Small but mighty. Berry Big Benefits For Babies.
The star of many Holiday Season meals, the cranberry is loved by babies and their moms year ‘round as a tasteful, healthy delight. Loaded with nutritious vitamins and minerals, cranberries feature vitamin C, plus polyphenols, which collectively help to strengthen and maintain the immune and cardiovascular systems, promote brain development, and help to prevent cancer and heart disease. Cranberries tend to be more acidic than many berries but most pediatricians encourage introducing this fruit to your little one beginning at eight months. Start with small portions to make sure cranberries settle well with your baby’s stomach – he or she will love the taste!
Not just for the Holidays.
The perfect mixing ingredient, cranberries go well with applesauce, yogurt, bananas, peaches and more, and are also a great side dish with chicken, pork, and other lean meats. Be sure to never serve cranberries raw – bake them or stew them in a saucepan and then simmer them in water. You may also bring water to a boil, add cranberries, then lower the heat until the cranberries “pop” after 15 minutes. Finally, cranberries are great by themselves when served as a puree. Best of all, cranberries may be frozen and will keep for up to 10 months, so your baby can enjoy this nutritious favorite all year long! Be sure to check out great cranberry recipes listed in the link below.
Interesting cranberry facts.
The cranberry is one of only a few fruits native to North America. Dutch and German settlers originally called the fruit a “crane berry” due to its resemblance on the vine to the head and bill of a crane. Native Americans mixed deer meat with cranberries to make “pemmican”, a long-lasting cake that helped them survive harsh winters. Early American sailors depended on the cranberry’s abundance of vitamin C to help prevent scurvy. Americans consume nearly 400 million pounds of cranberries each year with about 20% of this number prepared during Thanksgiving week alone!
Try one of these delicious cranberry recipes the next time you’re looking for a new recipe for your family or little one.