Choose This Sauce for a Healthier Mouth and Stomach

Take an extra helping of this sauce as it heads around the dinner table today: cranberry relish. Your mouth and stomach will thank you.

Yep, not all holiday fare has to be an unhealthy affair. Cranberry relish is made of one of the most antioxidant-rich fruits on earth, and studies show these bright red beauties may reduce both stomach ulcers and tooth decay.

Holiday Healer
Cranberries have a long list of antioxidant superstars to their credit -- more than 150 different health-promoting phytochemicals in fact. And these compounds are probably responsible for the multitude of amazing health benefits cranberries confer, including:

• Fewer tummy troubles. Cranberry nutrients make it harder for Helicobacter pylori -- a bacterial culprit in stomach ulcers -- to adhere to cells lining the stomach. (Here's an oil that also helps fend off H. pylori.)
  
  
• Healthier teeth and gums. Nutrients in cranberries help reduce plaque by fighting the buildup of bacteria-harboring biofilms. The result? Less tooth decay and gum disease. (Find out what foods may help whiten your teeth.)

More Berry Benefits
Some of the most powerful antioxidants in the cranberry fold are vitamin C, catechins, resveratrol, quercetin, and anthocyanins. Plus, cranberries are low in calories and high in fiber. So their list of health benefits goes on and on. Research even suggests that cranberries could help lower cancer risk and improve cholesterol. (Check out how they help set your cholesterol right.)

Got cranberries? Turn them into one of these delicious recipes:

• For turkey sandwiches: Orange-Cranberry Relish.
• For breakfast tomorrow: Cranberry-Nut Mini Loaves.
• For dessert this weekend: Gingered Cranberry-Pear Cobbler.

RealAge Benefit

Getting the right amount of antioxidants through diet or supplements can make your RealAge 6 years younger. Take the RealAge Test!

References

Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger. Take the RealAge Test  Copyright 2010 RealAge