Do Cranberries Have Seeds?

Cranberries come from a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines. They are a subgenus Oxycoccus of the Vaccinium genus. The can be referred to Accinium oxycoccos or Vaccinium macrocarpon, depending whether in United Kingdom or North America. Vaccinium oxycoccos being grown in in northern Europe, with Vaccinium macrocarpon being grown in Canada, United States and Chile.

Cranberries are shrubs or vines that can grow up to 2 meters (7 feet) long and 5 to 20 centimeters (2 to 8 inches) in height. They are very slim with small green leaves. The flowers that grow are dark pink colored, pollinated by bees. The fruit that grows is larger then the leaves, being light green on the beginning, getting red when it’s ripe. Fruit is edible with sweet taste, that can be overrun by acidic taste.

The name cranberry comes from the word “craneberry“. It was named by European settlers in America who thought the flower looks like the neck, head and bill of a crane. The other word used to describe cranberries is mossberry, with fenberry being a term that comes from plantations in fen (marsh) lands.

Nutrition

Cranberries in raw form have middling amount of vitamin C, dietary fiber and the essential dietary mineral, manganese. All of those nutrients having more than 10% of the Daily Value per 100 g serving. The juice made from cranberries is usually sweetened or blended with other fruit juices. It is done to reduce its natural tartness.

Among the fruits and vegetables, cranberries can be found atop a lot of lists, including those that show the healthiest foods. Antioxidants found in cranberries are essential for healthy lifestyle. Fresh cranberries in particular. They contain the highest levels of beneficial nutrients.

Seeds

When it comes to the question if the cranberries have seeds in them, the answer is yes. The seed found in them, are very small, but still visible within four big air pockets of cranberries. The seeds can be removed by slicing the fruit in two pieces, and then washing them with water. This is done by many people who have difficulties with their digestive systems, people with diverticulitis or any other gastrointestinal problem.

When cranberries are being processed in your body, beneficial phytochemical compounds are damaged, weakening benefits done to your body. When eating raw cranberries, higher levels of phytochemicals, more specifically phenols, compared to cooked or dried incarnations. Phenols behave like antioxidants in your body, by neutralizing damaging free radicals.  When there is a large amount of free radicals in your system, they can attack healthy cells found in your body. This increases your risk of diseases and viruses, like potential cancer or other chronic conditions. This is where the high levels of phytochemical content of raw cranberries help neutralize these free radicals, reducing your risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer.

Other than that, phytochemicals found in raw cranberries keep the bacteria Escherichia Coli from staying on the walls of your urinary tract.  Scientist say that as many as 90 percent of urinary tract infections are caused by this type of bacteria. By including raw cranberries and other fruit, you can help reduce your risk of potentially suffering from a painful bladder infection or urinary tract.

Health benefits aside, there are some things you need to consider before eating raw cranberries. They may cause some problems in your body. Raw cranberries have very high level of acid in them, and they can damage the enamel on your teeth. You will need to brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, half an hour before you can eat something containing raw cranberries. This is done so you can protect your teeth from decaying and cavities that are caused by enamel erosion.

The other potential harmful side effect happens with people suffering from heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease. This is commonly known as GERD. The high amount of acid foods can aggravate your esophagus and stomach. If you are experiencing frequent sufferings from episodes of heartburn or other heart problems, you should avoid triggering your symptoms, and lower your intake of acid-high foods, or just completely shut them out.

To avoid eating cranberries raw, you can prepare them in variety of forms. Many cocktails, including one of the most popular cocktail ever, the Cosmopolitan, is made with cranberry juice. But unfortunately, with one teaspoon of sugar, your cranberry juice is sweeter than most soda drinks. And it has been linked to obesity. Other than cocktails, cranberry is repaired as a compote, jelly, sauce, and traditionally served with roast turkey.

Cranberries are one of the world’s healthiest fruit. Their seeds are small, but can be found if cut in half. Unlike strawberries, where the seeds are located outside of the fruit, cranberry seeds are located inside the fruit. You can remove them if you prefer to do so, but remember to eat the rest.

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