Did you know you could have nasty toxins floating around in your bloodstream? It’s true, but there’s no reason that you should rush out to go get some expensive potentially harmful medication. You can detox 100 percent naturally by using cranberry juice.
If you read that and got excited about drinking one of your favorite morning beverages, then the more power to you. Honestly, I hated the stuff at first! Fortunately, there’s a few ways to get used to it. Since all juices aren’t created equal, I wanted to share my tips on how to pick the best cranberry juice for detox.
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Health Benefits of Cranberry Juice
You may have heard recently that some new studies regarding cranberry juice say it might not have as much of an influence on urinary health as previously thought. Ignore that for just a moment and focus on what the USDA has to say about a single eight-ounce serving. Their basic report reads that it offers 75.6 mg of ascorbic acid, which is like 91 percent of your total vitamin C needs for one day (1). If that’s not a health benefit in its own right, then I have no clue what is. It’s also a fairly good source of vitamins A and B6 according to the USDA’s report.
Noted organic chemical engineer Kiran Patil wrote that cranberry juice can be used to prevent nasty problems like urinary tract infections (2). While there’s been some controversy over this in recent years, he wrote that there’s some real evidence that it helps prevent them even if some of the science about treating them might not be there.
He cited another study from Rutgers that found these chemicals with a name longer than my leg (proanthocyanidins) helps prevent bacteria from binding itself to the walls of your bladder (3). Naturally, these compounds are found in none other than cranberries, which makes their juice a great option for those trying to detox.
Others have conducted studies saying that cranberry juice can help you keep off weight once you’ve lost it. At least one Canadian researcher found that detoxing with cranberry juice can reduce your overall risk of cancer (4).
If this wasn’t enough, then research in 2010 showed detoxing with cranberry juice could help purge viral infections out of your bloodstream (5). A followup study conducted a year later by a different group of health gurus said it might even help to get rid of germs (6).
How to Detox with Cranberry Juice
One of the great things about this juice is that you can pretty much use it however you want. Some bodybuilders use it as part of intermittent fasts while others drink large amounts of it because they’re worried about bladder infections. Since this is just a regular food product, you can usually do whatever you want with it.
That doesn’t mean you should overdo it, especially if you’re taking vitamin C supplements. Make sure you’re eating and drinking other things. Cranberry juice is usually well-tolerated, though.
Picking the Right Kind of Cranberry Juice
Plenty of brands actually sell cranberry juice cocktail, which is a mixture of cranberry juice with other juices. This kind of product might include extra sugar that you don’t necessarily want. However, don’t believe people who tell you that it’s still not nutritious because the USDA actually requires the people who juice fruits to make sure that everything matches certain guidelines (7). Just don’t choose anything that contains GMO ingredients.
If you’re really serious about detoxing, then you’re going to want pure cranberry juice. Be cautious because this can be rather tart. You may want to add a bit of stevia leaf extract to it to make it a bit more palatable.
Extra sugar will probably defeat the purpose of using it, and you don’t want to ruin it with any artificial sweeteners.
How to Mix Cranberry Juice Concentrate
Buying juice concentrate is a great way to ensure that you’re getting pure cranberry juice. If you’re anything like me, though, then you’ve never tried mixing this stuff before. I’m used to grabbing a bottle out of the fridge and drinking straight out of it!
You’ll want to add a certain portion of the concentrate to a jug and then add water to it while stirring. If you want to put together a bigger batch to keep around for a few days, then you can easily shove it in the refrigerator. It’s really that easy and there are plenty of videos on YouTube that show it as a fun project to do with kids like this one:
Once you’re done enjoying it, make sure to brush your teeth. While cranberry juice stops bacteria from sticking to your teeth, it’s also really acidic. I usually go with a natural toothpaste that has baking soda in it.
5 Best Cranberry Juices for Detoxing
Ocean Spray Unsweetened Pure Cranberry Juice
More than likely, you’re already familiar with Ocean Spray because they’re a grower’s cooperative that markets various fruit juices directly from bogs around the country. This is an excellent consumer-grade concoction that may taste a bit different from most other products. If you’ve never tried regular cranberry juice consumption in the past, then this might be the best option since it’s the closest to what you’d find on a regular breakfast table without sacrificing any of the huge health benefits that come with cranberry juice. It’s also quite affordable, so you can buy it alongside your other groceries without worrying too much about the price. Being that it’s a standard commercial product, you’ll also find a ton of different sizes to buy it in, but it’s cheapest if you get larger bulk packages that offer multiple bottles.
Pros:
- 100 percent pure juice
- No added sugars
- Each cup offers a full serving of fruit
Cons:
- Technically made from concentrate
- Quite bitter
- Still contains natural sugar
BioFinest Cranberry Juice Powder
BioFinest uses premium raw cranberries sourced from a number of nations and then freeze dries them to lock in freshness. Powered juice used to be more common, but even if you’ve never worked with it you’ll find that it’s very easy to make with just a little practice. You can technically add this powder to any other drink as well, which can help you incorporate a little juice into your customary pre-workout or BCAA cocktail. All of BioFinest’s products are free of chemical fertilizers and solvents, so you can be sure you’re only getting cranberries with no other ingredients.
Pros:
- Not all that sour
- Easy to carry
- 100 percent organic
Cons:
- Must be reconstituted
- Relatively expensive for the amount of mix you get
- Can cake up if its humid
Life Tree is an old-fashioned genuine concentrate product, which means you have to mix it with water. While it’s somewhat in the middle as far as price goes, you might find that it’s quite expensive until you figure out the correct mixing proportions. Once you do you’ll be using much less concentrate to make juice. If you’re sitting there thinking all of this is a hassle, then you might be missing the point because Life Tree is a 100 percent pure product that’s just about as close to eating straight cranberries as you can get. Those of you who take your detox session seriously will want to give it a try.
Pros:
- Very little sugar even from natural sources
- Makes a fairly large amount of juice
- Extremely high in antioxidants
Cons:
- Needs to be diluted since this is more pure than regular juice
- Has no sweet tones at all.
- Close to being the tartest product on market
Dynamic Health Cranberry Juice
Perhaps you’ve been using some cranberry juice product for a while and want to detox with one that’s not too far off from what you’ve had in the past. Dynamic Health’s cranberry concentrate will have to be watered down just a bit to avoid burning your taste buds, but otherwise it’s just like what your local nutrition store is selling. Some bodybuilders use this kind of product straight because while it’s not sweet it tastes just like eating a handful of cranberries. Flooding your body with this is a good idea if you’ve been dealing with any sort of bladder problems.
Pros:
- Rather inexpensive
- Close to what’s in most health stores
- Easily mixes with other products
Cons:
- Sold in relatively small quantities
- May need to add Stevia
- Has to be watered down
FruitFast Cold Filled Cranberry Juice
If you’re instead looking for the kind of product that was once sold in grocery stores, then FruitFats’s Cold Filled cranberry juice concentrate might be for you. This is pretty close to what used to be offered by corner grocers and offers a farm-fresh taste. It’s this kind of product that was used by traditional health advocates for many years to stave off bladder infections and improve the digestive track. You will need to figure out just the right proportions for mixing, though.
Pros:
- Comes with enough for a 32 day supply
- Can be safely frozen for up to one year
- Ships in a BPA-free bottle
Cons:
- Very little measurable sugar, though this might be a plus for you depending
- Must be careful about following the “use-by” date
- Could be rather acidic
Our Choice
Those who are strapped for cash and don’t want to learn the right way to mix concentrates will want to try Ocean Spray’s unsweetened juice. It’s offered in convenient bottles that are perfect for dragging along to work or the gym.
Do you consider yourself as much of a health nut as I am? You’ll want to look into BioFinest’s powder, then. It’s a great option if you don’t mind paying a little more for something that you can mix into almost anything. You can even sprinkle the juice powder onto your dinner if you want to give it a huge antioxidant boost.
Either FruitFast or Life Tree concentrate is a good choice for anyone trying to strike a balance between price and quality. You can often get these products to stretch a bit longer by adding more water in a pinch. That being said, keep in mind that the best cranberry juice is the one you’re willing to drink regularly.
Sources
2 – https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-cranberry-juice.html
3 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16055161?&utm_medium=335
4 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20626034
5 – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740002010000158?&utm_medium=335
6 – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713511000831
7 – https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/CID%20Cranberry%20Juice%20Cocktail%20%28Single%20Strength%20and%20Concentrate%29.pdf