A cranberry question for the strict diet

Biev · Post by **Biev** » Wed 28 Nov 2007 18:24

Hi, I have to say I love this diet so far (day 5). Here's my question : my doctor wants me to either drink a glass of cranberry juice a day (which contains high fructose corn syrup) or eat dried cranberries everyday (which contain a lot of added sugar). I prefer the juice since it's not as sickeningly sweet, but if it's gonna mess up the diet I can always get pure cranberry in capsule form instead (yuck).

jfk · Post by **jfk** » Wed 28 Nov 2007 23:47

Hi Biev, what is it specifically from cranberries that your doctor wants you to ingest? Perhaps you could get it from a more Wai-friendly fruit.

Biev · Post by **Biev** » Thu 29 Nov 2007 13:40

I have chronic urinary tract infections, the cranberry makes the urine acid enough so that bacteria can't multiply. Each UTI is more painful than the last. I'm not willing to gamble with this.

jfk · Post by **jfk** » Thu 29 Nov 2007 15:16

Biev wrote:I have chronic urinary tract infections, the cranberry makes the urine acid enough so that bacteria can't multiply.

Good that your doctor wants you to adopt a natural cure - I always find they rush straight to medication. Too bad you can't get fresh cranberries? They are in season at the moment and currently in all the shops over here.

Hope you get better

Biev · Post by **Biev** » Thu 29 Nov 2007 22:58

Well the cranberries are for prevention, they can't actually cure an infection once it's developed, which means I still have to take antibiotics now and then.

And I can get fresh cranberries, but I doubt I could just eat one like that... those things taste awful unsweetened.

So can anyone tell me if the corn syrup in the juice or the sugar in the dried berries is ok? I read that adding sugar to orange juice was acceptable, so I'm wondering why this would be different.

jfk · Post by **jfk** » Fri 30 Nov 2007 01:28

Biev wrote:And I can get fresh cranberries, but I doubt I could just eat one like that... those things taste awful unsweetened.

At least by pressing your own cranberries and adding sugar you would have fresh unpasteurized juice.

Biev wrote:So can anyone tell me if the corn syrup in the juice or the sugar in the dried berries is ok? I read that adding sugar to orange juice was acceptable, so I'm wondering why this would be different.

According to this old thread the corn syrup should be okay: viewtopic.php?t=144 However, this doesn't alter the fact that the juice itself is probably pasteurized; on the diet this is not acceptable but then neither are cranberries particularly.

Biev · Post by **Biev** » Fri 30 Nov 2007 01:53

Well, since both types of sugar seem to be ok I'll just go with the dried cranberry then, that takes care of the pasteurizing problem. Thanks.