One in Fifty – Can It Be the Cranberries?

By now everyone knows that obesity has increased in every state except Oregon. What’s so special about Oregon?   Well, they’re well known as a cranberry-growing state. And cranberries have great health properties: they contain significant amounts of antioxidants and other phytonutrients that may help protect against heart disease, cancer and other diseases, says the Cranberry Institute.

Unfortunately, my cranberry theory is blown apart in several ways. First, Oregon presumable exports as much of its cranberry crop as possible. And second, Wisconsin is the top cranberry-producing state in the nation for the last seven years in a row, producing 50% of the country’s crop. The 5 major states where cranberries are grown are: Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. And I don’t see that the others have done particularly well on the obesity scale. So one must assume that Oregon has some other reason for its success in combating the obesity epidemic.

Next best state in the obesity stakes was Colorado.  It seems likely, therefore, that lifestyle can have an important role to play in Oregon’s efforts to keeping trim.   But eating cranberries is also very good for you, as part of your personalized Food Pyramid.