FitSugar

Annatto: It's in My Food, But What is it?

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:13:00 -0800

Since I am a major health nut, I always read labels before I buy food. I often see the ingredient Annatto listed on packages, so what is it?

It's a natural food coloring made from the ground up seed pods of - surprise, surprise - the annatto tree, which grows in Central and South America. It is also called the Achiote tree. After this tree flowers, it produces hairy pods that turn blackish-brown when ripe.

Annatto adds color to cheese, butter, margarine, rice, smoked fish, and microwave popcorn. It is often used as a substitute for the expensive herb saffron.

It also has antioxidants. I guess that doesn't really matter since you only ingest a small amount, but hey, it's better than nothing.

Well now I feel much better knowing Annatto really is an all natural food coloring. Much better than Red 40.

Food Review: Annie's Organic Bunny Fruit

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:00:00 -0800

Kids love fruit snacks, and my girls are no exception. I actually love them too and crave that chewy sweetness, but I don't like buying them because they're just packets of sugar. So I was excited to see that Annie's (of Annie's Mac and Cheese) now makes Bunny Fruit Snacks ($3.29). These are certified organic, made with real fruit juice, and each packet contains 100 percent of your RDI of vitamin C. They come in two flavors, Tropical Treat and Berry Patch, so I had to try them both.

If you're curious to know how they compare to mainstream fruit snacks then read more.

I love that these are bunny-shaped! So cute, and they're really fruity. The consistency is a little softer than traditional fruit snacks, and they're also a little healthier. Each color is a different flavor, and I particularly liked the Berry Patch better than the Tropical Treat. Check out the nutritional info below and know that I'd definitely buy these again if my girls (or I) get the craving.

	Berry Patch	Tropical Treat	Betty Crocker Care Bears
Calories	70	70	80
Total Fat	0 g	0 g	0 g
Sodium	45 mg	45 mg	50 mg
Carbs	18 g	18 g	21 g
Sugars	10 g	10 g	14 g
Protein	0 g	0 g	0 g
Ingredients	Organic tapioca syrup, organic cane sugar, organic tapioca syrup solids, organic white grape juice concentrate, pectin, citric acid, ascorbic acid, color (black carrot juice concentrate), natural flavors, sodium citrate, organic sunflower oil, carnauba wax (from palm leaves).	Organic tapioca syrup, organic cane sugar, organic tapioca syrup solids, organic white grape juice concentrate, pectin, citric acid, ascorbic acid, colors (turmeric, black carrot juice concentrate, annatto), natural flavors, sodium citrate, organic sunflower oil, carnauba wax (from palm leaves).	Fruit juice from concentrates (apple, pear,), corn syrup, sugar, modified food starch, contains 2% or less of pectin, dextrose, citric acid, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), sodium citrate, malic acid, potassium citrate, mineral oil, color (yellow 5, red 40, blue 1 and other color added), natural and artificial flavor, carnauba wax, sulfiting agents, beeswax.

Food Review: Clif Bar Spiced Pumpkin Pie

FitSugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

You know Thanksgiving can't be too far off when you spy pumpkin pie flavored Clif Bars at your grocery store. Drawn in by the allure that surrounds special holiday flavored foods, I had to have a taste. Plus, I really love pumpkin pie. I was also curious if this flavor might make the cut as a healthy stocking stuffer, since Clif Bars are great for long rides and hikes.

Nutritionally speaking, the Spiced Pumpkin Pie lines up with all the other flavors of Clif Bars. However, this one has a thin coat of icing on one side, similar to Luna Bars, also made by Clif. I guess a bit of icing dresses up this energy bar and makes it seem a bit more festive.

To see what I thought of the flavor and the nutritional info, read more.

Here is the list of ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifProTM (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Soy White Chocolate (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Cocoa Butter, Soy Flour, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Dried Pumpkin, ClifCrunchTM (Apple Fiber, Organic Oat Fiber, Organic Milled Flaxseed, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Psyllium), Organic Dried Apples, Organic Raisins, Organic Date Paste, Organic Soy Butter, Organic Dry Roasted Almonds, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Colored with Annatto.

Serving Size	One bar
Calories	240
Total Fat	5 g
Saturated Fat	2 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	140 mg
Carbs	45 g
Fiber	4 g
Sugar	23 g
Protein	10 g

Although I liked the taste of the Spiced Pumpkin Pie bar, the flavor seemed cloying after I had eaten only half of it. I gave the remaining half to my husband and he had a similar reaction. All in all, we were happy to share since the entire bar just seemed like too much in terms of taste. As always, just half of the bar fueled my run an hour after after eating, which is why I am a fan of Clif Bars. I am going to stick with the regular flavors and get my holiday flavor fix somewhere else. Have you been suckered into the seasonally flavored Clif Bars too? They come in Iced Gingerbread and Pear Apple Strudel as well. If you've tried them let me know what you think.

Spice it Up: Turmeric

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Turmeric is a bright yellow spice with an earthy, bitter, peppery flavor. It is not commonly eaten on its own, but mixed with many spices to make curry, and I love curry!!!!

Aside from adding color to curry and other foods (it is used in conjunction with annatto to color cheese and can be found in mustard), this spice has some special medicinal attributes. It has been proven to have anti inflammatory properties. Its active ingredient curcumin, works in a very similar way to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In fact the spice has been used in Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine to treat inflammatory ailments as well as an antiseptic for cuts and burns. Although it has been regarded as a medicinal spice in India and Asia for centuries, Western medicine has only recently begun to investigate turmeric - even the National Institute of Health is looking into this spice's ability to treat different types of cancer.

Fit's Tip: Sales for dietary supplements of curcumin are on the rise, but I think it is better to eat it in food (and much less burp inducing too). When cooking with curry I always add extra turmeric to my spice mix to reap the benefits of this super spice.