We first spotted these charming boxes while flipping through a magazine and within days, DietsInReview Food Finders were pleased as punch to see all three flavors – Cranberry Almond, Honey Multigrain and Chocolate Cookie Caramel Pecan lined up neatly on the bottom shelf of the snack aisle of a local grocery store.

Touted as a better-for-you snack and targeted largely toward women, each little pouch contains a generous handful of popcorn and grain clusters enrobed in a slightly sweet coating. And while many 100-calorie snack packs are just portion-controlled packages of nutrient-void ingredients, one package of Smartfood clusters contains 120 calories, two grams of fat, an admirable five grams of fiber and 20 percent of your daily calcium needs. While we love the healthy nutrition stats and snack-ilicous taste, we equally love the individual portions of the popcorn clusters as their sweet and salty crunch is too tempting for one large-sized bag.

Look for Smartfood Clusters at grocery stores and at Target.

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We Love Smartfood Popcorn Clusters

The timing of your snacks is extremely important to your weight loss success, too. Try to have a mid-morning snack and a mid-afternoon snack, both in the neighborhood of about 300 calories, to keep your blood sugar level and help you avoid overindulgence at the next meal. Here are some great, healthy choices to keep on hand.

• Mixed nuts, especially almonds or boiled peanuts
  
• Sliced fruit
• Veggie sticks – carrots and celery, broccoli and cauliflower
• Fruit smoothie – blend together fruit juice, protein powder and frozen fruits
• String cheese and a handful of whole grain crackers
• Three whole wheat mini muffins with a spoonful of peanut butter
• A cup of low-fat yogurt
• Acup of dry cereal – toss in a few chocolate chips for sweetness

What are some of your favorite snacks?

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Snack Smarter for Effective Weight Loss

If you haven’t seen the ads yet, Wendy’s has just launched two new flavors to their usual Frosty menu: Frosty-cino and Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty (try saying that eight times in a row!). As I was doing my search, I didn’t realize that Wendy’s sports a frozen ice cream line that rivals Dairy Queen. From the traditional Frosty, that as a kid I eagerly spooned up, to their newly added frosties including vanilla, strawberry, M & M’s, Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough, and Oreo, the list was much heftier than I remembered as a young girl.  

Unfortunately, much to my dismay, these new Frosties are also pretty hefty when it comes to calories and fat.  Here’s how these new frozen treats stack up in numbers:

Frosty-Cino: One small has 390 calories, 10 grams of fat with six of them being the artery-clogging saturated fat, and 52 grams of sugar! That’s about 13 teaspoons of sugar for those of you who need a visual comparison for a shock factor.

Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty: One size (it only comes in one size) has 540 calories for the vanilla and 550 for the chocolate. Fat grams are 20 grams for the vanilla and 21 grams for the chocolate, 15 of them for both flavors are saturated fat grams and 69 grams of sugar, or 16.4 teaspoons.

As a self-professed soft-serve ice cream-aholic, it is my summertime duty to at least sample one of these new decadent treats. Given these irreconcilable nutrition stats, I have narrowed my options down to two: Eat the Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty (’cuz that is the one that is really crying my name) in its entirety and nix lunch and dinner for the day or grab four of my favorite ice cream loving pals, five spoons and pass it around.

Since our taste buds tire of a flavor after a mere three bites, I’m inclined to opt for option number two. That way, I can have my Frosty and not feel like I’m sacrificing a half of day’s worth of food for a few minutes of ice cream decadence.

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The Skinny on Wendy’s New Twisted Frosties

High school vending machines. (via MSNBC)

Washington is going on the offensive. No, this isn’t another bailout. U.S. Senators want to give candy in vending machines the boot from schools. And I say, it’s about time. Leave it to mom and dad to pack a Snickers if they want to.

A bill was just introduced that would require schools in the U.S. to provide healthier options in order to fight the childhood obesity epidemic.

Senators Tom Harkin and Lisa Murkowski said their bill would allow the U.S. Agriculture Department to establish “common-sense nutrition standards” for food and beverages sold in school vending machines.

While school meals must comply with U.S. dietary guidelines, there are no rules on snacks sold outside of school lunchrooms. That seems kind of strange.

Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees school lunch and breakfast programs.

“Poor diet and physical inactivity are contributing to growing rates of chronic disease in the United States,” said Harkin. “We must take preventative action now.”

An estimated 32 percent of kids in the U.S. are overweight, and 16 percent are considered obese, at risk for serious health problems.

Harkin and Murkowski (a Democrat and Republican respectively) have offered similar legislation before. Maybe they will get a more sympathetic ear from the new administration.

Consumer and health advocacy groups including the American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association and the Center for Science in the Public Interest support the legislation.

“It’s intrusive for the federal government to establish requirements beyond the programs that they fund, particularly when states are addressing the issue,” says Reginald Felton of the National School Boards Association. “If local boards want to restrict they should.”

He also noted that some schools rely on snack sales to help cover costs. So, we make ends meet at the expense of our children’s health?

(via: Reuters)

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Senators Want to Ban Junk Food From Schools

Just in case you were wondering, according to WebMD, the blue color comes from the antioxidant anthocyanin in the corn, which are the same compounds found in berries and red wine.

Our favorite picks are Garden of Eatin’ and the Guiltless Gourmet, which make a low-fat baked kind as well.

Next time you’re scooping some salsa, up the nutritional content and yum-factor and grab a bag of blues!

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We Love Blue Corn Tortilla Chips

1) Kashi Go Lean: We love the folks at Kashi, particularly because their cereals are filled with whole grains, fiber and protein. One cup of Kashi Go Lean contains 140 calories, 10 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein.

2) Special K Red Berries: Crunchy, sweet and lo-cal – you can’t ask for more in a cereal. Coming in at just 110 calories per cup, Special K is a great way to start your day.

3) Post Total: It’s a crunchy, sweet and satisfying way to get in 100% of your daily vitamins and minerals.

4) Cheerios: This stand-by is a favorite of kids and adults for good reason. With 110 calories per cup, 3 grams of fiber and super low in sugar, pop a few blueberries in your bowl and you’re good to go!

5) Chex: We love the Multi-Bran Chex with 160 calories per 3/4 cup, 6 grams of satiating fiber, 90% of your iron needs and 100% of your folic acid requirements, but any of the Chex flavors are winners. Rice Chex are a great alternative for those with gluten allergies.

The Not-So-Good List

1) Quaker Oats Natural Oat and Honey Granola: This cereal sounds healthy but with 210 calories, 6 grams of fat and 12 grams of sugar per a mere 1/2 cup serving, you might be better off eating a Pop Tart (but don’t eat that either!).

2) Post’s Golden Crisps: While its calories and fat content aren’t that weighty, Post’s Golden Crisps miss the mark when it comes to sugar. One 3/4 cup serving contains 14 grams of sugar, which is like adding 3.5 teaspoons of the sweet white stuff on top of your cereal bowl.

3) Cap’n Crunch: Sure you fought with your mom to buy it when you were younger (and most of us still have a hankering for it), but this sugar-laden cereal contains a whopping 12 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup serving and less than one gram of fiber.

There are almost too many choices when it comes to cereal, but by reading nutrition labels carefully and using a measuring cup when you pour it into a bowl, cereal can be a super nutritious quick-meal or snack.

Happy Noshing!

Don’t miss our editor’s pick for a sixth super healthy, super yummy cereal. Check-out [Me] & Goji - you make it, they provide the natural and organic ingredients!

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The Best (and Worst) Breakfast Cereals

Each one packs Kashi’s signature Seven Whole Grains and protein mix and they contain no high fructose corn syrup, sugar or trans-fats.

Our favorite is the pumpkin pie. It tastes exactly like the smoothness of a slice of the real thing with just the perfect combination of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

Each bar contains about 120 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein.

These delish bars are perfect for a pre- or post-workout snack or when the need for something sweet (but not naughty) arises.

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We Love Kashi’s TLC Fruit and Grain Bars

Greek yogurt has a tangier and richer texture than most other yogurts. Sorry Dannon and Yoplait, but when it comes to nutrition, Greek yogurt has you beat. With 15 to 20 grams of protein, 25% of your calcium needs, immune-boosting live bacteria and 120 to 150 calories per serving, it is no wonder that Greek yogurt has become a staple food for health devotees and nutrition connoisseurs.

Greek yogurt has a heaven-sent texture of being super rich and yet also light and fluffy at the same time. The most popular brands are FAGE (pronounced “fa-yeh”) and Oikos, but specialty stores like Trader Joe’s have their own brands as well. Most varieties come in full-fat, reduced-fat and fat-free versions. Trust us: They are all divinely decadent!

While the possibilities of eating Greek Yogurt are endless, we like ours best topped with crushed almonds, fresh berries and drizzled with honey.

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We Love Greek Yogurt

• There’s a product out that I personally buy and enjoy.  It’s called “No Pudge! Fudge Brownie Mix.”  It comes in a variety of flavors: Regular, Cappuccino, Mint, and Raspberry.  All you have to do is mix the powder mix with the amount of vanilla flavored yogurt it says in the directions, heat, cool, cut, and enjoy.  Or you can check out the product’s website and see a big listing of different recipe ideas.

• An easy and good dessert are the Jello pudding mixes. Simply add skim milk, chill, and enjoy.

• Adding or topping desserts with fruit is always a sweet and easy way of adding nutrients.

• Incorporating oats and whole-grains is always a good idea. Take a look at this delicious recipe I found on iVillage.com for Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies.

Ingredients
1 cup softened unsalted butter
2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon pure orange extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups dried cranberries
2/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time until well mixed. Add zest and extracts and mix well.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in oats, then add to butter mixture and mix well.
4. Fold in cranberries and pecans (if desired). Drop by the teaspoonful 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn golden brown.
5. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 4 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container or freeze.

Find more healthy dessert recipes here at DietsInReview.com.

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Guiltless Desserts That Satisfy a Sweet Tooth

This week, We Love Emerald Almonds 100-Calorie Packs. These heart-healthy snack packs come in three flavors: natural almonds, cocoa almonds and a walnut-almond mix. Best of all, they are individually-packed and they don’t contain salt or added flavorings (except the cocoa almonds), so you’re not too tempted to eat the entire box of seven pouches.

Almonds and walnuts provide you with a heart healthy dose of healthy fats, muscle-building protein and satiating fiber. This is one snack that you can feel super good about noshing on!

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We Love Emerald Almonds 100-Calorie Packs