidants. Antioxidants fight inflammation, bolster the immune system, and are known to be helpful in preventing cancer. Tea is in general a healthy drink, not only because it contains nutrients, but also because tea contains less caffeine than coffee, and herbal teas usually contain no caffeine at all. Cranberry tea, usually a mix of dried cranberries and tea leaves, will contain some caffeine. You can make a nice cranberry tea without tea leaves however, simply by boiling cranberries in water in which citrus juice has been added, along with sugar and spices, and letting the mix steep for a few minutes to an hour.
Cranberry tea will not in itself cure or prevent any of the following diseases or disorders, but it is fair to say that the tea can be very helpful in prevention or cure, just as can good eating habits can be. Cranberry tea is an excellent beverage to take when one is on a weight loss program. One gets the benefit of certain organic acids which are fat fighters, while at the same time avoiding beverages that may make weight loss more difficult.
Cranberry Tea Benefits - Cranberry tea is rich in vitamins and certain minerals, as any of those nutrients, which may have been cooked out of the berries, will remain in the tea. Antioxidant and anti bacterial agents in cranberry tea help keep our kidneys in good working order, and tend to be beneficial in the prevention or cure of urinary tract infections. As mentioned above, the antioxidants in cranberry tea bolster the immune system, and in doing so, help protect most of the body's vital organs against infection or other disorders. If cranberry tea is used regularly as a beverage, it is known to promote healthy gums, and be an important factor in the prevention of gingivitis.
No Sugar Needed - Cranberries are noted for being very tart, and are sometimes consumed with sugar added. Adding enough sugar to cranberries to make them more palatable can compromise to a large extent the health benefit of the cranberry. The tartness is reduced significantly if the cranberries are used in a tea instead. Some may still prefer to add sugar to their tea, but that practice is not recommend if the full benefits of cranberry tea are to be realized. If the tea is a little too tart, try adding a little cinnamon instead of sugar. Cinnamon is healthy, and if added to hot cranberry tea, provides a very pleasant holiday beverage.