Snack of the Day

Today's Snack of the Day is brought to you by the National Dairy Council. Did you know that they recommend eating at least 3 servings of dairy a day? Did you also know that doing that can help you lose weight?

My friend Crystal over at Everyday Food Storage is exploring the world of homemade yogurt over the next two weeks. She posted a video about some of the health benefits of yogurt and other dairy products and referenced a study she'd read by the NDC where they tested two groups. One group increased exercise and decreased caloric intake. The other group increased exercise and decreased caloric intake, but in their daily intake they had to consume at least 3 servings of either yogurt, cheese, or milk. And what do you know? Those people lost a considerable amount more weight than the other folks.

I am a huge fan of dairy products! So here is a breakdown of some of my favorite dairy snacks:

1) String Cheese: Hallelujah! There's a cheese that isn't a bazillion points. :) String cheese is a great snack because it's already portioned out for you, individually packaged, and low in fat. Depending on what brand you buy it ranges anywhere from 1-3 points on the WW Points Plus scale. I love pairing a string cheese with some raw almonds. Yum!

2) Yogurt: My daughter is obsessed with yogurt so we've always got a good supply of it on hand. Now, yogurt can be tricky. Some yogurts say they're low-fat or 99% fat free and taste amazing right? Well that's because they added a truck load of aspartame or other unhealthy sweeteners to that yogurt to make it taste good. Even whole fat yogurt can be that way. Some of my favorite yogurt gets 60% of it's calories from sugar and that's just no bueno. My current favorite: Greek Yogurt! I love the thicker texture and if you get the right flavor/brand it tastes pretty darn amazing. The points on this vary so make sure and check that before you buy it to make sure it's worth it.

3) Low-Fat Cottage Cheese: Hello, I just went through a Costco size thing of this in a week and a half, that's how much I love it. One half cup of this deliciousness is only 2 points, not bad huh? I love eating it plain for a snack, or paired with almonds (can you tell I love me some almonds?). I love eating it at breakfast with some fruit. At lunch I like to make a salad and use the cottage cheese as a "dressing" of sorts. Really, it's so versatile and delicious you need to check it out. And now I'm sad because I'm all out and can't go eat some right now after writing this.

Well folks, there you have it. Dairy is good, dairy is your friend. It will keep your bones healthy and your waistline small. What's your favorite healthy dairy snack?

Snack of the Day

For today's snack of the day I thought I'd give a shout out to our liquid snacks! We all know that soda and juice can be pretty unhealthy depending on the ingredients, amounts, etc. I for one actually do not like soda at all and I'd choose water over just about any juice. For those of you who don't like the taste of plain water, this post is for you!

There are several options when it comes to "flavored water drinks" shall we say. The tricky part is knowing which ones are healthy and which ones are just sugar disguised as water. Case in point: Coca Cola had a lawsuit brought against them for advertising their product, Vitamin Water, to have health benefits (hence the vitamin part). I have to admit, I fell for this one! It is totally advertised as a health drink and no one would no different, right? Coca-Cola's respone?

In a staggering feat of twisted logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit by asserting that "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage."

Unreasonable consumer, party of one. :)

Now, on to the good stuff! Here are a few of my favorite healthy options to plain water.

- Zest up your water! Add some slices of cucumbers for a yummy spa like drink. Add some lemon slices or orange slices for a citrus taste. Try a drop of peppermint oil for a refreshing cooling drink.. All things you can do at home and without breaking the bank.

- Hint Water. As pictured above, Hint Water's motto is "Drink Water. Not Sugar." They come in a variety of flavors though my personal favorite is Watermelon.

- Metro Mint: Metromint is 100% water and 100% mint which makes 200% yummy. (The math is from their website advertisement but to me it just doesn't add up.) It is a minty refreshing drink that comes in a super cool tall bottle. Yes, I am enticed by packaging and I also judge a book by its cover. :)

What are some of your alternatives to juice and soda?

Snack of the Day

Hello all! Did you miss snack of the day last week because I sure did. I was on vacation last week with my family at the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland! And while I intended to write a post before we left I just never did get around to it, sorry!

We got home Sunday night and I am still trying to catch up on all the laundry and chores that come with going on vacation. So in lieu of the usual snack of the day post I thought I'd mention a few tips for snacking healthy while on vacation.

- String cheese is a great low calorie snack that's perfect for car trips or theme parks.

- Grapes are yummy and are definitely a favorite of ours on long car trips. Just don't eat too many or you may be needing those rest stops more than you expected.

- Pretzels are a great low fat snack and are a great option to chips if you're looking for a salty and crunchy treat.

What are some of your favorite snacks to have when traveling?

Snack of the Day and Giveway Winners

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway! With a quick visit to random.org the randomly selected winners are: Alyssa and Simply, Sarah! Congrats ladies! Email me your address and I'll get your snack kits sent out.

Today's Snack of the Day comes to us from a company called Food Should Taste Good, and I totally agree! Food should taste good! That's why I'm happy to introduce these good tasting treats, their All Natural Sweet Potato Chips.



It seems like sweet potatoes are sweeping the health food nation right now. Lots of people are swapping mashed potatoes with mashed sweet potatoes, there are sweet potato french fries all over the place, and now sweet potato chips. The base of these chips is stone ground corn. Add in some yummy sweet potato and a dash of sea salt (plus a few other ingredients) and you've got yourself a deliciously snack.

Overall Taste: This is for all those people who love that crunchy, salty snack. The sea salt keeps the sodium levels down while still giving it a great salty kick. The chip is nice and thick making for a great crunch when you eat it.

Healthy Score: I'm torn on this one. On a scale of 1-5 I would give these chips a 3. They have a moderate amount of sodium and fat but are also a good source of fiber and protein. Still, I wish the fat or sodium content were just a touch lower.

WW: These are definitely not an everyday snack for me since they come in at a hefty 5points for a 1.5 oz. bag (about 18 chips). Still, a better alternative than some tortilla/corn chips out there.

What's your favorite snack this week?

Snack of the Day and a Giveaway

It's Wednesday which means it's time for Snack of the Day again! This is where I share with you (and hopefully you share with me through comments!) some of my favorite healthy snacks. (Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to find info on how to enter the giveaway!)

Remember, we aren't talking fruits and veggies here, we all know those are healthy. I give a "healthy" rating on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being totally unhealthy (think Snickers bar or greasy potato chips) and 5 being pretty darn healthy. Now, there's always something better and healthier right? I would give fruits and veggies a 10 on my scale. It's kind of like thinking good, better, best. I'm just starting out on this journey so there's no way I'm going to be able to give up my comfort snacks that easy and switch to edamame or something (and I have actually tried that and think it's gross but that's a story for another day). The snacks I recommend are better than those quick grab snacks like candy or potato chips, and when we've mastered these snacks then hopefully we'll move on to something even better. So follow along and join the journey to healthier snacking! :)

Today's snack of the day is my beloved popchips! I first heard about popchips on facebook when my husband's cousin (who is a workout nut- love you Alyssa!) mentioned that she was eating some. I was curious but thought there was no way they could be good, right? A few weeks later though I heard Jillian Michael's promoting them, even selling them on her website and showing a picture of her "stash"- a deep drawer in her kitchen stock full of large bags of popchips in practically every flavor. Well I knew that if Jillian swore by them then they must be good and they are!

Overall Taste: The texture of popchips is light and fluffy but still has that crisp chip bite to it. They have a salty taste like potato chips but are not greasy at all. They also come in a variety of yummy flavors. My personal favorite is Original, but they also have sour cream and onion, cheddar, barbeque, salt and vinegar and salt and pepper.

Healthy Score: On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being not the best and 5 being pretty darn healthy I'd love to give them a 5 but their high sodium content is going to earn them a 3.5 in my book. Now, keep in mind these chips are made with all natural ingredients, have no preservatives, and no hydrogenated oils or msg. Their sodium content, however, is higher than the average potato chip. This was one of Jillian's only complaints about this chip and she as well as the company both say they are currently working to lower the sodium content. Even with that I'll still grab a bag of these over potato chips any day!

WW: The WW points on these may differ between flavors (none of the flavors have saturated fat except for the sour cream and onion and the cheddar so those may be slightly higher points) but Original comes in at 3 points for 23 chips! That's some good bang for your points buck.

Now onto the giveaway! Want to try some yummy popchips for yourself? I will select 2 winners for this giveaway and each will receive a "Healthy Snacking Sampler Kit" made up of some of my favorite healthy snacks.

To enter is simple: Just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite healthy snack is. The giveway will be open until next Tuesday February 15th at midnight and I'll announce the winner with next week's Snack of the Day post. And, go!

Snack of the Day

Welcome to a new weekly series here on Losing With Loves called "Snack of the Day." I figure it's Wednesday, hump day, and we all need an extra little snack to get through the rest of the week. In this series I will try out different snack options and give reviews!

Have you ever seen something at the health food store and wondered if it's any good? Ever hear about a certain snack and wonder if it really lives up to all the hype? Here you will have some honest opinions on some of the healthy or healthier snacks out there. We're not talking fruits and veggies, we ALL know those are healthy snack options. I'm talking about the "I'm running errands and am starving and need to grab something quick" snacks or the "I ate dinner an hour ago and now I'm wanting a little snack" kind of deal. I'll rate each on overall taste, give it a healthy score, and because I'm nice, I'll even let you know what the Weight Watchers Plus Points value is.

For today I'm going to do a review of one of my new favorite snacks: 94% fat free popcorn. You heard me, 94% fat free. I have to tell you that when Hilary first mentioned this to me I about gagged just at the thought of it. Where's the movie butter popcorn I love so much? Oh yeah, it's like a cazillion points. So I went out and bought some and gave it a try and oh man, never will I eat movie theater popcorn again.

Overall Taste: This popcorn is fantastic! The taste is so much lighter than some of those buttered popcorns. If you want to you can do as Hilary does and add a tiny bit of butter and some parmesan cheese to it for an added boost of flavor. If you don't like it the first time, try again. I wasn't sold on it the first go around but by the second time I had some I really enjoyed it.

Healthy Score: On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being not the best and 5 being pretty darn healthy I'd give this a 5. Low in fat, low in sodium, whole grain, what could be better?

WW: Now here is what is really awesome. For just 1 point you can have 5 cups of this stuff! On my microwaveable bag that's a little less than half the bag. All for 1 point. I'd say that's good bang for your buck.

Now that we're all hungry if you have a snack you would like reviewed just leave a comment on this post or any snack of the day post and I will do my best to find the item and give a review!