What It Means When You're Craving Cranberry Juice

Cravings can be strange, especially when they emerge out of nowhere. Pregnant women often give accounts of odd cravings for foods they normally wouldn't eat, like pickles wrapped in cheese. If you don't typically drink cranberry juice, you might wonder what this craving indicates.

"Cravings can be a sign of many things: environmental cues such as an ad on TV, internal cues such as poor sleep or a nutrient deficiency, low blood sugar, and alcohol intake can cause cravings," said MyFitnessPal Registered Dietitian Steph Tarnacki in an exclusive Health Digest interview.

Tarnacki added that craving cranberry juice specifically could be a sign that you're sick. "Cranberry juice is full of antioxidants and vitamin C, which boost your immune system, so you might crave cranberry juice if you're starting to feel a cold coming on," she said. Cranberry juice also contains other minerals and compounds that your body might need, which could trigger your craving.

A cup of unsweetened cranberry juice provides 26% of your daily recommended amount of vitamin C, and it's a good source of other antioxidants such as vitamins E and K. Cranberry juice additionally has vitamin B6, riboflavin, and omega-3 fatty acids. "It is also full of magnesium and potassium, which many Americans are deficient in," Tarnacki said. "Those compounds also help with menstrual cramps, so your body may crave that if you're experiencing menstrual pain."

Cranberry juice also has flavonoids and other polyphenols that can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. According to a 2015 study in The Journal of Nutrition, people who drank low-calorie cranberry juice twice a day for eight weeks reduced inflammation and blood pressure. Drinking cranberry juice also lowered people's fasting blood sugar and improved insulin resistance. Those who had high triglycerides saw their triglyceride levels drop after drinking cranberry juice every day.

Be choosy when it comes to cranberry juice. Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice can be good for you — if you look closely at the label. Ocean Spray's Unsweetened Pure Cranberry has 60 calories, 9 grams of sugar, and no added sugar. Because cranberry juice is naturally sour, other juices are added to bring down the tart. The label might say "100% juice," but that could mean apple, grape, and pear juice along with cranberry. These cranberry juice blends will increase the calories and sugar content, even if there's no added sugar.

Ocean Spray's Original Juice Cocktail contains only cranberry juice, but 25 grams of sugar are added to cut back the sour taste of cranberry. Tarnacki says you can overdo it with cranberry juice if your cravings get the best of you. "Cranberry juice is high in calories and sugar, so it's best to keep it to a reasonable amount," Tarnacki said. "Try to keep it to one cup a day, and opt for the real fruit over juice to get the same benefits with fewer calories and added sweeteners." A cup of cranberries is only 51 calories with 4.7 grams of sugar, but the 4 grams of fiber brings down the glycemic index.