The new year is like opening to the first page of a brand-new notebook, or watching the first few minutes of a new TV show—the fresh start brings with it loads of possibilities, and it feels invigorating.
To help you bring that refreshed feeling to your wellness routines, we teamed up with Ocean Spray to ask Real Nutrition NYC founder Amy Shapiro MS, RD, to share her insights on how the foods you eat can help give you the well-being boost you’re looking for this new year, whether that’s for your immune system, your digestion, or all of the above.
New Year,
New Boost
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For Gut Health
If your digestion could use a tune-up, don’t discount the original
gut-health-boosting ingredients: probiotics and fiber. “[Probiotics] can help with digestive health,” Shapiro says. “The population of healthy bacteria helps to defend against pathogens and break down foods so we can absorb nutrients efficiently and appropriately.”
On the fiber front, Shapiro notes that the non-digestible carbohydrate helps promote digestive regularity and balanced blood sugar, and is found in plants such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, and seeds. Adults should aim to get 28 to 38 grams of fiber per day, and she recommends trying to get both fiber and probiotics from food (rather than a supplement) when possible.
One food source you can turn to in a pinch? Ocean Spray’s Fruit Medley Probiotic Blend—a mix of Craisins® dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried cherries, and raisins that helps support a healthy digestive system by providing three grams of fiber and one billion CFU of probiotics in every serving. And if you have kiddos, Growing Goodness™ Cranberry Apple Peach contains three grams of fiber and no added sugar to help keep their bellies happy.
Nutrients to look for: probiotics, fiber
Growing Goodness™ Cranberry Apple Peach
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Growing Goodness™ Cranberry Blueberry Raspberry
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Growing Goodness™ Cranberry Strawberry
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Fruit Medley
Immunity Blend
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While vitamin C is the go-to ingredient for supporting a well-functioning immune system for good reason (there are loads of studies connecting it to a healthy immune response), zinc and baker’s yeast beta-glucan are two other ingredients you won’t want to sleep on for immune support.
“Zinc affects all aspects of the immune system,” Shapiro says, citing a 2016 review that noted zinc’s ability to improve immune function. “And beta-glucans may play an important role in shaping the anti-fungal immune response.”
Not sure where to find that immune-supporting trio? Ocean Spray Fruit Medley Immunity Blend includes baker’s yeast beta-glucan in the mix of Craisin® dried cranberries, dried mangos, dried pineapples, and banana chips, and Growing Goodness™ Cranberry Strawberry Kiwi Juice contains 1.1 milligrams of zinc and more vitamin C than a glass of orange juice. So giving your immune system a little extra support can start with something as simple as sharing a delicious snack with the whole family.
For Immune Support
Nutrients to look for: vitamin C, zinc, baker’s yeast beta-glucan
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Juice Cranberry
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Pure Cranberry
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If you aren’t looking for a specific wellness boost, but are renewing your interest in head-to-toe wellness this season, antioxidants are your go-to ingredient because of their varied (and extensive) list of benefits.
Antioxidants can support overall health and wellness, including skin health, immune support, and more—and cranberries are one fruit source that’s loaded with them.
“Cranberries have many nutrients including vitamin C (a powerful antioxidant) and manganese (important for metabolism and
another powerful antioxidant),” Shapiro says. Plus, they have plant fiber for digestive health and the seeds have vitamin E, an essential
fat-soluble antioxidant.
Some of her favorite ways to get your daily dose of cranberry antioxidant goodness? Adding dried cranberries (like Craisins®) to salads or oatmeal, or adding cranberry juice to smoothies. Ocean Spray Pure Cranberry is 100 percent cranberry juice (and that’s it!), making it the ideal smoothie companion, while Ocean Spray 100% Juice Cranberry is the ultra-drinkable blend of fruit juices you can sip on all day. So you can give yourself a well-being boost, one sip at a time.
For a Well-Being Boost
Ingredients to look for: antioxidants
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Growing Goodness™ Cranberry Apple Peach
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Growing Goodness™ Cranberry Blueberry Raspberry
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Fruit Medley Probiotic Blend
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If your digestion could use a tune-up, don’t discount the original gut-health-boosting ingredients: probiotics and fiber. “[Probiotics] can help with digestive health,” Shapiro says. “The population of healthy bacteria helps to defend against pathogens and break down foods so we can absorb nutrients efficiently and appropriately.”
On the fiber front, Shapiro notes that the non-digestible carbohydrate helps promote digestive regularity and balanced blood sugar, and is found in plants such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, and seeds. Adults should aim to get 28 to 38 grams of fiber per day, and she recommends trying to get both fiber and probiotics from food (rather than a supplement) when possible.
One food source you can turn to in a pinch? Ocean Spray’s Fruit Medley Probiotic Blend—a mix of Craisins® dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried cherries, and raisins that helps support a healthy digestive system by providing three grams of fiber and one billion CFU of probiotics in every serving. And if you have kiddos, Growing Goodness™ Cranberry Apple Peach contains three grams of fiber and no added sugar to help keep their bellies happy.
For Gut Health
Nutrients to look for:
probiotics, fiber
Growing Goodness™ Cranberry Blueberry Raspberry
OCEAN SPRAY
SHOP NOW
Fruit Medley Probiotic Blend
OCEAN SPRAY
SHOP NOW
If your digestion could use a tune-up, don’t discount the original gut-health-boosting ingredients: probiotics and fiber. “[Probiotics] can help with digestive health,” Shapiro says. “The population of healthy bacteria helps to defend against pathogens and break down foods so we can absorb nutrients efficiently and appropriately.”
On the fiber front, Shapiro notes that the non-digestible carbohydrate helps promote digestive regularity and balanced blood sugar, and is found in plants such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, and seeds. Adults should aim to get 28 to 38 grams of fiber per day, and she recommends trying to get both fiber and probiotics from food (rather than a supplement) when possible.
One food source you can turn to in a pinch? Ocean Spray’s Fruit Medley Probiotic Blend—a mix of Craisins® dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried cherries, and raisins that helps support a healthy digestive system by providing three grams of fiber and one billion CFU of probiotics in every serving. And if you have kiddos, Growing Goodness™ Cranberry Apple Peach contains three grams of fiber and no added sugar to help keep their bellies happy.
For Gut Health
Nutrients to look for:
probiotics, fiber