LiveLongAgeWell

Quick. What’s your guess? No points for you if you say the stuffing or the gravy, but if you guessed the turkey, not bad. If you said sweet potatoes, even better, but the award really goes to the cranberries! (for my Brazilian readers: cranberry is oxicoco). It’s ironic that I’ve been to many Thanksgiving dinners where people make fun of cranberries…but in fact it’s the part of the meal most bursting with healthy anti-oxidants.

Even before the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, North American Indians regarded cranberries as medicine. Later, sailors brought sacks of the vitamin C rich berries on voyages to prevent scurvy. And for generations, American folklore has regarded cranberry juice as prevention from urinary tract infections. Only recently has this been proven and the mechanism discovered: chemical tannins in cranberries called proanthocyanidins prevent the E. coli bacteria from adhering to the lining of the urinary tract, and if the bacteria doesn’t attach, they don’t infect.

Another area where cranberries act as a “natural Teflon” is in the mouth. The main cause of cavities is the bacteria Streptococcus mutans, and cranberries block this bacteria from attaching to the tooth surface and forming the “biofilm” necessary to make cavities and plaque. Blueberries have some anti-cavity activity also, but cranberries are much more potent.

More significant, cranberries are amazing little gems in the anti-oxidant world. On the scale of anti-oxidant activity of all foods, cranberries are almost at the very top, above chocolate, blueberries, red wine, coffee, and broccoli. Cranberries are simply one of the best foods we have, and there is a host of research that—like coffee but without the negatives—they can significantly raise our HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Cranberries are also beneficial for our stomach and gastrointestinal tract (again preventing adherence of various bacteria), and there is growing lab data that they might inhibit various cancers, particularly breast, brain, lung, skin, and prostate.

To prove these anti-cancer benefits in humans, more research is needed. Cranberries though are so wonderful that within the next few months I’ll revisit them and discuss the best ways to enjoy them (emphasizing limiting the sugar that often goes with cranberries).  But for now, just enjoy the cranberry sauce, and think that these little berries will be countering some of the bad heart effects of the gravy.

Finally, another thought on the healthiest part of the Thanksgiving meal. Perhaps it’s really none of the foods at all, but rather the human connection we can make with the others at the table. Please consider that connection, that communion, and give thanks for that.  Connecting well with others is probably better than all the anti-oxidants in the world as a way to age well. So to all, especially my regular readers and subscribers, I thank you for reading, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.