Pink Juice with Green Foam

Pink Juice with Green Foam
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Recipe for DIY (do-it-yourself) whole food cranberry cocktail with 25 times fewer calories, and at least 8 times the phytonutrient content.

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You’ve heard me say over and over again that berries are the best fruit. So, why didn’t cranberries do better than these others? Because it’s not cranberry juice; it’s cranberry cocktail—only 25% juice. So, it should rightly be way up here, and take the gold.

How do you do it without the corn syrup, though? You make your own: 2 cups of water, a handful of frozen cranberries, 8 teaspoons of erythritol, and a hardcore blender. When you do that, you don’t end up with 100% juice; you end up with 200% juice.

Let me explain. Here’s the amount of six amazing phytonutrients in frozen cranberries. But then, you blanch them, throw away all the wonderful solids, clarify it, pasteurize it, and you’re left with less than half of the phytonutrients that you started with. So, even if you found 100% cranberry juice, it would really be only 50% of the whole berry’s phytonutrient power.

That’s why it’s better to blend the whole thing up. I call it my pink juice, but it’s not really juice at all; it’s whole fruit. Nothing taken away or filtered out. Comes out to be about 12 calories—25 times fewer calories, with at least 8 times more phytonutrient nutrition.

When I make it with dark red frozen cherries with the juice of a whole lemon thrown in, I call it my red juice.

The only thing healthier than berries? Dark green leafies. So for extra credit add some fresh mint leaves. Gives it this weird-looking green foam on top, but then you’re chugging down greens and berries—the two healthiest things on the planet.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Images thanks to Shutterstock

You’ve heard me say over and over again that berries are the best fruit. So, why didn’t cranberries do better than these others? Because it’s not cranberry juice; it’s cranberry cocktail—only 25% juice. So, it should rightly be way up here, and take the gold.

How do you do it without the corn syrup, though? You make your own: 2 cups of water, a handful of frozen cranberries, 8 teaspoons of erythritol, and a hardcore blender. When you do that, you don’t end up with 100% juice; you end up with 200% juice.

Let me explain. Here’s the amount of six amazing phytonutrients in frozen cranberries. But then, you blanch them, throw away all the wonderful solids, clarify it, pasteurize it, and you’re left with less than half of the phytonutrients that you started with. So, even if you found 100% cranberry juice, it would really be only 50% of the whole berry’s phytonutrient power.

That’s why it’s better to blend the whole thing up. I call it my pink juice, but it’s not really juice at all; it’s whole fruit. Nothing taken away or filtered out. Comes out to be about 12 calories—25 times fewer calories, with at least 8 times more phytonutrient nutrition.

When I make it with dark red frozen cherries with the juice of a whole lemon thrown in, I call it my red juice.

The only thing healthier than berries? Dark green leafies. So for extra credit add some fresh mint leaves. Gives it this weird-looking green foam on top, but then you’re chugging down greens and berries—the two healthiest things on the planet.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Images thanks to Shutterstock

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?

If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.

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77 responses to “Pink Juice with Green Foam”

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    1. 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,

      Reply

      1. “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.

        Reply

        1. 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!

          Reply

    2. 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.

      Reply

    3. 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!

      Reply

  3. 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.

    Reply

    1. 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).

      Reply

      1. 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!

        Reply

    2. 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.

      Reply

      1. 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).

        Reply

        1. 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

          Reply

  4. 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!

    Reply

  5. 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!

    Reply

  6. 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

    Reply

    1. 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.

      Reply

    2. 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.

      Reply

  8. 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.

    Reply

    2. 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!

      Reply

    4. 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.)

      Reply

    1. 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.

      Reply

      1. 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!)

        Reply

  11. 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!!!

    Reply

  12. 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.

    Reply

  13. 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!

    Reply

    1. 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.

      Reply

  15.  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! 

    Reply

  16. 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?

    Reply

  17. 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.

    Reply

  18. 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

    Reply

  20. 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.

    Reply

  22. 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.

    Reply

      1. 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.

        Reply

          1. 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!!!

            Reply

  24. 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.

    Reply

  25. Does heating up the cranberry/lemon recipe in the microwave destroy the nutritional benefits? We love it unsweetened! Quite the surprise! :-)

    Reply

  26. 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.

    Reply

  27. 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.

    Reply

  28. Can anyone recommend a good supplier of cranberries? Also, I have had trouble finding organic frozen fruits in large sized bags for my family.

    Reply

  29. 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.

    Reply

  32. 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?

    Reply

    1. 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?

      Reply

  33. 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.

    Reply

  36. 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…

    Reply

  37. 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.

    Reply

  39. 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!

    Reply

  40. 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!

    Reply

  41. 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

    Reply

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