A Reader Inquires: What about "Craisins"?

Are "Craisins" (Dried Cranberries) a good diet food?

After reading the recent cranberry article a reader sent this question: I'm trying to lose a few pounds that I've put on in the last few months, and I love those cranberry raisins -- are those good to eat when I'm trying to lose weight?

Answer: It’s true that alone and unadorned, cranberries are almost a perfect diet food, as they are high nutrition while being low carb, low calorie, and high fiber. Unfortunately cranberries are so tart that most people don't like them "in the raw" (though some do). As a consequence, most commercial cranberry products are loaded with sugar. This is especially true of dried cranberries, and that changes them from a very low carb fruit to a high carb choice.

That's actually what inspired me to figure out a way to dry cranberries with artificial sweetener. It turns out that due to the soluble fiber in them, which attracts water, it was a bit tricky to figure out how to do it. But I came up with a way that works, and it isn’t difficult:

Sugar-Free Dried Cranberries

Now, some people tolerate sugar better than others. For those people, the calories are probably more important. But for people who do well on low carb diets, avoiding extra sugar is one of the most important goals.

Do you have a question about low carb eating? Our Forum is a great place to ask.