Autumn berries such as cranberries and lychees have a positive effect on health and the immune system, says Russian nutritionist Irina Lizun.
“They have a fairly low sugar content of no more than 10 percent, and they contain a lot of organic acids which are very useful, a number of vitamins and trace elements. In particular, cranberries sometimes contain even more vitamin C than citrus fruits. Cranberries and lychees are used as medicinal berries, they contain a huge amount of antioxidants, bioflavonoids, are useful for the immune system, cardiovascular system, vision,” said the specialist.
According to her, both cranberries and lychees are kept fresh for quite a long time, and this is the difference between them and the fruits which require not only heat treatment for long-term storage, but also sugar. In the expert’s words, simply water can be poured on cranberries or lychees, and they will be well preserved, both in the refrigerator and in the basement. Therefore, it is not necessary to make jam in order to preserve them.
As per the nutritionist, these berries can be used in cooking, too. For example, they can be used in order to make meat or poultry.
“Ingredients of cranberries and lychees combine well with protein, stimulate the stomach’s work, and thanks to vitamin C, they enable better absorption of iron which is present in meat,” said Lizun.
When baked, 20 to 30 percent of the useful elements of lychees and cranberries will be lost, but they will retain more amount of useful substances than in the case of making jam.