Low Carb Diet Food

When it comes to healthy low carb diet food, it’s hard to beat the famously tart and refreshing cranberry. Unlike a lot of low carb diet food, it is both low in carbs AND in calories and like most other berries it is also high in fiber and loaded with nutrients – in this case vitamin c, manganese and antioxidants. I have seen Cranberries referred to as “superfruits” numerous times while doing research on the net – I think its because of cranberries’ huge antioxidant load and anti-bacterial properties which makes them potentially effective at treating conditions such as urinary tract infection and tooth decay.

Basic info on Cranberries

Cranberries are grown predominantly in the United States and Canada. They’re one of only a few fruits which are native to North America. According to Wikipedia, Wisconsin produces around half of all US-grown cranberries, followed by Massachusetts at around 28%. Dennis, Massachusetts was the site of the first recorded cranberry cultivation in 1816. Cranberries are grown on sandy bogs or marshes and because they float, the most common way to harvest the fruit is to flood the bog. Berries harvested this way (95% of them) are used in processed cranberry products like juices and sauces, while fruit harvested the other way (i.e dry) are sold as fresh produce.

Naturally, Native Americans were the first to use cranberries for food (they combined them with deer meat to make a sort of long lasting survival food), and they also used them for medicine and as a textile dye. The name cranberry actually comes from “craneberry“, a name coined by Dutch or German settlers (couldn’t ascertain which one) because to them the cranberry vine blossoms resembled the neck, head and bill of a crane.

How nutritious are they?

1/2 a cup of chopped cranberries contains 4 grams of effective carbohydrate plus 2.5 grams of fiber (1/3 of it soluble) and 25 calories. Wikipedia states that they contain moderate amounts of vitamin C, dietary fiber and manganese, and have an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) score of 9,584 units per 100 g which means they contain more antioxidants than almost any other food we can buy on the market.

What does a high antioxidant count mean in terms of good health? Well, in the case of cranberries it seems to be responsible for various health benefits. For example, from what I’ve read on About.com, the antioxidants contribute to cranberries’ antibacterial nature in the bladder, intestines and mouth which makes them effective at preventing and treating urinary tract infections, food-borne illness and even tooth decay. 

They are also supposed to help regulate cholesterol levels, blood pressure and maybe even prevent cancer. Even though I’m not sure if these last three benefits are as credible as the antibacterial benefit, from what I’ve read, cranberries are one of the healthiest low carb diet foods around.

How to include them in your diet

Because fresh cranberries are so tart, they’re more often eaten in a processed form, or used in cooking, than eaten raw. If you happen to like fresh cranberries they are usually harvested between September and October in the US and are available till December. They’ll remain edible in a refrigerator for a few months. 

Cranberry juice and dried cranberries are two other ways to include cranberries in your diet, however because these versions will often have sugar added they are usually not viable low carb options. This is especially true of “craisins” which are only good as low carb snacks if made with artificial sweetener.

Using cranberries as a cooking ingredient (for example in sauces or chutneys) is probably the best way to go. If you freeze them they will keep for about a year. They come out a bit soft when thawed but are still fine for cooking with which means you can enjoy the health benefits of cranberries all year round. 

We will look at different cranberry recipes in a future post.