Cranberries

I am such a fan of cranberries!  I usually buy dried cranberries packed by Heritage or Sun Maid and munch on the berry for my second round of dessert, a special good-night treat to myself just for the sheer pleasure of that tart flavor!  I used to drink gallons and gallons of cranberry juice but when I learned that the commonly marketed brands were only made of 10% juice, I had to shy away from all that artificial flavoring and sugar.  Well, I still purchase Ocean Spray cranberry juice on occasion, and I love the taste thereof--except for the diet version of their cranberry juice, which tastes horrible (sorry, I dislike the taste of all these sugar substitutes like Equal and Splenda).  I understand that cranberries are very helpful in controlling urinary tract infections (UTI) by lining the kidney with a substance called proanthocyanidins.  This substance makes the urinary tract very slippery so that bacteria cannot cling onto the lining, and as such, the proliferation & accumulation of bacteria to colony proportions is prevented.  Great munch stuff while watching DVDs!