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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – We are a nation of snackers. Nearly half of us snack at least twice a day. It has become a daily eating event. Some experts refer to snacking as the fourth meal because snacks contribute a substantial amount of calories to our daily intake. There is little agreement on whether snacking is good or bad. Some believe that snacking is one of the drivers of obesity. Other studies show frequent eaters are leaner because they eat when hungry and stop when full.
If you snack it is important to choose wisely and keep portion sizes reasonable. Think of snacks as the extension of a meal. A mid-morning snack could be an extension of breakfast, especially if you are rushed in the morning and don’t eat too much. An evening TV snack could be the close to dinner. This may be the time to have dessert rather than eat dessert after dinner and then snack again in front of the TV. With a little thought snacking can be worthwhile.
I recently had the opportunity to try two new snack items.
Make with milk, minus the lactose, Kozy Shack Lactose Free Puddings come in three flavors – Rice, Tapioca and Chocolate – sold ready-to-eat, refrigerated, as a 6-pack of 4-ounce single servings. Rice and Tapioca have 120 calories a serving; Chocolate has 130. All three are low in fat, have 100 milligrams of calcium, and are moderate in sodium – 130, 135 and 140 milligrams respectively. Because these puddings are made without preservatives, each serving is stamped with a use-by date to insure quality. For those with lactose intolerance, the inability to digest the milk sugar lactose, pudding made with milk is a real treat. The puddings are gluten free and kosher certified (KOF-K).
Kozy Shack, a company which has been in business since 1967, has long been known for their quality ready-to-eat pudding line. These new lactose free varieties extend this wholesome brand.
Though most everyone snacks and no one eats enough fiber each day. Popcorn fits the bill for both. It is a traditional snack and it is 100% whole grain containing fiber. Before you rush out and eat a bucketful, as with all snacks portion counts.
Popcorn Indiana products – Popcorn/Kettlecorn and Chip‘ins – are all popcorn based but the nutrition content does vary so you need to choose carefully if you need to watch calories. I recently tasted 3 varieties in each product line.
Original Movie Theater Popcorn suggests a 2 cup portion which has 160 calories, 12 grams of fat (1.5 are saturated fat), 5 milligrams of cholesterol, no trans fat, 13 grams of carb (no sugar and 3 grams of fiber) and 190 milligrams of sodium.
Kettlecorn Cinnamon Sugar and Sweet & Tangy BBQ both suggest a 2.5 cup portion with 130 calories, 4.5 grams of fat (no saturated fat, trans fat or cholesterol), 21 grams of carb (including 7 grams of sugar and 2 grams of fiber). Cinnamon Sugar has 115 milligrams of sodium and Sweet & Tangy BBQ has 160 milligrams.
Chip‘ins are triangle shaped popcorn chips which is an interesting variation on the standard chip and would work well for dipping. I tried White Cheddar, Sea Salt, and Jalapeno Ranch. All were crunchy and the flavor was true to the variety name. Each variety suggests 1-ounce or 18 chips as a serving. The calories (120 to 130 per serving) and nutrition profile were similar – 4 grams fat (no saturated fat, trans fat or cholesterol), 21 to 22 grams of carb, 0 to 1 gram of sugar, 1 gram of fiber and 230 to 240 milligrams of sodium. Popcorn is naturally gluten free. The brand is certified kosher (OU).
For more information go to: www.KozyShack.com and www.PopCornIndiana.com.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with sales of more than 8.5 million books.
Look for:
The Complete Food Counter, 4th ed., 2012
The Diabetes Counter, 4th Ed., 2011
The Protein Counter, 3rd Ed., 2011
The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
Your Complete Food Counter App: Clcik Here
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: TheNutritionExperts
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