Recipe for DIY (do-it-yourself) whole food cranberry cocktail with 25 times fewer calories, and at least 8 times the phytonutrient content.
Pink Juice with Green Foam
Doctor's Note
Be sure to check out my other videos on juice, including Is Pomegranate Juice That Wonderful?
For more context, also check out my associated blog posts: Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable; Hibiscus tea: flower power; Anti-Cancer Nutrient Synergy in Cranberries; and Which Common Fruit Fights Cancer Better?
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Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on juice (including Is pomegranate juice that wonderful?), and don’t miss Tuesday’s corresponding blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable with lifestyle changes.
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Subject *: Cranberry juice recipe
Message *: I was unable to understand the name of the sweetener you suggested in the recipe for homemade cranberry juice in the video of 12/03. I’d be grateful if you could send along the spelling of the product. Thanks,
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“Erythritol,” a nearly noncaloric sugar alcohol found naturally in certain fruits. I have a video about it here: A Harmless Artificial Sweetener. My family goes through about a pound a month. A study published last month adds a cautionary note, though: consuming erythritol with a large load of fructose (as can be found in certain confectionery and soft drinks) could inhibit fructose absorption in the small intestine and result in bloating and discomfort from fructose fermentation in the colon. I don’t imagine people would typically be mixing their diet and regular soda together, but if they did it could it could be a bad combo.
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Do you think this would happen if I mixed erythritol with fruit lemonade? I mix fresh lemon juice, puréed fruit, water, and sweetener to taste. Looking for a new sweetener to cut calories/glycemic load. Thanks!
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Can you tell me your thoughts on Cranberry ( Blueberry, Pommegranate and Spirulina) powders as food supplements? I found some on Amazon ( BulkSupplements Pure Cranberry Extract Powder (250 grams) while looking for D-Mannose powder for my mom, she has a G-tube and trying to find ways to pump her full of nutrition. Thank you for your thoughts.
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Thanks for your question,
I believe fruit is usually always better than powdered form, especially in the examples you gave. But spirulina is definitely not safe (see here).
Hope this answer helps.
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Hello Docter Greger,
How about replacing the erythritol by dates? I use quite some dades also in my smoothies and I wonder if this would be a good option since I assume a date is more of a whole food sweathener than erythritol?
I use dried cranberries in my morning oatmeal but as I understand the dried versions are not really a good option?
Best wishes from a fan of your’s from Belgium!
I admire your work!
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Not very bright of me but the suggestion of dates was already made. I will try the hibiscus version of this beverage!
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It might be easier to market this recipe with a more attractive name! Something like “Fauxtermelon” or “Cran Julep”.
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When you do that you end up with 200% juice and 100% faith in erythritol!
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I know my question will sound silly, but what is exactly a “hardcore blender”? Where I live there are cheap and expensive blenders, but all of them crappy.
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Have you seen Vitamix blenders demonstrated at Costco-type stores? They are powerful enough to crush a car hood! Seriously though, these blenders run about $500.00, but they are worth the investment. An order comes with a wet blade, but a dry blade container is handy for milling grain and nuts. The more you use them, the better they run. They are almost indestructible. We loooooooove ours! You can buy them on line new or refurbished (a little less spendy).
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I’m on my second Vitamix! The first was white, and after about a decade of making my green drinks, the white base just became too discolored. I use mine so much and I like to leave it on the counter, but the discoloration became an eyesore. It sold IMMEDIATELY on ebay. I don’t have that problem with my second Vitamix because it’s black :) Great suggestion to buy a refurb, I believe you can get a decent warranty on them, too. They are incredibly sturdy and have so many uses. Best purchase I’ve ever made for my health!
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Just buy a blendtec about $200 cheaper and even more powerful
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I have made this drink with a Ninja blender and it turns out great. I bought mine for under $50 at Target. Amazon sells them too. Ninjas have 3 layers of blades that are quite sharp, so the Ninja serves as a blender and food processor (fast chopping like salsa) for me.
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I love my Ninja! It is an awesome blender — My friend has a Blendtec and she constantly has to stop – stir contents – and start it again to keep it moving. I NEVER have that problem with the Ninja no matter how packed it is (I got mine at Kohls — It came with the blender and a smaller food processor for under $100).
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I have a BlenTec – don’t particularly care for it – my sister bought a Vita Mix and doesn’t use it and instead bought a Ninja which she loves. Would never spend the money again for a BlenTec or a VitaMix
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You can make a powerhouse smoothie with an ordinary blender: add about half to one cup of thawed berries, two big handfuls of chopped greens (eg kale or spinach or a mix) and as much juice (eg grape or pomegranate) as you need to get it to blend. Then you can add some ground flax just as you drink it which provides the fat to help with absorbtion of the nutrients from the greens!
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I never thought of mint as a dark green leafy veg….. I have a mint plant in my garden so will be utilising it a lot more now – thanks!
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Dr Gregor,
Are there published studies providing evidence about the efficacy of frozen fruit (vs fresh)?
What are viable sources of acai in the US?
Sambozan adds soy lecitihin to their acai product.
Please advise.
Thank you for these great videos.
Your fan,
Evan Brand
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Great question! I found two good studies comparing fresh to frozen fruit. One on strawberries and one on raspberries. They both found the same thing: “no statistically significant differences between the…[antioxidant levels] for fresh and frozen strawberries” and “It is concluded, therefore, that freshly picked, fresh commercial, and frozen raspberries all contain similar levels of phytochemicals and antioxidants per serving.” And in fact frozen last longer than fresh, are available year-round, and tend to be cheaper and more convenient. If you look in my freezer, normally it’s half frozen greens and half frozen berries (though this time of the year it’s also stuffed with 20 pounds of fresh dates!).
In terms of your acai question, I’m not sure what your concern about soy lecithin is. Even people with soy allergies are often able to tolerate lecithin (soy proteins are more than 100 times less allergenic than other allergens such as eggs and dairy). I love the frozen packs of unsweetened acai pulp (featured in my videos Superfood Bargains and Antioxidant Content of 300 Foods), though if you’re extremely allergic to soy you may just have to stick to less exotic berries.
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Hi Evanbrand, Wanted to add a thought to Dr. Gregers excellent response. Since Acai Palms are tropical all Acai is imported. You might look for products that are certified and fair trade certified. Having been a physician for 30+ years I tend to be skeptical of the “hype” associated with new products whether they are drugs, alternative therapies or food products. View Dr. Greger’s other videos for relative information on: Cost http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/superfood-bargains-2/; Weight http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/; and Serving size: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/antioxidant-content-of-300-foods-2/. Stay tuned as the science changes every year.
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I blend a Banana, handful of blueberries, flax seeds and baby spinach with a bit of Stevia powder (for sweetness), water and ice cubes. Yum! Even my teenage son will drink it!
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I hear what you are saying about Erythritol but you made an even better claim about dates as a sweetener. Since it’s going in the blender, why not dates instead?
I’m going to try it this afternoon.
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Just made batch one. One cup water, half cup cranberries, two dates (seeds removed.) Blend to liquid.
Love it.
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What a great idea–you just made it even healthier!
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Sub in cold brewed hibiscus for water. Mind blown.
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HTWWO- Yes, great idea. I made this drink with hibiscus flower tea (leaves and all), dried peppermint leaves and pitted dates. I found it necessary to strain the results as it was too particle-laden. But, then I placed the strained liquid back into the blender, added two tbsp ground flax seed and one ripe banana for an awesome smoothie. Sounds like a lot of bother, but it wasn’t that much trouble. Thank you Dr. Greger for this marvelous resource!
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I’m trying this. I have everything on hand. ;D THank you for sharing.
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This was a great idea – I just tried it and it was fantastic. Thanks for the tip!! (I used carbonated water to make it more “cocktail” like.)
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So where would one find erythritol? Wf?
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Yes, you should be able to find it at any health food store (including Whole Foods). I’ve found it cheaper to just order online, though.
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What about stevia? I’ve seen no mention of that no-cal sweetener (I don’t mean the derived, over-processed versions the major food companies now sell, but the basic dried, ground stevia leaf. I’ve even thought about trying to add it to my garden, but a lot of good things won’t grow in this clay-heavy Texas blackland!)
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If dates are better, and molasses second best, why use Erythritol?
I tried date sugar but found it does not really work so well with tea, coffee, or any drinks that don’t have a thick smoothy like consistency.
Is Erythritol better than raw sugar, or honey even?
I can spend hours reading and listening to the videos…thanks for all you do!!!
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Erythritol is derived from fruits and passes fairly quickly through our body. It is considered the best artificial sweetener. Check it out on this video.
http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/
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Should the cranberries, mentioned in the video, pitted? – I know a 3hp blender is capable of pureeing even the toughest seeds of certain fruits including the avocado, but I just wanted to be sure.
Thank you.
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I made a double batch of this tonight and my husband and I drank it throughout the evening. After about an hour my husband started having gas pains and then had diarrhea for a couple of hours. I also had bad gas pains and loose stools within a few hours. I just ordered 4.5 lbs via the Internet but now am afraid we are having a bad reaction to erythritol. Is this possible? Lots of “dangers” listed on the Internet, but nothing research based that I could find. What do you know about the possible negative side effects? Thanks!
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The wonderful thing about erythritol is that 90% of it is absorbed in the small intestine, and so one doesn’t typically experience the gastrointestinal side-effects seen with other sugar alcohols (such as xylitol). Having said that, 10% does make it down into the colon, and so you can overdo it, as you and your husband experienced. Now over a period of weeks, your colonic flora will shift to start metabolizing the erythritol, but you definitely want to start slow.
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For some context, please check out my associated blog post Alzheimer’s Disease: Up to half of cases potentially preventable!
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Try iherb.com – they have good prices on erythritol, as well as the ceylon cinnamon Dr. Greger recommends. You can use cod POD782 for $5 off an order up to $40 or $10 off more than $40. Plus, there is free shipping, AND, make sure you click on the “Freebies” tab at the top and select a free sample for your order!
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I have a question about drinking a lot of cranberry juice, especially concentrated forms…I’ve heard that there are lots of oxalates(?) in cranberries, and was wondering if there would be a higher risk of developing kidney stones from too much cranberries?
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Dont worry about oxalates, as long as your eating a varied healthy vegan diet oxalates are of no concern. I would avoid drinking cranberry juice as this is a concentrated source of sugar.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/
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Dr. Greger, your videos (aside from a world of great dietary info) are very funny at times…In a good way. I cannot say I ‘get’ everything presented but its a very helpful source for me in my quest to improve my health. I wanted to thank you for your efforts and making this sometimes complex info approachable and actionable.
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Dr Michael, I’m from Costa Rica an I always interested in your videos. Please send me the information of what you and your family eat in order to be certain that my family eats well. Best wishes
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do i have to blend is juicing give the same benifts>
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In juicing you throw away fiber and many antioxidants. Blending is better.
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Alcohol sugar is not a good thing. It is better to use Stevia and there are some wonderful brands (I like Stevita powder or liquid). It is possible for you to post your recipes on your website, like the Pink Juice recipe, or am I just not able to find them. Thank you for your good work.
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They’ve since found some problems with stevia and cancer I believe… think Dr. Greger reported it.
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So do you have a recipe book with all of your recipe suggestions?
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I tried this recipe and while it tastes good, we lose much of the taste of the cranberries — due to the sweetener and water. Next time, I’ll try less erythritol and more cranberries with a couple cubes of ice to cool it down, and maybe try dates as the sweetener.
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Dr Greger Could you not use stevia as the sweetener?
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Check out this video on the healthiest artificial sweetener.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-harmless-artificial-sweetener/
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so I take it there are no no really good sugars or even OK ones, guess I’ll stick with stevia until the jury comes in. Linda that is what I am using now the powder and the liquid.
Tobias I was going to make it this this weekend and thought when I saw it it has too much water, heck I drink pure cranberry juice everyday and eat pomegranates all the time, I love tart though.
Thank You Dr Greger for taking the time to reply.
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The healthiest artificial sweetener is erythritol.
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/erythritol/
The healthiest non artificial sweetener would be molasses or date sugar
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/
Here’s the scoop on stevia
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/
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I have hep C so try to steer clear of sugar and if I remember those are high in sugar I try to stay at 16-20 grams a day if that.
So looks like I will buying the erythirtol tomorrow, again thank you!!!
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Do you have any information on antioxidant content of cranberries (or any other fruits) before versus after blending? I’ve always been curious about how much gets oxidized from the blending process versus what we would absorb from just eating the whole fruit.
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Does heating up the cranberry/lemon recipe in the microwave destroy the nutritional benefits? We love it unsweetened! Quite the surprise! :-)
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You can use dried mint also, only takes a bit, less than a teaspoon. Truvia is a common brand name of the sweetener. My cranberries always went bad before I could figure out what I wanted to do with them. Now they are a pleasure to get out of the freezer, and even the grandkids love this drink.
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I blend whole, fresh cranberries with blueberries and medjool dates. The taste feels like I’m cheating, but – health wise – I ain’t. =) I’ll try to add mint next time.
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Can anyone recommend a good supplier of cranberries? Also, I have had trouble finding organic frozen fruits in large sized bags for my family.
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55 years ago, when I was a teenager with a bladder/kidney infection, waiting out the weekend until I could see the doctor, my grandma fed me lots of cranberry juice. What a pleasure to read her ‘old-fashioned remedy’ corroborated in your article! Thanks for your VERY helpful work.
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Would Organic Cranberry powder sold at health food stores have a similar effect, or is it a waste of money?
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How about organic cranberry powder?
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What is your recommendation for inflammatory disease? Kind of a cross between RA / Spondyloarthropathy- basically inflammation in odd joints, occasionally bowl. I have seen a lot of your videos and know some of the recommendations- i was wondering if you recommend going completely vegetarian or vegan- or to just cut back on red meats?
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jodi: Here are Dr. Greger’s overall nutrition recommendations:
http://nutritionfacts.org/2011/09/12/dr-gregers-2011-optimum-nutrition-recommendations/
Note how the article doesn’t say “vegan” at all. It is true that Dr. Greger does not recommend any meat, dairy or eggs. But at the same time, absence of animal products is not enough for an optimum diet. Notice how the recommendation focuses on *whole* plant foods. Do you have any questions about those recommendations or how to implement them?
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It’s now 2015 when I am writing this.. I would like to know that since cranberries are the best fruit to stop cancer, has there been any studies with actual cancer patients (using cranberries)? If not, why not? Thank you.
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i have not found organic cranberries. The regular ones offered for sale are heavily sprayed i believe.
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Where do you get your cranberries when it isn’t autumn? Do you stock up to last you the year? I cannot find any frozen cranberries within 100 miles – maybe more.
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This is a very refreshing and delicious drink…I like to sweeten mine with dates rather than the erythritol; dates give it a nice caramel flavor…
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I have been doing this for a week now, and I can REALLY tell a difference! My recipe is as follows: 1/2 cup frozen cranberries, two small dates (the only sweetener I use) 1/2 cup liquid (sometimes water, sometimes orange juice) sprig of mint (essential for the marvelous flavor it adds) I even added some blueberries this morning. Delicious as is. To make it even healthier, add black cherry juice, and apple cider vinegar.
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Clarita Crabtree: Thanks for sharing! I’m coming to your house for breakfast. ;-)
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Is there any reason you couldn’t add bananas instead of erythritol?
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There’s no reason why you couldn’t give this a try! Let us know how it works out!
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Would you suggest this to a stage 4 liver & stomach cancer patient? My father-in-law has both and we are trying to find the best foods to give him.
Thanks!
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In your How Not to Die cookbook, you recommend blending whole peeled lemons instead of juicing the lemons. Do you remove the seeds first or blend it with seeds? THANK YOU!
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Removing the seeds is your preference! I have a high speed blender and leave the seeds in, as they add some extra nutrition. Lemon seeds are safe to consume in moderate amounts.
Julia
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With regard to the blended whole lemons, does this include the white pith as well?
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