CRANBERRY DIET: reviews, menu, products, effectiveness, contraindications

Beneficial properties of cranberries

Cranberries are beneficial for their high content of vitamin C and ascorbic acid, which helps to avoid vitamin deficiency in the autumn-spring period and protect yourself from colds. The berry is also used for increased gum bleeding, as it strengthens the walls of capillaries and prevents their ruptures.

Cranberry helps to normalize the condition and tidy up the gastrointestinal tract with cholecystitis (without stones) and gastritis with low acidity. Cranberry preparations have a diuretic effect. Infusions of dried berries are used for cystitis and pyelonephritis.

Cranberries are the strongest natural antibiotics. Fresh cranberry juice helps to successfully fight infectious lesions of the intestines, stomach and kidneys, when it is difficult to carry out drug treatment.

Cranberries are especially important for pregnant women. Most traditional medications are contraindicated for expectant mothers, so cranberries will come in handy for general strengthening of the immune system, as well as as part of maintenance therapy for certain diseases.

The presence of cranberries in the diet improves the condition of the skin and hair, normalizes vision due to the vitamin A content, and prevents the formation of “bad” cholesterol in the blood vessels.

Using cranberries for weight loss

The fact that cranberries promote weight loss has not been scientifically proven, but the high content of beneficial vitamins, acids, antioxidants and minerals in its composition is undeniable. In any case, a moderate cranberry diet (drinking cranberry juice, fruit drink, smoothies on an empty stomach, and not completely replacing other foods with a cranberry drink for several days) will only be beneficial. Immunity will increase, the appearance of the skin and hair condition will improve, the body will get rid of waste and toxins, and digestion processes will be normalized.

The following facts and statements can be cited in favor of the fat-burning properties of wild berries:

• high content of pectins, which accelerate the feeling of fullness and normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• low calorie content of cranberries - only 30 kcal (the same calorie content of dietary broccoli and sweet bell pepper);
• normalization of metabolism due to the content of tannins creates more favorable conditions for effective weight loss;
• The fiber contained in the berries does not provide extra calories and helps get rid of waste and toxins.

Cranberry weight loss techniques

There are several diet options. Each of them involves giving up fatty, fried foods. Cranberries are not recommended to be consumed with carbohydrate foods - potato dishes, pasta, and baked goods.

During the period of weight loss, you need to eat in small portions 5 times a day. The diet includes a full breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks.

Cranberries can be eaten fresh, soaked, or dried. It is the storage option for the product that distinguishes weight loss techniques by adding these berries to the menu.

Fresh fruits

Cranberries, peeled from leaves and crushed fruits, can be stored for a long time, because contains benzoic acid. This component is a natural preservative, so the product does not lose its beneficial properties for several months. It is benzoic acid that gives cranberries antibacterial properties used in medicine. Prepared berries are stored in a cool, dark place. The room should be well ventilated. Frozen fruits can be stored in small portions in plastic bags until the next season.

The most common version of the cranberry diet is to eat a handful of fresh berries before meals. The first portion of the product is eaten on an empty stomach before breakfast. A mandatory component of such a diet is sauerkraut salad with fresh cranberries. It is eaten as a first course for lunch or dinner.

Thawed cranberries are not re-frozen as they lose their beneficial properties. Berries are removed from the refrigerator immediately before consumption. “Thawed” fruits quickly lose their valuable properties.

Be sure to read: How to effectively lose weight in a month without harming your health?

Pickled cranberries

This method of preparation has been used since ancient times to preserve vitamins. Cranberries are placed in sterile jars and filled with boiled cold water. Soaked berries are stored until the next season. They are inferior in taste to fresh fruits, but retain useful elements.

Soaked berries are perfect for making fruit drinks and jelly.

Cranberry juice

The diluted drink is consumed on an empty stomach. For cooking, take a handful of berries. Squeeze 2-3 tablespoons of juice out of them. The resulting raw material is diluted in a glass of mineral water without gas. This product promotes weight loss and removes excess fluid from the body.

If cranberries are well tolerated and do not cause heartburn or stomach pain, you can increase the volume of juice per glass of liquid to 5-6 tablespoons.

Dried berries

Fresh cranberries are 80% water. During the drying process, the liquid evaporates. Nutritional value after dehydration increases from 28 to 123 kcal per 100 g of product.

Dried cranberries can be safely used for weight loss if no sugar has been added to it. In this form, the berries are convenient to take with you to work or on a trip. It is useful to add processed fruits to porridges, muesli, meat dishes, and cottage cheese during weight loss.

Dried cranberries contain a lot of potassium, which helps remove excess salt from the body and along with it water. This property helps to get rid of cellulite and lose several kilograms without significantly reducing the caloric intake of the diet. To achieve the desired effect, dried cranberries are added to dishes throughout the week.

Please note that the calorie content of sweetened berries will increase by 2-3 times. This product is good for health, but will only harm you when losing weight.

Manufacturers soak purchased cranberries in sugar syrup to improve the taste, then dry them at high temperatures. This processing method deprives the product of valuable properties. To dry the berries yourself, use a dehydrator - a device that removes moisture from the fruit. It is recommended to dry the product at a temperature not exceeding 43 degrees. Only if this indicator is observed, cranberries will retain their valuable properties for weight loss.

Cranberry drink for weight loss

Making a cranberry drink is very easy. You just need to mash a glass of wild berries well with a fork and add honey to taste. But cranberries in sugar are not the best option for weight loss. Honey can be replaced with rosehip decoction or grape syrup. The mixture must be diluted in three glasses of water. It is recommended to drink one glass of this drink before each meal.

How to use cranberries for weight loss? There is another option. It is enough to add two tablespoons of fresh cranberry juice to one glass of clean water. The drink can be consumed both before each meal and in the morning immediately after waking up. Cranberry at night when losing weight can be used, but it is not as effective.

You can prepare an infusion from dried berries. Dried cranberries are also used as a diuretic for weight loss.

For the effect to be visible and last a long time, you must adhere to the rules of a healthy diet. For breakfast, it is better to prepare a portion of oatmeal in water or milk with dried fruits, and later have a snack with one fruit, natural yogurt or low-fat kefir. For lunch, a small portion of buckwheat porridge or rice with boiled chicken fillet is suitable. For an afternoon snack, you can eat one apple or a hard-boiled egg, and for dinner, a portion of low-fat cottage cheese or a vegetable salad, which can be seasoned with natural yogurt or a small amount of olive oil, is suitable.

Sample menu

The cranberry diet includes natural dishes without preservatives. Processing methods: boiling, stewing without oil, steaming. Some dishes can be cooked in the oven. Before each meal, eat a handful of berries or drink a cranberry drink.

First breakfast

It is best to eat porridge in the morning. It saturates well and contains fiber, which is important in the process of losing weight. The porridge is prepared with water, without sugar. Useful cereals for weight loss - rolled oats, buckwheat, rice, millet. The porridge is seasoned with vegetable oil and dried fruits.

Lunch

Low-fat cottage cheese with banana pieces, natural yogurt with cranberries are suitable as a snack. The second option for brunch is any fruit except grapes.

Dinner

Vegetables and cereals are prepared as a side dish. For meat, you can eat skinless chicken, turkey, lean veal, and rabbit. Allowed fish are pollock, cod, chum salmon, hake, crucian carp, pike. The calorie content of these varieties does not exceed 100 kcal per 100 g of product. An excellent addition to lunch is a vegetable salad dressed with olive or flaxseed oil. For dessert you can eat fruit jelly, rice pudding, homemade sweets made from raisins, nuts, and dried apricots.

Be sure to read: Causes and symptoms of stage 1 obesity. Treatment depending on neglect

Afternoon snack

Whole grain bread, dried fruit compote with cranberry juice, low-fat cheeses - Tofu (soy-based), light cheese, Chechil, Ricotta light - are perfect for a snack.

Dinner

For dinner they eat a vegetable side dish, sauerkraut with cranberries, steamed or baked fish in foil. During a diet, it is useful to season dishes with lemon juice and herbs.

Drinks include green tea, berry compotes, and jelly.

Strict cranberry mono-diet

The mono-diet is much tougher. It consists of replacing all solid foods in your diet for two or three days (no more!) with several glasses of smoothies with cranberries for weight loss, fruit juice, and other cranberry drinks. For those who find it difficult to tolerate a lack of solid food, you can add small portions of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables to your diet. Apples, pears, dried apricots, raspberries, bananas are suitable.

Basic principles and rules of the diet

In the latter case, there are several rules that will help you maintain a cranberry diet without harm to your health.

1. In addition to cranberry juice, you should drink at least one and a half liters of clean water per day to avoid dehydration.
2. The method involves drinking five to eight glasses of cranberry fruit juice for weight loss without any solid food.
3. You should stick to any mono-diet, including cranberry, for a maximum of three days.
4. You should not drink highly concentrated juice, as it can be harmful to the stomach due to the high acidity of the drink; it should be diluted with water to taste.
5. According to some reviews, cranberries are more effective when combined with goji berries.

Cranberry diet

The cranberry diet is not like the others. Her goal is not to lose an extra 7-10 kg, but to get herself in order before an important evening or cleanse her body after the holidays. The cranberry diet is short-lived. Its duration should not exceed 3-4 days. The cranberry diet involves eliminating solid foods from the diet. It should be replaced with cranberry juice. In total, you need to drink 8 glasses of juice per day. The drink must be diluted with water. If this is not done, it can be harmful to health (due to the high concentration of acid in the drink).

If the drink is too sour for you, you can sweeten it with honey or stevia syrup.

The cranberry diet requires proper entry and smooth exit. Before switching to a cranberry diet, you need to gradually eliminate foods that contain large amounts of fat and sugar from your diet. You should also give up coffee and cigarettes.

Diet features:

1. In addition to juice, you need to drink 1.5 liters of water per day, otherwise there is a risk of dehydration.
2. It is not advisable to consume store-bought juice, even if it says that it does not contain preservatives. Unfortunately, today you cannot trust what is written on the label. To achieve the desired result, it is better to prepare the juice yourself.
3. Not everyone can safely tolerate the lack of solid food in their diet, so nutritionists allow the consumption of small amounts of fruit during the cranberry diet. When losing weight, you need to eat fruits that are rich in fiber (a pear or an apple is ideal).
4. During a diet, fluid leaves the body. Accordingly, after returning to a normal diet, the weight will increase slightly. In order to avoid this, you need to eat right after leaving the diet. It should be remembered that any diet, and cranberry is no exception, is only a temporary measure. To maintain a healthy weight, you need to eat right and devote time to exercise.

As for leaving the cranberry diet, you should not immediately return to your usual diet after finishing the diet. In the first days, you should limit yourself to steamed dishes, vegetables and fruits.

If you immediately include high-calorie foods in your diet, the body may begin to store fats in advance. As a result, in the best case, you will get all the kilograms you managed to get rid of back. If we consider the worst-case scenario, then if you exit the diet incorrectly, you can gain more than you managed to lose during the diet.

Numerous reviews confirm that if you follow all the recommendations, you can get rid of a few extra pounds forever.

Preparing and saving the result

In addition, you need to properly prepare for the cranberry diet. A few days before switching to cranberry drinks, you should eliminate alcohol, caffeine, and, if possible, nicotine. You need to limit your consumption of foods high in sugar and fat.

You should not use the technique in the cold season. In autumn and winter, the body needs more energy to maintain normal body temperature and ensure vital functions.

To maintain the results, nutritionists advise leaving the diet gradually. You don't have to limit your consumption of cranberry juice, as it has health benefits in itself, but you should introduce other foods carefully. It is better to resume a normal diet with small portions of vegetables and fruits, as well as light steamed dishes.

↑ APPROXIMATE DIET FOR 1 DAY

• Start your morning with a glass of drink with honey. After half an hour you can have breakfast. Oat flakes in water with the addition of cranberries, prunes, fresh apples and 2-3 nuts are suitable. Plus a cup of tea with a spoon of honey.
• Lunch is offered with boiled chicken breast with vegetables and brown rice. For poultry, you can prepare cranberry sauce: squeeze out the juice, add a little cornstarch and boil to the desired thickness. For lunch you can eat the stated sauerkraut. Plus a glass of juice or green tea.
• For dinner, make a fresh vegetable salad with feta cheese and lime juice dressing. Also a portion of low-fat cottage cheese with vitamin berries.

Some Caveats

Cranberry for weight loss as part of a mono-diet is not suitable for everyone. Only relatively healthy people can survive several days on cranberry juice and water without negative health effects. Such an extreme restriction of the diet is a serious interference in metabolic processes, so following the diet for more than three days is strictly not recommended.

In addition, the diet does not lead to positive changes in the long term. This is only a temporary measure that will help you get yourself in order before an important event, prepare your body for high-calorie holidays, and remove accumulated waste and toxins.

Contraindications to the diet

The properties and contraindications of cranberries are something that you should definitely familiarize yourself with even before you start following one of the proposed diets. Despite the beneficial properties of wild berries, not everyone can consume cranberries (especially as part of a mono-diet and in large quantities).

Women over sixty years of age should avoid this method of weight loss. By this age, many chronic diseases usually appear, and eating cranberries exclusively for weight loss for two to three days can cause their exacerbation.

The cranberry diet is also contraindicated in case of increased stomach acidity, almost any digestive problems, kidney and gallstones, pancreatitis, peptic ulcers, gastritis, and weak tooth enamel. The berry can cause heartburn.

Dietary cranberry dishes

The maximum benefit can be obtained not only from fresh cranberries, but also from dishes prepared from this wild berry. Sugared cranberries may not be for everyone, but healthy cranberry crazes can be added to oatmeal instead of the usual dried fruits. Crazyns are berries that are sweetened and then dried. This is an excellent alternative to crackers, snacks and other not entirely healthy products that are usually snacked on.

You can also make a healthy salad with chicken and cranberries. There are two popular variations of this dish. For the first salad you will need chicken fillet, three potatoes, one pickled cucumber, a glass of sour cream, some herbs, salt to taste and about half a kilogram of cranberries. Boiled potatoes and meat should be cut into cubes, pickled cucumber into strips. Mix all ingredients and season with sour cream.

Another option is a vitamin salad with cranberries, chicken and grapefruit. You will need chicken fillet, half a grapefruit, some fresh cranberries, pitted olives, olive oil, some herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Boiled chicken breast and peeled grapefruit should be cut into cubes, olives into rings. Mix all ingredients and season with olive oil, add herbs. Judging by the reviews of those losing weight, this red berry really improves well-being, but it should be included in the diet, and not replace it completely. In addition, cranberries can cause an allergic reaction.

Recipes

One of the options for the cranberry diet is the use of berries in dishes and drinks for weight loss. Sour fruits improve digestion because... increase the activity of secretory fluid. Vitamin C helps absorb iron from meat, which reduces the risk of anemia when eating smaller portions.

Chicken fillet with cranberry sauce

Rinse the meat and absorb excess liquid with a paper towel. The prepared fillet is rubbed with garlic, spices and sent to marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. After this time has elapsed, the meat is wrapped in foil and punctures are made in two places. Chicken fillet is cooked in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

During the diet, complex meat gravies based on wheat flour and cream are not suitable. To prepare low-calorie cranberry sauce, take:

• A glass of fresh (thawed) berries;
• 80 ml water;
• 3 tablespoons stevia (sweet substitute);
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch.

The gravy for the chicken fillet is prepared in a saucepan. Cranberries are filled with water and crushed in a blender. The resulting mass is heated and stevia is added to it. While the syrup is boiling, starch is diluted in a small amount of cold water. The resulting mixture is poured into cranberry syrup in a thin stream. After boiling, reduce the heat to low. Simmer the gravy for 2-3 minutes and remove from the stove.

The finished breasts are decorated with herbs, fresh berries, and poured with sauce.

Cranberry salad

Ingredients:

• A glass of berries;
• 200 g boiled pumpkin;
• 150 g seaweed;
• Dill;
• Salt;
• Sunflower oil.

The berries are crushed with a mortar. Boil the pumpkin until softened in salted water and cut into cubes. Dill is chopped with a knife. The ingredients are mixed and seasoned with oil.

Beverages

Chopped cranberries are added to yogurt. Pickled berries are used as a component of fruit cocktails and fruit drinks. You can make a smoothie for weight loss from fresh cranberries. Drink components:

• A handful of berries;
• Banana;
• 200 ml skim milk;
• ½ teaspoon honey.

Beat the ingredients with a blender. The readiness of the smoothie is determined by its uniform consistency.

The advantage of the cranberry diet is the ability to lose several kilograms without any special dietary restrictions. The disadvantages include the sour taste of the berries, which provokes an exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and increased tooth sensitivity.