[Review] Ocean Spray Original Craisins (Dried Cranberries)

When I had a UTI infection early last year, I did a mountain of research on it and most of what I read recommended drinking Cranberry Juice as one of the more natural ways to prevent it. So once it cleared I was out and about on the hunt for Cranberry juice. However, in KL, Cranberry juice is a rare sight and when I do find them it's either ridiculously priced (RM45 for a bottle? Come on..) or loaded with artificial sweeteners/sugar/preservatives. Desperate as I was to start integrating Cranberry juice into my daily diet, I just couldn't!

Then, one fine sunny afternoon, I saw a packet of Ocean Spray Original Craisins sitting on one of my ex-colleague's desk. My first thought was "Craisins?.. Crazy Raisins??" until I took a longer look at the pack and realised they were actually dried cranberries! Super cool. Instead of paying through my nose for a bottle of Cranberry juice, why not consume cranberries?? However, because she wasn't at her desk, I couldn't ask her where she got them from but eventually I forgot about it..

Until I saw them at Village Grocer in Bangsar - however they were selling it at an exorbitant price (like with everything else at this shop!) so I skipped it. Last Saturday when John and I were going our regular weekly grocery shopping at NSK Kuchai Lama, I stumbled upon it again and this time it was almost half the price of Village Grocer's at RM7.30 per packet. Without hesitation, I immediately grabbed a bag.

Package - Front

Package - Back

I know these are also loaded with sugar, as with other dried fruits (and any health nutritionist would surely warn you against them), but they are an alternative to the juices which are also loaded with sugar and TWICE the price. Here's something that I miss about Australia - the widely available fresh produce and natural health foods.









Anywho, I ripped open this packet in an instant (after purchasing it of course!) and found that they were a tad too sweet for my liking. However, I've found that they go very well with my oatmeal breakfast with natural baked almonds and a drizzle of honey.

You can also add them as part of your trail nut mix (afternoon snack) and even in muffins and biscuits!

Keep in mind that each serving (40g) contains 29g of sugar - that's a whopping 75%! However, eat them in moderation, and you'd still get your cranberry fix in any cranberry-deprived situation you find yourself in - like I have!

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Had throbbing sharp upper left abdominal pains yesterday morning that went on for 1.5 hours.

Decided to pop by my gynae for a quick  check up - whilst little bubs is fine and active in my belly, I've developed Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) which explains the throbbing abdominal pain. If left untreated the infection can and will spread to little bubs.
She prescribed me Zinnat 250mg which is a round of antibiotics that's supposed to clear the infection.

This morning I took Zinnat with my daily supplements - Diabetmin & Obimin Plus - and felt queasy almost immediately after for an hour. Bad, bad idea.

Pregnant mummies please remember to empty your bladder frequently and as soon as you feel like going to the bathroom you should (even if it's in the middle of the night) to avoid getting UTI. That's because of our hormonal changes plus the fact that as little bubs grows in size, he/she presses against your bladder preventing the complete emptying of it, thus leaving old urine & bacteria in your bladder allowing it to harvest and spread. 
If you feel any abdominal pains that last beyond a few minutes, please go and see your gynae immediately!