[serial]

I'm doing a blend of calorie counting & no/low carb. I have a bag of craisins (dried cranberries) and a bag of fruit and nut medley from costco.


are nuts and dried fruit a bunch of empty carbs?

[Primm]

Absolutely not!

Cranberries are packed full of anti-oxidants, vitamin C and fibre. Nuts - where do I start? Protein, vitamin E, potassium, calcium, awesome fats ...

They are high in calories, so ration them. But dried fruit and nuts are good, good, GOOD for you!

[mayness]

What Primm said!

Dried fruit might not fit well into a low-carb plan... just read the nutrition information on the package, or look up dried cranberries online, to see if the amount of carbs per serving is worth it to you. I've never wanted to follow a low-carb plan so of course I think they're worth eating, but it's up to you. You could always use them sparingly as a topping on a salad or yogurt or something, so you aren't eating as many at a time. But nuts are incredibly low carb, so if you plan for the calories, they're a great choice.

[CyndiM]

Dried cranberries are always sweetened so check the nutritional info and ingredient list to find out what sweetener and how much.

[nelie]

I would check the ingredients list. I know craisins have added sugar and I believe the fruit and nut medley does as well.

[Secret Swan]

In the same family are freeze dried veggies. I just had a nice serving of the for 100 calories and 21 grams of carbs. Delicious and nutritious! Pricy, but I do recommend them.

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by serial

I'm doing a blend of calorie counting & no/low carb. I have a bag of craisins (dried cranberries) and a bag of fruit and nut medley from costco.


are nuts and dried fruit a bunch of empty carbs?

Empty? No, but the calories and carbs can add up fast. So you do have to be careful with them.

I love craisins (and Ocean Spray's cherry flavored craisins), and other dried fruit but they're often too much like candy for me (sweetened or not) - very easy to overdo. I do better with nut (especially if they're unsalted) as long as I measure out my portion - but dried fruits I find harder to portion control. I do buy dried fruits, but I think of them as somewhat like candy, to remind myself to be careful. I don't keep pounds and pounds of dried fruit on hand, I buy one variety at a time, buy as small a quantity as feasible and weigh out portions.

Generally I prefer fresh fruit to dried, because the water content makes fresh fruits more filling (20 grapes seems like a lot of food, 20 craisins or raisins, not so much).

I'd love to find a Splenda sweetened or unsweetened dried cranberries (I've found them online, but the shipping and price per pound is crazy).