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Cranberries are probably most well known by being served at Christmas with Turkey, however because they are tart, even if sweetened they provide a great compliment to pork and poultry.

Cranberries contain bioflavonoids which help in the fight against cancer and heart disease and stomach ulcers. They are also a good source of vitamin C. and fibre. Often called the bounce berry, Cranberries are at their best when they can be literally bounced.

Cranberries have however some unique qualities and drawbacks. They contain a natural antibiotic which helps to prevent or alleviate cystitis and urinary tract infections. The natural antibiotic makes the bladder wall resistant to the organisms that cause urinary tract infections. People with bladder infections are often advised by their urologists or gynaecologists to drink two 200 ml glasses of cranberry juice daily to help prevent infection. In the bladder this helps prevent the bacteria forming colonies and instead the bacteria is washed out of the body in the urine.

Because Cranberries are tart, cranberry juice usually has added sugar. This makes cranberry juice unsuitable for a diabetic and is also not advised for people taking warfarin as Cranberries can raise blood levels of warfarin dangerously high to potentially fatal levels.

So overall eating Cranberries or drinking cranberry juice should be treated with caution especially if you are a potential diabetic.

Tags: cranberries, alleviate cystitis, diabetic, urinary tract infections

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by Rebecca Burn Dip RNT, MBANT

Fruit and vegetables are fantastic providers of key vitamins and minerals necessary for all aspects of health. Not only this, fruit and vegetables provide fibre which is necessary for healthy digestion, and antioxidants which may help to prevent damage caused by free radicals in the environment. Free radical damage is potentially incredibly dangerous as it has been linked with degenerative diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Currently the Government recommends we all eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. With the average adult in the UK consuming 2.8 portions a day, and many people eating far less than this, it is important to find ways to boost our intake.

Portion Guidelines

It is not as hard you may think to eat 5 a day. Fresh, frozen, chilled, canned, 100% juice and smoothies all count, as do dried fruit and vegetables.

As a general rule 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables such as carrots, peas or sweetcorn count as one portion. You’ll need 4 heaped tablespoons of dark green leafy vegetables such as kale or spring greens to make up a portion, and fruit wise a medium sized piece of fruit such as an apple, a banana, a pear or an orange count as a portion.

On the down side, a glass of fruit or vegetable juice only counts as 1 portion no matter how much you drink. Sadly the same goes for beans and pulses, and potatoes don’t count as they are classed as a starch. But don’t be disheartened, have a look at my handy hints below to find some easy ways to reach your target.

Rebecca’s Handy Tips for Eating 5 a day.

* Kick start each morning with a small glass of fruit or vegetable juice
* Add a chopped banana or apple to your cereal or porridge in the mornings
* Snack on hummus and crudités. 3 sticks of celery or 7 cherry tomatoes count as 1
portion
* Chop up a variety of vegetables to use in a stir fry. Try red peppers, carrots, broccoli and
spring greens. A delicious mix will make up a portion.
* Boil up some vegetables in vegetable stock - 2 broccoli spears or 8 cauliflower florets
count as a portion, and blend when soft for an easy soup. For an additional portion add 3
heaped teaspoons of canned sweetcorn before tucking in.
* Eat a portion of beans each day. Heap 3 tablespoons of baked beans onto a baked potato
for a simple tasty lunch
* Add additional vegetables to a tomato pasta sauce – a mix of peppers, cherry tomatoes
and mushrooms will go towards making up a portion.
* Fruit can make a great snack – the following all count as one portion: a large slice of
pineapple, an apple, half a grapefruit, 2 kiwi fruit, 7 strawberries, a tablespoon of dried
raisins or 3 dried prunes.

What about supplements?

Eating 5 a day can certainly improve our chances of reaching the recommended daily allowances (RDAs) of the nutrients we need. However this is not the whole story, sadly these days the poor quality of fruit and vegetables in many supermarkets means the nutrient content is not as high as we’d like. To guard against any nutritional shortfalls in the diet a good quality general multi vitamin is a good idea. Healthy Direct do Multi vitamins tailored for different groups - Men, Women, the over 50s and even chewable multi vitamins for children called “Wiggly Worms”.

A supplement should never be a substitute for eating your fruit and vegetables. In fact, despite containing key nutrients, a supplement cannot provide all the naturally occurring flavanoids and phytochemicals found in fresh fruit and vegetables which aid the use of nutrients in the body. So you still need to ensure you are also eating a good variety of different fruits and vegetables each day for optimum health.

For more information, visit www.healthydirect.com

By Bryan Applegate

Ingredients

Romaine Lettuce (head $1.29)
1 pound of steak ($10 per pound)
1 box of colorful pasta ($1.03 Blue’s Clues because my inner child sways me at times.)
1 red pepper ($2.62)
Blue Cheese dressing ($2.43)
½ pound block of blue cheese($3.79 optional ingredient)

*Save money everywhere but in buying the meat. Cheap meat is too tough for this.

Wash and shred lettuce. Put it in the refrigerator so that it remains cold and crispy at serving time.

Then, cook pasta until tender but not downright floppy. We want the pasta to be somewhat cooler, so in this instance, it’s okay to rinse it off with cool water a little bit so it no longer steams.

Meanwhile, cut steak into slices and sear with salt and pepper. Do this in a shallow pan and a tablespoon of oil in the pan. As the meat cooks, toss it around a bit. When it starts sticking to the pan, you’re done in thirty seconds.

As the steak finishes, wash and half the red pepper. Faux roast a half on an electric range or carefully roast a half on a gas stove so that the outside is dark and toasty. While the pepper can still keep its shape, remove it carefully from the heat and slice lengthwise. It’s a lovely and tasty garnish with dramatic flair during cooking!

Assembly for presentation:

Toss the lettuce and cooled pasta together evenly. Now add enough dressing to coat the pasta and lettuce in a toss. Put this tossed mix as a bed on a plate or in a bowl. With clean fingers, crumble some of the wedge of blue cheese. Now place the steak strips on top in no particular pattern. Lightly drizzle with blue cheese dressing (diners can add more to taste). Finally, garnish the top with the most aesthetic strips of red pepper providing remaining slices for your companion.

What you have is a colorful and healthy salad for the human omnivore. Most every need of nutrition is encompassed in this attractive dish that goes well with red wine, water, or even cola for the kiddies.

Bryan Applegate is >Online Cooking’s Associate Editor and does really cool things with 3d graphics!

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