Cranberries are a power food.

I'm going to share a secret with you all that I don't normally let people in on.  Sometimes not eating fruit makes me sad.  There was a time when I used to really enjoy my morning grapefruit, afternoon apple with peanut butter, or evening banana.  In the grocery store I occasionally gaze at all of the beautiful produce and feel a little pang of regret.  I'm always looking for ways to sneak these things back into my diet, and endless variation of cranberry dishes being the latest.

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Cranberries are extremely low in sugar and not many people enjoy them raw.  I've tried to like them in their natural state and I just can't do it.  They're too tart and they make my mouth pucker.  The good new is that the glycemic load is very low so you can eat them without sending your blood sugar into a tailspin.

One half Cup of chopped cranberries has only 4 net carbs and 25 calories.  This means that if you've had a good day you can have a whole Cup of cranberries in one serving.  One cup of fruit is generally enough to quench my fruit cravings when they creep up.  

Cranberries have a ton of antioxidants that can help relieve stress and reduce your risk of various types of cancers.  They also have a compound that can help prevent periodontal disease, and they can help lower cholesterol which is good for your heart.

My favorite way to eat cranberries is lightly cooked with a little bit of butter, Splenda, and water.  I don't like to cook mine down too far because I enjoy the sour sweet flavor, and the more you cook anything the more you destroy the fiber content.  You can check out my recipe for a cranberry compote here.  Cranberries will be out of season soon, so make sure you stock up.  I've got a couple of bags in my freezer right now to help me get through til next fall.