Natural Cranberry

Although urine contains a variety of fluids, salts, and waste products, the presence of bacteria in it is rare.  When bacteria get into the bladder or kidneys and multiply into the urine, a UTI or Urinary Tract Infection can occur.  Even though urinary tract infections can be uncomfortable and painful, they tend to be easily treatable with antibiotics.

Treatment for urinary tract infections includes a variety of antibiotics, however there are also simple steps one can take at home to prevent or reduce the duration of an infection.  Drinking lots of water, avoiding sugar and alcohol, and drinking unsweetened cranberry juice or taking cranberry supplements are easy ways to fight against urinary tract infections.  It is also interesting to note that urinary tract infections are also common in household pets like cats and dogs.

 A cranberry is a relatively small, red berry that grows on low-hanging vines in temperate zones all over the United States and other world regions.  The cranberry is a member of the same family of plants as bilberry and blueberry.

Cranberry can be taken as a juice, the whole berry, or from an extract. For maximum cranberry benefits, there should be no additional sweeteners added.  There are also nutritional supplements containing cranberry available in capsule and liquid form.

Antioxidants are currently all over the news as a boon to health, and cranberries are full of them.  You can bake with cranberries, eat pure cranberries in the form of sauce you enjoy for your favorite holiday, or take a supplement containing cranberries for optimum health. 

Cranberries contain certain components that prevent urinary tract infections and are thought to contain antioxidants that may help protect against heart disease, dental plaque, stomach ulcers, and cancer.

July 7, 2008    

Cranberry cultivation was started in the 1840’s,  with the best plants pollinated to increase size and quality.  After much experimentation, they are now grown on man made specialized farms.       There are several growing areas in Canada:  Nova Scotia,  P.E.I., Quebec,  Ontario and Fraser Valley, B.C.      The cranberries for CranberryCrandale come from Bala, Ontario  and the cranberry capsules are made there also.   

The harvesting and sorting processes are certainly not simple.   A lot of equipment and staff are required to complete this operation.    Just one part of the system,  the sorting machines have seven barriers for the berries to “bounce” through, and  only ones with the “correct bounce” ,  no spoilage or bruising are passed through.   They are then hand inspected and packed 33 lbs. to a box to prevent any damage.   To make the capssules - the cranberries go through a dehydration process and packed into “vegicaps” .  The product is 100% Fresh, Freeze-dried cranberry,   340ml to each capsule giving  them the ultimate health benefit.      

Thank you for coming   -  you can look forward to more good information on cranberries.

Cranberries contain compounds which mimic the human Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein  which helps keep bacteria from sticking to the bladder walls causing bladder infection.    Some people do not have the Tamm-Horsall glycoprotein which makes them more susceptible to urinary tract infection. 

Just a few signs of urinary infection are:   burning sensation on voiding, pain, fever, and some elderly persons may become disorientated until the infection lessens.