FitSugar

Kroger Selling Cholesterol Reducing Milk

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:15:00 -0700

Functional foods have no boundaries these days as household names such as Kroger are jumping on the bandwagon.

Starting today, Kroger will be selling a new, cholesterol reducing, fat-free milk. The new milk contains CoroWise plant sterols, an all-natural ingredient sourced from plants and found naturally in foods such as vegetables, seeds and nuts. According to a recent press release the milk will be priced competitively with normal milk. How does it work? Well, plant sterols look a lot like cholesterol from our bodies perspective. So when we digest a meal, the plant sterols compete with cholesterol, which means we ultimately absorb less of it.

Changes can be detected in as soon as two to three weeks after incorporation into one’s daily diet -- Clinical studies have demonstrated that plant sterols can reduce cholesterol levels up to 15 percent. This new milk, in combination with cholesterol reducing yogurt, should give consumers a few options in functional dairy products. Yippee!

Source

Food Review: South of the Border Pistachios

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:13:18 -0700

We all crave junk food every once in a while, but there are healthy substitutions out there. If you crave Spicy Nacho Doritios you should give the South of the Border Pistachios by Everybody's Nuts a try.

The flavor of these pistachios is as satisfying as the Doritos, but the nuts are so much healthier than corn chips, and nuts don't leave a neon coating on your fingers either. Speaking of hands, here is another reason to choose the nuts over chips: it takes two hands to eat pistachios, and only one hand to reach into a Doritos bag. This means you will eat the nuts more slowly, and not while driving, a bad snacking habit many of us are guilty of.

To see how these two nacho-flavored treats compare, read more.

	South of the Border pistachios 1/2 cup (no shells)	Nacho Cheese Doritios 1 ounce
Calories	170	140
Total Fat (g)	13	7
Saturated Fat (g)	1.5	1
Carbs (g)	9	18
Fiber (g)	3	under 1
Protein (g)	6	2
Iron	8 percent	2 percent
Vitamin B6	20 percent	4 percent

Yes, pistachios are higher in calories and fat, but the health benefits of the this nut are substantial. They help lower cholesterol as well as protect against breast and prostate cancers. Plus, they are high in protein, which means you will stay fuller longer.

The list of ingredients for the pistachios is considerably shorter than the list on the Doritos bag, but I thought you might be interested.

Ingredients: Dry roasted pistachios, salt, corn syrup solids, spice (includes chili paper), maltodextrin, citric acid, lime juice solids, garlic powder, dextrose, natural flavor, paprika extract.

You can find Everybody's Nuts at Costco, Kroger, Wegmans, and Kmart. Or you can buy them buy the case at the Everybody's Nuts website.

Snack Attack: Stacy's Pita Chips

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 02:30:00 -0700

I have discovered a new love: Stacy's Pita Chips. I have always been a fan of pita chips. Problem is that I am not always so excited to bake them on my own and I get weary of store bought pita chips as you never know what they use to make them.

This is why I am super psyched to tell everyone about Stacy's Pita Chips. These tasty snacks come in six yummy flavors that range from savory to sweet, so everyone can get their fix. My personal favorite is the Parmesan Garlic and Herb, yum! What's more all the pita chips contain all natural ingredients with no trans fat, no cholesterol and no GMOs. One bag (1.5 oz) has about 200 calories and they are super crunchy so it's tough to down a whole bag super fast, which is a good thing, by the way.

Buy them online from GiveMeFood.com ($24.99 for a box of 24 bags) or look for them at Publix, Safeway, Kroger, Shaw’s, Stop & Shop, Roche Brothers, Wild Oats, Whole Foods, Costco and BJ’s Wholesale Club.