Studies show when it comes to better health, you just can’t beat berries. As delicious as they are nutritious, fresh berries of all kinds are high in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, and powerful phytochemicals that have been proven to reduce the risk for everything from heart disease to memory loss and cancer.

Berries are also terrific to include in a diabetes diet. While all fruit contains sugar in the form of fructose, at least two servings of healthful fruit should be included in your diabetes meal plan each day. The key to maintaining your blood sugar is to enjoy fruit (like all carbohydrate rich foods) in moderation and to use portion control. Berries are a great nutritional bargain because in addition to being low in fat and calories, when adjusting for fiber they are the lowest carbohydrate fruits you can eat. This puts them low on the glycemic index (the rate at which they raise your blood sugar) – not only compared to most other fruits – but to many other foods, making it easy to fit berries into a carb-conscious diet.

A Handful of Great Berries
Of all berries, strawberries have the least amount of calories and the lowest carbohydrate density with a slim 45 calories, 11 grams of carbohydrate, and 3 grams of fiber per cup. In fact, according to the diabetic exchange list you may enjoy an entire 1 1/4 cups of sliced strawberries per single fruit serving. What's most impressive is that this serving delivers over 200% of your daily dose of vitamin C.

Luscious delicate raspberries are the high-fiber berry leader with a whopping 8 grams of fiber in every cup. With only 64 calories and 15 grams of carbohydrate per single cup serving it makes raspberries calorie per calorie one of the highest fiber foods you will find.

Blackberries are simply too good to resist. The diabetic exchange for blackberries is a 3/4 cup serving, but with only 75 calories, 18 grams of carbohydrate and 8 grams of fiber per cup, I say splurge and enjoy the whole cup! Blackberries also deliver 50% of your daily dose of vitamin C and are high in potassium which helps control blood pressure.

Last, but not least, July is National Blueberry Month – and blueberries definitely deserve their own month! A 3/4 cup serving of fresh or frozen blueberries contains only 60 calories, 15 grams of carbohydrate, and 3 grams of fiber, but far more impressive blueberries have more anti-oxidant power than any other fruit on the planet! Great for your eyes, memory and heart they are a true health bargain.

Six Sweet Ways to Enjoy Berries

• Make a sundae by layering light yogurt and berries in your favorite parfait glass.
• Sweeten cottage cheese with sugar substitute and cinnamon and top with fresh berries.
• Add sliced berries to spinach for a delicious and colorful salad.
• Blend together reduced calorie cranberry cocktail, frozen berries, and ice, for a terrific fruit freeze.
• Blend together fruit, 1 % milk, sugar substitute, and ice for a great fruit "shake".
• Enjoy my easy no-bake Blueberry Cheesecake Parfaits for a summer treat!

Marlene Koch's 375 Sensational Splenda Recipes - Save 24%
Marlene Koch's 375 delicious recipes offer meal ideas for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between! You'll find recipes for every meal and occasion. Hardcover.

Fantastic Food With Splenda by Marlene Koch - Save 22%
Splenda - it isn't just for dessert anymore! In this follow-up to her best-selling Unbelievable Desserts with Splenda, Marlene Koch proves that Splenda is the best-tasting sugar substitute on the market today, versatile enough to be used in mouthwatering recipes at every meal!

Unbelievable Desserts With Splenda by Marlene Koch - Save 21%
The day has finally come when you can prepare luscious, sweet, homemade, low-sugar, low-calorie goodies. Here is the very first cookbook to showcase Splenda (sucralose) - the revolutionary, no-calorie sweetener that is perfect for all low-carbohydrate and diabetic meal plans.

Walden Farms Berry Fruit Spreads - Save 3%
Walden Farms Berry Fruit Spreads tastes great on bread, bagels, and anything else that you can imagine. These fruit spreads are carbohydrate free, calorie free, fat free, cholesterol free, sugar free, and gluten free.

Blueberry Cheesecake Parfaits

This is a really fun dessert. The presentation is original, and your family and guests are sure to love it. Besides looking incredible, it’s cheesecake! These are also fabulous for entertaining because they are already portioned and convenient, and can be made ahead of time.

Serves: 6

Diabetic exchange: 1 Carbohydrate, 1 Low-Fat Meat, 1 Fat
WW point comparison: 4 points

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1/6 recipe):

• Calories 185	• Fat 8 grams (6 saturated)
• Carbohydrate 20 grams	• Fiber 2 grams
• Protein 7 grams	• Sodium 280 milligrams

Ingredients:

• ½ cup graham-cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons Splenda Granular
• 1½ tablespoons light butter
• 4 ounces tub-style light cream cheese
• 4 ounces nonfat cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup light sour cream
• ¼ cup Splenda Granular
• 1 cup light whipped topping, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Preparation:

1. Select 6 tall, stemmed glasses. (An 8-ounce wineglass or champagne glass is ideal.)
2. In a small bowl, mix graham-cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons Splenda, and butter. Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheeses with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sour cream and 1/4 cup Splenda and stir until smooth. Fold in light whipped topping with a spoon or spatula.
4. In the bottom of each glass, place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mix. Press down with spoon. Place about 3 tablespoons of cream cheese mix on top of each. (You will use only 1/2 of the cheese mixture for the 6 glasses). Divide the berries among the glasses, placing them on top of the cream cheese layer. Add one more layer of cream cheese. Finish the parfait by topping each with 1 tablespoon of crumbs.
5. Enjoy immediately or place in the refrigerator until ready to be served.

The original recipe for these parfaits called for regular cream cheese and whipping cream, and, of course, sugar for a staggering 490 calories each! You may also reduce the carbs further by eliminating the graham cracker layers (subtract 50 calories and 8 grahams of carbohydrate), or cutting the graham cracker mixture in half and only using it on top (subtracts 25 calories and 4 grahams of carb).