Recipe for Low sugar fruit spread

English: Strawberry jam on a plate. Português: Doce de morango. Svenska: Jordgubbsmarmelad. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a great gift for those watching the carb intake and for the holidays.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups chopped, diced or frozen fruit
• 1 envelope unflavored jello
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 teaspoons sweetener (do a taste test after adding 2 tsp)

Instructions:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, add a little water and simmer fruit until well softened. fruit to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until fruit content is reduced to about 2 cups, if you are using frozen fruit simmer for 35 to 40 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix gelatin with vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the hot fruit, stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Stir into remaining fruit, mixing well. Stir in sweetener to taste. Pour into clean decorative canning jars, and chill in the refrigerator for around 4 hours until ready to use.
  
  Tip: Play around with various frozen fruits and combinations to come up with unique and special fruit spreads. The possibilities are endless.

Worst 6 sugared beverages

Image via Wikipedia

We all love sweets and for many of us a dose of sugar now and then won't really pose any real health risk. However, for those that are borderline diabetic, have a history of diabetes in the family or just trying to lose weight this list is some of the worst for sugar content on the market. Are they currently in your refrigerator? At any rate this is just a small sampling of some of the worst sugared beverages out there. There are many that can make this list but hopefully you will be checking the labels more often after reading this list.

1. Hawaiian Punch-
   Hawaiian Punch is one of the worst sugared beverages out on the market today, with their worst choice, Bodacious Berry coming in at a staggering 29 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving. If you must have Hawaiian Punch, a better healthier choice would be their Fruit Juicy Red Light which has only 2 grams of sugar and 10 calories per serving. Keep in mind, their 10 ounce bottles actually have more than one serving, and will be even higher in sugar. If you have diabetes, this beverage is a definite no-no.
   
   
2. Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice-
   If you thought Hawaiian Punch was bad, and somehow believed Cranberry juice was better, check again, Ocean Spray Cranberry juice packs a whopping 36 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving. A better alternative would be Ocean Spray's Diet Cranberry juice which has only 5 calories and 2 grams of sugar per serving, and uses sucralose as a sweetener. See more on sucralose in item #4 of this article. Oh, and if you're only drinking this to get rid of a bladder infection, try cranberry pills instead, there are many on the market, they are sugar free, and taken with large amounts of water and they're very inexpensive to boot.
   
   
3. Tropicana Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice-
   Let's face it all of Tropicana's juices are over 25 grams of sugar per serving, however, the one that had the highest amount came in at 59 carbs per 15.2 ounce serving and that is Tropicana's Ruby Red Grapefruit juice. All is not lost however, and Tropicana like many beverage manufacturers has figured out to stay in competition means to produce healthier choices for the consumer. In walks Tropicana's Light and Healthy Orange Juice at 50 calories and with 13 carbs per 8 ounce serving. The key thing to remember with all these beverages however, is how many ounces constitute a serving, for instance, Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice may have 59 carbs per 15.2 ounces but if you drink half of that amount at roughly 8 ounces, the carb count of course is around 30. If you have diabetes, a safe amount of sugar in beverages should not exceed 15 grams, ideally 12-15 grams per serving.
   
   
4. Sunkist Orange Soda- 
   You've probably heard this before and it's true. While visiting the Sunkist website, there was no place to find nutritional information on Sunkist sodas. In fact, there was a lot of information on everything but their soda. However with a little research and perseverance the nutritional facts were found and Sunkist Orange Soda has 34 grams of sugar per serving. A better alternative isn't far behind with their Sunkist Diet Orange soda which tastes similar and is a zero calorie, zero grams of sugar beverage. Keep in mind though in recent years the medical community at large is discouraging the use of sweeteners like Aspartame as research is now suggesting it is not as beneficial to those with type 2 diabetes. Splenda and other non natural sweeteners are not healthy alternatives. However products that are all natural such as Stevia etc. which are natural and come from plants are gaining in popularity and are encouraged as a healthy beverage sweetener. One product on the market currently is called Zevia, and is sweetened with Stevia. The website for this soda is located at the bottom of this article.
   
   
5. Welch's Grape Juice-
   A staggering 36 grams of sugar per serving is what you find if you think this is a healthy alternative to other beverages on the market. It's also a 150 calories per serving and is made from concentrates. Their soda, has 51 grams of sugar per 12 ounce can. Stay clear of it if sugar intake is a concern.
   
   
6. Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappucino Blended Creme- 
   Well the name should say it all but if you want a blast of liquid diabetes this beverage may just do it. Coming in at a whopping 590 calories, 24 grams of fat, and 67 grams of sugar, not to mention super high in sodium, there's just nothing healthy about this beverage.

One suggestion that may make sense for a family that loves fruit and juice is to invest in a good quality juicer. The beauty of these machines is that they can do so much and improve health for the whole family. You can sneak in veggies that can't be tasted, with fresh fruits and have a great drink that is far healthier. Let's face it commercially prepared juices and beverages are formulated to appeal to your taste buds, not your health.
For information on Natural low calorie sweeteners see: Truvia vs. Stevia

If your local grocer does not carry Zevia soda, here's details on how to have it stocked:

Request Zevia

Related articles

• When your low carb diet stops working 

Reduced Sugar Pineapple Cheesecake

This is a great alternative for holiday desserts when you're following a diet.

Things You'll Need:


* 3/4 cup Frozen Whipped Topping
* (1) 8 oz. package of softened cream cheese
* 1/2 cup of Artificial sweetener
* (1) 15 oz can of low or reduced sugar Crushed Pineapple
* 1-2 cups of crushed pecans
* (1) 9 inch Graham cracker crust pie shell
* (1) 9 inch round glass pie dish (alternative)
* electric mixer


Step 1
If you do not have a 9 inch graham cracker pie shell on hand you should do this step first so I will give it to you as an alternative. In a sauce pan melt 3 tablespoons of margarine and add one cup of finely crushed pecans. Stir and heat to coat the pecans. Once this is done pour this mixture into the bottom of your 9 inch round pie dish and place in the refrigerator long enough for the margarine to solidify. This is alternative nut crust for the bottom of your cheesecake and you can substitute other nuts for this if you like.


Step 2
In a large bowl, combine with an electric mixer softened cream cheese, crushed and drained pineapples, and 1 cup of crushed pecans. Mix this thoroughly so it is well blended.


Step 3
Fold in your frozen whipped topping and blend on medium speed with your cream cheese/pineapple/pecan mixture. Once well blended, pour into either your 9 inch Graham cracker pie shell or over your 9 inch prepared walnut crust pie dish. Chill this pie for atleast 2 hours and enjoy~~!

For more low carb recipes, see: The Low Carb Kitchen

Related articles

• Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake
• How to make your own low sugar fruit spread (Video)
• Top pumpkin recipes for fall (Video)
• Healthy Naan Bread