The Food Gurus

Fooled again! Recently I feel in love with Minute Maid Fruit Falls Water Beverage not only because it was a convenient and tasty way to get my kids to drink more water but unlike the other fruit flavored water beverages found in the juice aisle it does not contain high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavorings. In fact, the front of the 10-pouch box states it is "made with pure filtered water and a splash of real fruit juice." However, on closer examination I noticed two "minor" details that put questionable doubt in my mind about continuing to give this product to my kids. Now the nutritional detective work begins -- firstly, upon closer examination I noticed that the phrase "made with pure filtered water and a splash of real fruit juice" was followed by two small asterisks (**) -- should of been my first clue when I initially picked up the box at the supermarket! These asterisks lead me to a disclaimer that I had to hunt for and eventually found on the side of the box. This disclaimer stated Minute Maid Fruit Falls is made with a blend of juices from concentrate (OK, but still better than high fructose corn syrup, right?) and other ingredients (other ingredients, what other ingredients?!). The other ingredients comment brought me back to the nutritional contents (which I thought I had closely read in the store, what an idiot!). Upon closer scrutiny I uncovered the word "sucralose" as one of the last ingredients listed. For those of you unfamiliar with this word, it is the same chemical component the artificial sweetener Splenda is made from. While I know the scientific jury is still out regarding the potential risks of sucralose, I feel as a parent I don't want to play the odds and risk endangering my children's future health by giving them a test tube substance like Splenda. What I can't seem to figure out is why it is so difficult to produce a flavored water for kids without all of the unnecessary additions -- if I can mix up an combination of water and fruit juice at home, why can't a major manufacturer package this same all-natural combination in a convenient to carry pouch or juice box? Once again -- it's up to you to do the nutritional detective work. Even when you think you've read the label -- READ IT AGAIN!

There is a green salad present on our dinner table almost every night of the week. To maintain my family's interest of this bowl of healthy, vitamin and mineral-rich greens I've learned to spice things up a bit by adding unexpected surprises to our nightly salad. While my kids would probably love to see M&M's sprinkled on their salads, I've kept these additions to the healthful nature, using things like pumpkins seeds, fresh and dried fruit, beans, cheese and unexpected veggies. While these wholesome add-ons have helped to get the salad from bowl to plate (M&M's would of probably gotten by kids eating right from the bowl) it was not until the recent discovery of Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame that got my family reaching for second helpings of salad. For those of us still in the dark about edamame, edamame are soybeans that are frequently flavored with seasalt or other types of spices for added flavor. Soybeans are exceptionally high in protein and may also help to lower cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease. Anyway, we tried Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame in Wasabi flavor. Everyone thought the roasted edamame worked really well in the salad, adding an unexpected burst of crunchy, spicy flavor against the relative mildness of the greens. Aside from the flavor, I was thrilled to find an ingredient that boosted the healthfulness of our everyday salad. I think I'll next try it sprinkled into soup or maybe a stir-fry, or how about trail mix...

My family eats A LOT of peanut butter -- peanut butter and banana sandwiches, peanut butter on our pancakes & waffles, peanut butter on our morning toast, peanut butter smoothies, pretzels dipped in peanut butter and my son's personal favorite, "ants on a branch" (peanut butter on celery with raisins). I honestly could go on but I fear I'm already sounding like the shrimp obsessed character, Bubba, from the film Forrest Gump. Anyway, you name it, we've probably tried it with peanut butter. Of course I applaud my family's love of peanut butter given it's reputation for being a good source of energy, protein and fiber as well as being high in niacin (helps to raise good cholesterol) and Vitamin E. However, while it is low in unhealthy saturated fat it is still relatively high in fat and calories (16 grams of fat and 160 calories in 2 tablespoons serving) -- raising my concern of our over consumption.

All-natural, gluten and dairy free -- come on, how good could this chocolate bar be?!! VERY!!! Nana's Temptations Chocolate Confection Bar is more like a super fudgey and delicious brownie than a traditional chocolate bar. While over the last couple of years more and more products have come on the market that are gluten-free, it is still a welcome surprise when one tastes as good as Nana's Temptations. To add to their appeal, not only are Nana's Temptations ideal for anyone with a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, but Nana's also does not contain dairy, are made with only all-natural ingredients and have no added sugar -- these tasty treats are fruit juiced sweetened. For a midday snack, Nana's may be a bit high in calories at 170, but compared to the calories in a piece of cake or a handful of cookies, Nana's makes for a relatively low calorie dessert option.