Cranberry juice during pregnancy - benefits and harms

One of the great healers of the 16th century, Paracelsus said: "Everything is poison and everything is medicine, and only the dose distinguishes one from the other." Indeed, any product, not to mention medicines, can be very useful and extremely dangerous. Especially if the patient is a pregnant woman. Today we’ll talk about cranberry juice - an amazing drink that saturates an exhausted body with vitamins. Cranberry juice is not just a sweet and tasty treat, it is a valuable medicine that can replace even potent drugs.

Useful properties of cranberry juice

Morse is a drink that is made from berry or fruit juice with the addition of sugar, water and other components. A special benefit of the drink is that it is not boiled (like compote) or boiled only for cake. That is, the valuable juice of berries and fruits is not subjected to heat treatment, which means that it retains the lion's dose of nutrients. Cranberries are a magic berry that contains glucose, fructose, pectins, vitamins, organic acids, and minerals. All this makes cranberries very useful for any person, and especially for pregnant women.

1. With SARS. Viral infection is not treated with antibiotics - this is a long-proven fact. In 85% of cases, the common cold is a viral rather than a bacterial infection. A simple liquid will help to cope with the virus. Women during pregnancy catch a cold very often - immunity is weakened by bearing the crumbs in the womb. Treatment is complicated by the fact that taking medications is prohibited, especially if the period is very short. Cranberry juice is an ideal solution for acute respiratory viral infections. Cranberry juice is saturated with a huge amount of vitamin C. Ascorbic acid not only eliminates the disease, but also forms a stable defense against viruses - this is an excellent prevention. If you have a runny nose, cough, or throat - drink 2-3 liters of cranberry juice per day, after a few days the disease will recede.
2. From temperature. The danger of a cold during pregnancy is that an increase in temperature is extremely undesirable. In the early stages, hyperthermia can cause congenital abnormalities of the fetus. At the same time, taking medications to lower the temperature is possible only in extreme cases. Cranberry juice has a pronounced diaphoretic and antipyretic effect. It is very important to drink not just juice, but fruit drink in large quantities - moisture makes you sweat, lowering your body temperature.
3. Against constipation. Cranberry itself has a beneficial effect on the intestines - it eliminates pathogenic bacteria, protects against bloating and gas formation. Cranberry juice enhances intestinal motility, a mild treatment for constipation, which often occurs during pregnancy. Moreover, if you suffer from constipation, you need to prepare a fruit drink with pulp - that is, leave a little cake in the drink, do not filter it completely. This is a wonderful plant fiber, which instead of a brush cleanses the intestines from stagnant stool.
4. In the postpartum period. Cranberry juice has always been given to people in hospitals and maternity hospitals after infectious diseases or childbirth. Cranberry perfectly calms, promotes tissue regeneration, heals and nourishes the body with vitamins. In addition, cranberries stimulate lactation to increase breast milk.
5. For appetite. Cranberries are a great source of appetite, it is very important for pregnant women in the early stages who often suffer from toxicosis. The sour taste of the berry helps to suppress a constant feeling of nausea, to relieve morning vomiting.It is enough to leave a glass of prepared fruit juice on the bedside table and drink a couple of sips in the morning without getting out of bed.
6. Folic acid. Another important property of cranberries is their higher folic acid content. This vitamin is essential during pregnancy, its deficiency can lead to malformations of the neural tube of the fetus. Folic acid must be drunk - both at the planning stage and in the early stages of pregnancy, up to 14 weeks, until the baby is fully formed.
7. For the urinary system. Cranberries are a wonderful diuretic that makes the kidneys and urogenital system easier. This is an excellent prevention of urolithiasis. And cranberries are used in the treatment of cystitis - it quickly relieves inflammation, relieves frequent urges, pain and pain when urinating.
8. Circulatory system. Cranberries are incredibly useful for the circulatory system, it is very important during pregnancy. After all, it is through the blood and the umbilical cord that the baby receives oxygen and basic nutrition.

Cranberries, raspberries, currants are berries that should certainly be in your refrigerator, especially if you are in an interesting position.

Cranberry damage during pregnancy

Any product can be useful and at the same time harmful if you eat it in large quantities. There is a lot of vitamin C in cranberries, an excess of ascorbic acid can lead to uterine tone. It is worth considering if you eat not only cranberries, but also other berries and fruits with vitamin C, and in addition take ascorbic acid as part of multivitamins. Another contraindication to the use of cranberries is a stomach disease, such as an ulcer and gastritis. The berry is quite acidic, it can irritate the inflamed mucosa, especially with gastritis with high acidity. With the active use of cranberry juice, you may feel another discomfort - frequent urination. Unfortunately, women during pregnancy and without it constantly run to the toilet - the growing uterus presses on the bladder. Cranberries have a powerful diuretic effect, so your trips to the restroom will become even more frequent. Well, of course, no one canceled the allergic reaction, which can be individual - in the form of a skin rash, cough, bloating, nausea, etc. If such symptoms occur, cranberries should be completely discarded.

How to cook cranberry juice?

We all know that vitamins in foods are very often lost under the influence of temperature, air, time, etc. To make the drink not only tasty, but also useful, it should be prepared in accordance with all the rules.

1. To make fruit juice you will need fresh or frozen cranberries. Contrary to misconception, frozen berries are just as healthy as fresh ones - the freezing process saves more than 90% of valuable vitamins and minerals. But remember that vitamins can be lost if the frozen berry is improperly thawed. To do this, you need to transfer the berry from the freezer to the refrigerator, in no case leave it at room temperature.
2. Fresh or frozen berries are crushed using a blender, meat grinder or just in a mortar. Some vitamins are oxidized when in contact with metal, so try to choose glass or plastic means of grinding. Cranberries are quite soft, you can just rub it with a plastic spoon in a porcelain or glass cup.
3. After this, cranberries should be squeezed out well to get valuable juice. They put him aside - there will be no more manipulations with him. Remember that juice in no case is boiled!
4. We also do not throw out the cake. It must be filled with water and put on fire. The skin and cranberry seeds contain useful substances that we need to get. After the liquid boils, it should be kept on fire for about 10 minutes, and then allowed to cool.
5. When the cranberry water has cooled, it is filtered and mixed with pre-prepared juice. If you suffer from constipation, it is better not to throw out the cake, but leave it. In this case, it is crushed with a blender to a puree condition and added to the drink, it turns out fruit juice with pulp.

Cranberry juice comes out quite acidic, so sugar or honey is added to it. In addition, you can add lemon juice, mint, ginger, raspberries or currants to the drink - such additives will decorate your cocktail and make it more useful and valuable. In the summer, fruit drinks are served with ice to make the drink even more refreshing.

According to legend, cranberries gave people cranberries so that people can live a whole winter without disease. Today, cranberries are really considered a real vitamin bomb - there are so many useful substances in it. Drink cranberry juice during pregnancy - take care of your health!

Video: cranberry juice against colds