Is Cranberry Juice Safe?
#277904 - 08/10/06 12:04 PM
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belinda
Reged: 10/09/03
Posts: 474
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Hello All!
I think I may have read somewhere in Heather's literature that cranberry juice is safe for IBS. Does anyone know for sure?
For those of you who have tried cranberry juice, were you okay after you had it? Did you do anything special when you drank it such as having it in combination with some soluble fibre?
I would like to drink some cranberry juice to ward off a bladder infection. However, I have a very bad case of IBS (maybe because I've had it for 48 years now) and cannot tolerate any fruit juices although I haven't tried cranberry juice.
Many thanks to anyone who replies! In particular, I would appreciate hearing some advice from any of the IBS gurus on this message board such as HanSolo, etc.
Belinda
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On the can of frozen Ocean Spray cranberry juice that we keep for guests to drink the first ingredient is 'glucose-fructose' which is another name for 'high fructose corn syrup'. If fructose is one of your triggers then it is definitely not safe. Since you seem not to be able to tolerate fruit juices I would stay away from cranberry juice that contains HFCS too.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Hi Belinda,
I am not am IBS guru but thought I would reply anyway. I can have cranberry juice. I have GERD also so sometimes I water it down. I drink cranberry juice not cranberry cocktail that has other juices and stuff added to it. If you don't have reflux issues like I do, I don't think it will bother you. Good Luck and I hope you are feeling better soon!
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Microscopic Colitis, IBS-A, GERD, Hiatal Hernia
Bethany, Ontario, Canada
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Belinda,
I personally cannot drink cranberry juice, although I have heard it is safe from others. I have not had any truly horrific reactions to it, but it does make my stomach hurt and gurgle a lot.
I have had so many bladder infections in the past and I do not tolerate the antibiotics very well as I get older, it seems. When I feel one coming on, I drink LOTS of water. Glass after glass. As much as I can stand to drink and you can geuss what happens! This flushing out has allowed me to avoid the antibiotics many times. In fact just a couple of weeks ago it worked again. Having said all that, I think you can get past a certain point when the infection really takes hold and then something else has to be done. I am so in tune to the very first feelings, that I am usually able to use the water trick! Good luck whatever you decide to try.
Laura
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Laura:
Thank you for your excellent advice! It is a common sense approach and I will definitely follow it.
I remember a nurse once also telling me to: 1. put a little Polysporin on the vaginal area before contact and 2. to urinate before and after contact to prevent infections. I've never tried the first suggestion, but the second usually works so you might want to add it to your defence against bladder infections, depending on their cause.
Thank you again.
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Betharoo:
Thank you so much for letting me know about this. I suffer from acid reflux so I suppose cranberry juice would be too acidic for me.
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Yes, HFCS can be a trigger so thank you for pointing this out. I stay away from HFCS anyway because I have blood sugar problems too. If I bought cranberry juice, I would only buy one that contained cranberry juice and no other ingredients. And preferably I would get an organic brand.
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Belinda--have you considered trying cranberry capsules instead?
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Check multiple sources and make the best-informed decision possible!
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Hi Belinda
I'm also prone to bladder infections and urinary tract infections. Although I can drink Cranberry juice, its not one of my favourite drinks. But now I take the Cranberry capsules daily (1 a day) and if I feel an infection coming on I do the excess water drinking and up my capsules to 2 a day, for about a week. I was able to purchase the Cranberry tablets at our local Shoppers Drugmart.
Hope this helps.
Claudia
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Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away
Edited by ArmyWife87 (08/10/06 03:46 PM)
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Hi, Belinda, good to see you around, although I'm sorry about the reason. Here's the quote I found about cranberry juice:
Quote:
Fresh fruit juices, especially apple, prune, and grape, can trigger cramps and diarrhea. Fruit juices in general should be avoided on an empty stomach. Cranberry juice is often (though not always) a safe choice.
From: web page
I seem to remember - although I cannot find the quote now - that cranberry juice was more likely to be safe than other fruit juices because it contains less fructose than other fruit juices. (This is pure cranberry juice, of course.) I haven't tried cranberry juice - I dislike the flavor.
You might take a look at this. I'm not sure how much havoc a single antibiotic would wreak on your digestive tract.
HTH.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
Edited by Sand (08/10/06 04:09 PM)
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Claudia:
Yes, I have heard of the cranberry capsules, but I am terrified to try them because my IBS is so severe. If I consume one wrong thing, I can be in agony for up to two weeks.
Usually, if I try something new, I just take a miniscule amount to start and slowly build up from there if I am okay at each step of the way. However, it would be difficult to do this with a capsule because more or less I think I would have to take the whole thing at once. (I must admit I don't know what the capsules look like or whether I could cut them up into tinier pieces to start.) Also, I wonder if the capsules are made from lactose, which many pills are. This wouldn't be good for my IBS because all milk products might as well be a deadly poison since I get horribly ill from them.
So I just shudder at the thought of trying those capsules! I am severely limited when it comes to pills and such. For example, I can't tolerate any vitamin pills and most medications would be a scary proposition for me.
Although I am always upbeat and never let IBS get in the way of my life and I am well most of the time (my last terrible attack was a year ago), every now and then I am faced with my limits.
By the way, I note you are a Canadian army wife. I hope and pray your husband isn't stationed in Afghanistan. We have lost far too many of our precious young servicemen/woman there.
Belinda
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