Try as we might, there’s no way to escape the science of calories. Every calorie counts and unfortunately lots of our favorite foods have too many calories. But don’t fret, life doesn’t have to be lived eating flavorless celery and lettuce. There are lots of great ways to cut calories without feeling like you’re being deprived.

Here are 20 great tricks we’ve compiled to help you get through the most important meal of the day with fewer calories, and without sacrificing taste.

1. Use Blue Diamond Almond Breeze milk instead of cow’s milk
While a cup of whole milk contains nearly 150 calories, Almond Breeze contains no more than 45 calories. The unsweetened flavor has 40 calories per cup and the vanilla and chocolate flavors have 45 calories per cup. Yes, chocolate milk for 45 calories per serving, you read that right.

Read Full Post >

The commercial seems innocent – a mom, trying to do the right thing for her family. She’s looking for a healthy breakfast choice, one that her kids will eat. She opens the pantry and pulls out a jar of Nutella, and the family happily sits down to nosh on it. She’s surrounded by smiling faces, all enjoying a breakfast of Nutella spread on whole grain toast. It’s a blissful shot, one that most moms would give their right arm to enjoy. Everyone eating breakfast with no fuss, no complaint, no “I hate that!” within hearing.

Sounds too good to be true? Well,  it is. We’ve been ’round this debate before. Despite a lawsuit, the company is still insisting that Nutella is a nutritious breakfast choice. But is it really, or is this just a case of false advertising?

Janine Bolton, RD, has this to say about Nutella for breakfast: “I would not consider Nutella part of a healthy or balanced breakfast for kids. A balanced breakfast is one that features foods from different food groups, so that we get a variety of nutrients. Nutella does not belong to any food group and packs in over 10 grams of sugar per tablespoon. I wouldn’t recommend Nutella for anything other than an occasional treat.”

Read Full Post >

Like any other child-at-heart, I love cereal. Whether it be a small bowl with breakfast or an afternoon handful, I simply can’t get enough. Cereal can be a good source of nutrients but it can also be an even better source of excess sugar (among other things.) While some cereals are falling to the wayside in a quest to introduce healthier foods to the masses, Fiber One has created a new option for cereal-lovers.

According to the nutrition panel, each ¾ cup serving of the Fiber One 80 Calories Honey Squares contains only 140 mg of sodium and a whopping 10 g of dietary fiber- that’s 40 percent of your recommended daily value! The ingredient list boasts whole grain corn as the number one ingredient but it also contains sucralose, which is fine in moderation although I personally prefer a natural sweetener.

It tasted great as a morning meal and I tried it with both vanilla almond milk and regular skim milk on different occasions. The texture was light and crunchy and it was very filling. I also tried it on top of a yogurt parfait and it added just the right touch of crunch without the amount of sugar that’s in the granola I usually splurge on.

Read Full Post >

Jen Fuchs is a member of the Lindsay Olives marketing team. She is based out of Lafayette, California. To learn more about Lindsay Olives and recipe ideas, visit www.lindsayolives.com/recipes.

As summer approaches, many of us switch from savory cooking to quick, cool meals. Here at Lindsay Olives, we support the philosophy of eating olives every day. These flavorful little fruits meet many dietary needs including vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and dairy free. They also contain no cholesterol. Try adding olives to your summer fare for a satisfying burst of flavor and an easy answer to snack and meal options throughout the day.

Need a few suggestions? Here are five ways to add olives into your summer diet in a day.

Breakfast

Olives for breakfast? Why not? Try adding a serving of medium black ripe olives to a veggie omelet. Egg whites, olives, asparagus and summery fresh tomatoes topped with a bit of feta cheese will make your first meal of the day a tasty one. Full of veggies, this meal will feel light and fresh.

Read Full Post >

Blame it on rising corn prices or blame it on the embalming fluid, either way, say goodbye to Kellogg’s Corn Pops cereal.

In a category of food that produced over $600 million in revenue last year, Corn Pops only made $74 million, an 18% decrease since the year prior. The breakfast food that is advertised as being “crispy, glazed, crunchy, sweet,” can no longer compete with its peers. Cereals like Cheerios and Frosted Flakes made over $200 million last year.

Not only are big name cereals beating out Corn Pops but the sales of private brands have impacted totals.

Some have argued that the recent price hikes in corn are the culprits behind the demise of this long standing brand. There is some validity to that claim. However, one has to wonder if it’s the ingredients of the cereal that have really lead to the poor sales. Sure, the cereal is “crispy, glazed, crunchy, sweet” but what makes it so?

Read Full Post >