FitSugar

Yo!Naturals: Healthy Vending Machines

FitSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Wouldn't it be great if you could get your favorite health food from a vending machine? Well, my buddy YumSugar just told me about the San Diego based company YoNaturals, and they are bringing health food to the ultimate icon of snacking convenience - the vending machine.

YoNaturals is on the front line in the battle against junk food vending machine, and I wholeheartedly applaud their efforts. In their Yo!Zone and Yo!Thirsty machines you won't find the junk food staples of your youth. Gone are the fluorescent orange cheddar crackers filled with hydrogenated oil laden peanut butter, in their place you will find Annie's Organic Cheddar Bunnies and Pirate Booty. Instead of candy bars, you can choose from a selection of energy bars, like some of my faves - Luna, Clif and LARABARS. Soda is replaced with organic milk and organic juices. Yippee!!!

Yo!Naturals distribution is growing ever wider and you should be on the look out for their machines in hospitals, hotels, offices and schools - you know large, kind of institutional places. Just the kinds of places where you need a snack and can never find anything healthy to satisfy your hunger.

Energy Bars Are Good For Me, Right?

FitSugar — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 03:30:00 -0800

Let's put it this way - they're better than reaching for a Snickers bar.

These kinds of bars do serve a purpose. They are a convenient, portable way to deliver a balance of key nutrients like protein, carbs, fat and some vitamins and minerals. They help maintain energy levels when you are in a bind for a healthy snack.

Eating 1 bar a day in conjunction with a balanced whole food diet won't compromise your overall health, but you shouldn't live on energy bars alone.

Fit's Tips: They're great to have in your purse for a quick snack, if you're on the road, or need an energy boost before working out.

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.

More Peanut Butter Involved in Salmonella Scare

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Last week we learned that peanut butter might be the culprit in the latest salmonella scare. First, King Nut and Parnell's Pride peanut butter were recalled, but now the list grows as more companies pull their products from the shelves. The FDA has traced the tainted peanut butter to a Georgia plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America, which distributes peanut butter and peanut flavor to numerous companies. Since six people have died from salmonella poisoning, the FDA is taking no chances and advising everyone to stay away from all products containing peanut butter including cookies, crackers, cakes, energy bars, and ice cream.

Some known foods to avoid are Little Debbie snacks, Kellogg Keebler crackers, and some Luna, Clif, and ZonePerfect bars. The companies who make Jif, Smuckers, Eagle Brand, and Peter Pan peanut butter said their products are safe.

For a complete list of products involved in the recall, check out the FDA's website.

Energy Bar Breakdown

FitSugar — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 07:30:00 -0700

When I walk into the grocery store, I must admit I get a little overwhelmed by the vast selection of energy bars. I made a nutritional break down comparing some of the popular choices so the decision is easier to make. If you want to see it then read more

1 Bar	Calories	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Clif Bar (Crunchy Peanut Butter)	250	6	250	40	5	18	12
Clif Nectar Bar (Lemon Vanilla Cashew)	160	6	5	27	6	17	4
Clif zBaR (peanut butter)	140	5	170	20	3	11.7	3
Luna Bar (Peanut Butter Cookie)	180	6	150	23	3	12	10
Luna Sunrise Bar (Vanilla Almond)	180	4.5	95	29	5	10	8
Power Bar Performance Bar (peanut butter)	240	4	200	42	2	22	10
Power Bar Pria (Chocolate Peanut Crunch)	110	3.5	85	16	1	10	5
Balance Bar (peanut butter)	200	6	230	22	1	12	14
LARABAR (cashew cookie)	210	12	0	23	3	14	6

Snickers Energy Bars?

FitSugar — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:30:06 -0700

Clif, Balance, and Luna are a few of my favorite brands when choosing energy bars, but the popular packed-with-peanuts candy bar company wants to get in on the action too with their Snickers Marathon bars. I know what you're thinking. Snickers? Making energy bars? Yep. They were designed to give good tasting energy to active, healthy people, and they come in three varieties - Energy, Nutrition, and Protein.

I find it ironic that the ingredients couldn't be found anywhere on the entire website. Wouldn't health-minded people want to know what they're eating? Seems a little sneaky. Then when I did some research, I discovered these bars contain corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup - just what I expected from a food that has Snickers on the label. The website did include the nutritional labels, so to see how these bars measure up, read more.

	Calories	Sat. Fat (g)	Chol. (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Energy: Multigrain Crunch	220	2.5	5	210	31	3	17	10
Energy: Chewy Chocolate Peanut	210	3	5	200	26	5	15	13
Energy: Chewy Peanut Butter	210	3	5	240	25	4	15	14
Nutrition: Dark Chocolate Crunch	150	2.5	5	140	22	7	9	11
Nutrition: Honey & Toasted Almond	150	2	5	125	22	7	10	10
Protein: Caramel Nut Rush	290	5	5	190	40	10	22	20
Protein: Chocolate Nut Burst	280	3	5	340	37	11	18	21

I was wondering, have any of you tried these Snickers Energy bars?

Sports Energy Products Explained: Bars

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:30:25 -0700

If you're a fan of longer workouts, or are in training for a big race, you can't exercise without refueling your energy. Sport drinks offer energy plus hydration, and gels and chews offer bite-sized energy in convenient packages. There are also energy bars. You can eat them before, during, or after your lengthy workouts, and they're better than sport drinks or gels because not only do they contain carbs for energy, but they satisfy your hunger too.

Many companies make energy bars these days including Clif, PowerBar, and Balance. If you're confused about how to choose one keep reading

Some Peanut Butter-Based Bars Are Safe, Others Are Not

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:30:00 -0800

When it comes to pre-workout snacking, energy bars are up there on my list of favorite quick fixes that get me through my workout. After hearing that some bars have been recalled because they could be tainted with salmonella, I was paranoid to touch any of the bars I had previously purchased. Ignoring the products isn't getting me anywhere, so I've been looking into which ones are safe for me to eat and which should go in the trash, once and for all. Now I can feel OK snacking on certain bars without any sense of salmonella doom.

The FDA developed a handy widget that allows you to scan by product group, and in my case I was interested in snack bars. I was bummed when I first saw LaraBar on the list, but after clicking on the brand name I saw that only one of its products has been affected (Peanut Butter Blisscrisp snack bars). Check out the widget for the items that you should avoid; you'll see familiar names like Clif, Luna, and Zone on the list. See the rundown when you read more.

Source

Organic Clif ZBaR: For the Little Kid in You

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 02:00:00 -0700

Whether you have kids or not, I think you'll want to know about the Clif ZBaR. OK, so they're made for kids, but that doesn't mean someone over 30 can't enjoy one as well.

These bars are sweet and chewy and drizzled with chocolate, and are a great alternative to a candy bar. Plus, ZBaRs are certified organic and made with healthy sounding ingredients including rolled oats, oat flour, flaxseed, fig paste and brown rice syrup.

Fortified with 12 vitamins and minerals, a Zbar provides 30% calcium, 35% vitamin C, and 10% iron of your kids RDI. Plus, ZBaRs contain zero hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.

What else is cool about Clif ZBaRs? In California, they're working on passing a law that sets guidelines for food served in California schools and ZBaRs are the first snack created that would be compliant with this law. Sure they taste great, but they are also a great combination of protein, carbs, fiber and vitamins and minerals for active kids (and grown-ups).

Want to see the nutritional info for 1 bar? Then read more

Here's how the 3 flavors compare:

	Peanut Butter	Chocolate Chip	Chocolate Brownie
Calories	140	130	120
Total Fat	5g	4g	3g
Saturated Fat	1g	1.5g	1g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg	0mg
Sodium	170mg	100mg	125mg
Potassium	160mg	140mg	110mg
Carbs	20g	24g	22g
Fiber	3g	3g	3g
Sugar	11.7g	11g	12g
Protein	3g	3g	3g

Fit's Tips: These are the kinds of bars you can keep in your purse or car in case of a snack emergency.

Give Your Host a Healthy, Homemade Gift Basket

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:30:00 -0800

Hostess gifts are often an afterthought when preparing for a stay away from home, so why not do things differently this holiday season? Give a thank-you gift that will be appreciated and remembered by creating a healthy gift basket for your host. The fact that you did it yourself, rather than purchasing a prepared fruit basket, will stand out as an extra-thoughtful gesture. Consideration toward your hostess gifts doesn't have to take a whole lot of time, just a little forethought.

Your instinct might be to get a basket before you go shopping for the contents, but you don't want to buy a basket too big or small for the items you want to include. Start by making a list of things you want to include and buy your basket after you've collected everything. This is your opportunity to be creative and have fun with giving. To see some ideas for what to include in your healthy gift basket, read more.

Organic coffee beans
Homemade granola
Dark chocolate
Bag of snack-size rice cakes
Energy bars like Lara, Clif, or Luna bars
Homemade, guiltless cookies, like flourless chocolate-walnut cookies
Green tea
Seasonal fruit, like pomegranates
Almonds or mixed nuts
If your host has a Christmas tree, consider including an ornament
If your host celebrates Hanukkah, add a package of beautiful menorah candles

Source