Lingonberries: health benefits and harms

Contents

The history of the appearance of lingonberries in nutrition
The composition and calorie content of lingonberries
The benefits of lingonberries
The harm of lingonberries
The use of cranberries in medicine
The use of cranberries in cooking
- Scandinavian dessert “Troll-cream” of cranberries
- Pie with cranberries and apples
How to choose and store cranberries
Popular questions and answers

” Healthy Food Near Me” and a nutritionist talk about the dangers and benefits of lingonberries: we talk about the use of berries in medicine, cooking and answer popular questions

It turns out that lingonberries are not only northern berries. It was collected in ancient Greece. Only called “grapes from Mount Ida” – from the highest part of the island of Crete.

You can buy fresh berries in Karelia, the Murmansk region, some regions of Siberia and the Urals. As a rule, it is exported to other parts of the country after being subjected to shock freezing. But this does not interfere with the preparation of delicious drinks, desserts and sauces from red berries. Lingonberries are by default called a useful product. But is it? We will understand the dangers and benefits of lingonberries for health together with a doctor.

The history of the appearance of lingonberries in nutrition

Scientists do not undertake to name a clear framework when lingonberries appeared in the human diet. But judging by the references to “lingonberry water” in the same literary monuments of Ancient Our Country, a person noticed a red berry a long time ago.

In historical documents closer to us, the year 1745 appears. Then Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ordered to plant lingonberries in the royal gardens so that there would be as many dishes and drinks from this berry on the table as possible. Catherine II later demanded to arrange lingonberry plots in Peterhof.

In the middle of the XNUMXth century, agricultural engineers found out that lingonberries can grow not only in the northern forests. If you create special plantations and cultivate them, then the yield will be ten times higher. Since then, bushes have been planted by farmers from different regions of Our Country, in the CIS countries, Europe and America.

The composition and calorie content of lingonberries

Scientists around the world continue to study the chemical composition of lingonberries. It contains several dozen different acids, minerals, alcohols and phenols. Of the substances with proven benefits, berries contain the most (1):

benzoic acid – has an antiseptic effect;
betaine – lowers blood cholesterol, protects the liver from excess fat;
ascorbic acid – increases the body’s resistance;
fruit acids – have a positive effect on fat metabolism and the digestive tract;
vitamin K (phylloquinone) – is responsible for the rate of blood clotting;
carotene – improves immunity;
potassium – is responsible for the functioning of the nervous system, muscles, maintaining water balance, blood pressure and blood sugar;
pective substances – remove toxic metals and radionuclides from the body;
iron, copper, cobalt, manganese and magnesium – participate in the process of hematopoiesis, affect the work of the heart;
iodine – promotes the functioning of the thyroid gland.

In small quantities, lingonberries contain provitamin A, vitamins of group B, E.

Caloric content for 100 grams	41-46 kcal
Proteins	0,5-0,7 g
Fats	0,3-0,5 g
Carbohydrates	8-10 g

*Indicators may vary depending on the age of the berry and the place of growth

The benefits of lingonberries

Infusions and fruit drinks based on lingonberries are recommended by doctors all over the world for the prevention of acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, genitourinary infections and to increase immunity.

— Cranberry has very great potential for medical use due to the presence of acids, phenolic compounds, vitamins, minerals and other biologically active compounds. In addition, benzoic acid is a powerful natural antioxidant, superior in activity to vitamins C and A, says endocrinologist, nutritionist, health coach Anastasia Tarasko.

The benefits of lingonberries for women

The use of 25 mg of lingonberry extract for 12 weeks by healthy women significantly improved skin elasticity and hydration, reduced the depth of wrinkles, and can be recommended as an anti-aging agent. The extract can be bought in pharmacies and stores that specialize in proper nutrition.

– Cowberry berries are also recommended in the nutrition of pregnant women: the composition includes pectin substances. They are not absorbed by the body, but they contribute to the implementation of many positive functions: they remove toxic metals and radionuclides from the body, inhibit the development of putrefactive bacteria, prevent excessive fermentation of carbohydrates, promote the binding of endogenous and exogenous toxins, which favorably affects the woman’s metabolism and the course of pregnancy,” says Anastasia Tarasco.

The benefits of lingonberries for men

Statistics show that men are more likely to suffer from heart disease. Due to its chemical composition, lingonberries have a positive effect on the functioning of the heart muscle. Cowberry juice will be useful for men who need visual acuity in their work.

The benefits of lingonberries for children

– Fruit drinks, juices, purees, cereals with lingonberries are actively used in baby food. First of all, due to the large amount of vitamin C and trace elements. Vitamin C contained in lingonberries is a generally recognized antioxidant, the importance of which for the body is difficult to overestimate, – says the expert.

Ascorbic acid takes part in the redox processes continuously occurring in a living cell. This is a powerful stimulating factor for strengthening the immune system, increasing the body’s resistance to aggressive environmental influences.

As scientific studies have shown, lingonberry juice has antimycotic properties and can be used in the treatment of candidal stomatitis in infants.

The harm of lingonberries

– Due to the high content of acids, cranberries are contraindicated in case of exacerbation of peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, as well as gastritis with high acidity. For normal digestion, one should not exceed a single serving of fresh berries – 100-200 g, and for dried, the norm is 30-70 g. With all the wonderful properties of lingonberries, remember that berries are a great addition to nutrition, but not its replacement. Before using decoctions and infusions of lingonberry leaves as a drug therapy, you should consult a doctor and do not replace the already prescribed treatment with drinks, explains Anastasia Tarasko, an endocrinologist.

The use of cranberries in medicine

The biological value of lingonberries is recognized not only in traditional medicine, but also at the official level. If you dig deep into the centuries, then the widespread use of lingonberries in folk medicine is due to the presence of biologically active components. They have antimicrobial, hypotensive, hypocholesterolemic, cytotoxic, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating and other important properties (2). If at first a person simply drew conclusions about the benefits of a berry from his own experience, then in our time the hypotheses of ordinary people have been confirmed by scientific research.

“Cowberry juice with honey is recommended to drink after meals for general weakness, colds, constipation, headaches, flu, hypertension, neurosis and anemia, as well as to maintain visual acuity,” advises Anastasia Tarasko.

Let’s figure out how lingonberries are useful in different forms (3).

Fresh berries: antiseptic, antihelminthic, diuretic, beriberi, to lower blood sugar levels.

Fresh and soaked: with gastritis with low acidity, lack of vitamins C and P.

Fresh, soaked and boiled: arthritis of metabolic origin (rheumatoid, infectious, nonspecific), gout, enuresis, kidney disease.

fresh and dried: undergoing chemotherapy.

The use of cranberries in cooking

Due to the presence of phenolic acids, lingonberries have bactericidal and antibacterial properties, due to which lingonberry juice can be stored for up to 20-25 weeks.

– Best of all, lingonberries retain their properties in a frozen or dried form. Although various options are used in cooking: fresh, boiled, soaked, dried, candied. Sauces and seasonings for meat and fish dishes, various drinks are prepared from it: tea, juices, fruit drinks, compotes, jelly, liqueurs, liquors. Lingonberries are put in vegetable salads, marinades of various preparations, used as a filling for pies, jam, syrups, jams and jams are made from it, desserts are made: mousses, ice cream, sweets, says doctor Anastasia Tarasko.

Scandinavian dessert “Troll-cream” of cranberries

A light dessert that can be served with tea or instead of ice cream on a hot day

Egg white	2 piece.
Sugar or powdered sugar	to taste
Cowberry. You can use a frozen berry or replace it with lingonberry jam. Then you don’t need sugar.	300-500 g
Cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom	to taste

Crush the berries and pour egg whites into them, add sugar and spices. Beat everything in a mixer or blender. Get an air cream. You can decorate with mint leaves and a couple of fresh lingonberries.

Pie with cranberries and apples

Variation of charlotte on shortcrust pastry

For the dough:

Butter	100-150 g
Sugar	3-4 Art. spoons
Salt	0,5 tsp
Flour	150-200 g
Egg yolk	2 piece.

For the filling:

big apples	2-3 pieces.
Lingonberry	300-500 g
Milk	100 ml
Eggs	2 piece.
Sugar	4 Art. spoons

Mix butter with sugar. Add salt, flour and yolks. Mix the dough well until it turns into a single lump. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Then distribute it in a form and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

While the base is in the oven, cut the apples into slices. Better to peel them. Apples to be fried in a pan in a small amount of butter – five minutes over medium heat.

Remove the base of the pie from the oven and put the apples on it, generously add the lingonberries. Pour everything with a mixture of 100 ml of milk, two eggs and four tablespoons of sugar. Send to the oven for another 30 minutes at 180 degrees.

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How to choose and store cranberries

In the age of semi-finished products, a person who thinks about the benefits of lingonberries is distrustful of frozen foods. However, in the case of this berry, there is nothing fatal in storage in the freezer. The main thing is that the harvest is fresh. Shelf life is up to one year. The same applies to soaked lingonberries – when the berries are kept in water, sometimes with the addition of sugar syrup. A fresh berry can stand for a maximum of a month, but more often it “lives” for one to two weeks.

The uniqueness of lingonberries is that it retains its rich composition in almost any form. Scientists note that during long-term storage, the number of trace elements begins to decrease, however, it is possible to eat and use the berry for health benefits. The richest composition in fresh berries and lingonberry concentrates (4).

If you choose fresh lingonberries, please note: the fruits should be “filled” with bright red paint. Pale and greenish berries are not ripe. Ideally, the fruits should be elastic. If they are softened, then such lingonberries are left to lie for a couple of days – it will become sour.