Tags: calcium

1 Jan 2012, Comments (6)

Vitafusion Calcium Gummy Vitamins for Adults

Author: Healthnuttxo

Something different to review, vitamins! I like to take a daily vitamin/calcium and fish oil when it comes to supplements. I mostly take calcium because I don’t always get my 2-3 servings of dairy a day, so I think it helps me reach my quota. (Of course, I always suggest talking to your doctor first before taking any supplements!) I realized I ran out of calcium chews (the horror!!), and browsed Target to find some more. Why Target? Why not Vitamin Shoppe? because Target is so obviously a much more reasonable place to go rather than, say, a vitamin store, no? (kidding!).

While I was there, I saw these gummy vitamins by Vitafusion that were made with natural ingredients and flavors.

It was a rather large jar, with 100 gummies in it, so I was taking a risk buying them. I was sure I’d like them- with flavors like vanilla bean, chocolate and white chocolate raspberry, how could they taste bad!?

First, according to the cover, 2 gummies have as much vitamin D as 3 oz of salmon and as much calcium as 2 six ounce glasses of milk. They were also gluten, peanut , egg and soy free.

So, I opened up the bottle and took the gummies out. They were really dense gummy bites, and thick. They had a bit of a rough feel to them as well.

I tried the chocolate one first. It was swirled with white and had a pretty design on the top

It was very chewy, and had a rather chalky taste to it. Sweet, but not too sweet,  but it did not really remind me of chocolate at all. It kind of had a vanilla flavor to it with an artificial chocolate flavor.

Next, I had the vanilla bean flavor.

This one was a little better, but not by much. It kind of tasted like the chocolate one, but was a little sweeter and lighter in flavor. There were tiny black specs in the gummy which Im assuming was the vanilla bean.

Another time, I tried the white chocolate raspberry.

This one I liked the best. It seemed to be a bit softer than the other ones. It was sweet and had a raspberry vanilla flavor. I wish the whole bottle was just the raspberry vanilla chews!

Overall, not my favorite. I like that there is 500 mg of calcium in 2 gummies, that they are made with natural ingredients, and are gluten/peanut/soy/egg free, but the flavors are just not good or enjoyable. I have had other calcium products that rock, so I will probably not buy these again. They were too gummy and had a weird consistency, almost rubbery, and I just did not enjoy them. The white chocolate raspberry one wasn’t bad, but still not amazing. 2 stars

Do you take calcium supplements? What brand? I’d love some options!

2 gummy Vitamins are
25 calories
6 grams of carbohydrates
5 grams of sugar
1000 IU Vitamin D
500 mg Calcium
125 mg Phosphorus
15 mg Sodium

14 Nov 2010, Comments (1)

Attune Dark Chocolate Probiotic Wellness Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

Dont forget this TOTALLY AWESOME Giveaway!!!  :)

Source

Mmmm..chocolate. Nothing quite satisfies like a good piece of melt-in-your mouth chocolate does, in my opinion. And what about when chocolate has some added benefits, such as probiotics and calcium? Hmm…

Well, Attune makes Probiotic Wellness Bars in a variety of flavors, including the Dark Chocolate variety. I read the package, which said it had “5x the live cultures in yogurt” and “was an excellent source of calcium”. I also noticed that this bar (20 grams) had 3 grams of fiber and only 80 calories. How’s that for a piece of chocolate?

I opened up the package and saw two decently sized squares of chocolate. Very dark in color, a very dark brown. When I broke a piece it had a nice snap to it, but that could have been because I put it in the refrigerator : )

I tasted a piece, and, whew! This bar is bitter! I normally like milk chocolate (and I love white chocolate as well!), but occasionally I’ll have a piece of dark chocolate. This particular dark chocolate was rather bitter at first, and then as I let it melt in my mouth, the bitterness was toned down a little, and a more creamy, slightly sweeter chocolate emerged.

Overall, 3 stars. I love that it has probiotics in it, is only 80 calories, and has both calcium and fiber, but it was a bit too bitter for me. I would have preferred it to be a bit sweeter as well.

*I received this bar to try for free from Attune Foods*

11 Sep 2010, Comments (0)

Musselman’s Healthy Picks Granny Smith Apple Sauce

Author: Healthnuttxo

Being the applesauce lover that I am ( I insist it’s not just for babies! =) ), how on earth could I turn down Musselman’s when they asked if I wanted to sample their new Healthy Picks apple sauce in GRANNY SMITH flavor? Obviously I didn’t! : )

What I like about Healthy Picks Granny Smith Applesauce  is that they are a bit different than other applesauces that I have tried. Aside from being all natural, this applesauce also has THREE grams of fiber and 10% of daily calcium needs per 4oz. cup! Fiber, calcium, and good taste? I’m loving that!

So, last night I opened up one of these cups to enjoy with my dinner. It was a normal colored applesauce, perhaps just a tad more green/yellow than what I’m used to. I was a bit scared or hesistant at first- even though apples are my favorite fruit, I’m really not a fan of Granny Smith apples. In fact, I really only eat them in two conditions. One- with peanut butter or Two- with a bland/unsweetened cereal and milk for breakfast. I usually find them too tart and even too crunchy for my preferences.

However, I tried this applesauce and really enjoyed it! I could certainly taste the granny smith aspect of it, but it really wasn’t tart at all! There was a good amount of sweetness as well, which I certainly enjoyed. The texture was smooth, yet still had a little bit of consistency which I liked. It had the consistency of a fruit sauce, not a super smooth puree.

Overall, 4 1/2 stars! I would most likely buy this if I saw it in stores. I really love the extra fiber and calcium, and it’s great taste. It’s mild enough to eat with a meal, but sweet enough to also eat on it’s own. Delicious!

1 4oz. cup is 70 calories, 0 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar and 0 grams of protein.

*** ZEVIA GIVEAWAY ENDS TOMOROW!!! ****

22 May 2010, Comments (0)

Jungle Grub Gluten Free Snack Bars

Author: Healthnuttxo

Now who can turn down a snack called “Jungle Grub” with a cute MONKEY on it? I certainly couldn’t!

OrganicNutrition sent me 3 boxes of their “Jungle Grub” snack bars, that come in Berry Bamboozle, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Peanut Butter Groove. Each bar is gluten free, 100 calories, a good source of  both vitamin C and calcium, and of course, organic! I was excited to try these- 3 of my favorite things- fruit (berries), chocolate chip cookie dough, and peanut butter! How could these NOT be good? :)

Well, I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed upon opening the box. These bars are TINY!!! I would say about the size of a business card in length (but thicker of course). Certainly won’t satisfy the hungry monster I like to call my stomache. But, I decided to try them anyway. After all, Im not one to judge based soley on size ;)

Berry Bamboozle-  this one has a layer of vanilla icing on top, and berry flavor on bottom. It’s dense and chewy, kind of like a mix of an all-fruit bar and those protein bars. It had a nice berry flavor, like cranberry and raspberry put together, and was actually quite sweet. 3 1/2 stars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough- this bar as a whole reminded me of a less sweet version of cookie dough- but still yummy. The mini chocolate chips were TOO cute- itty bitty and tasty! It’s a shame it was so small becuase it really is quite good, but I gobbled it up in about 2 seconds! 4 stars

Peanut Butter Groove- this one was the chewiest of the 3, almost like taffy! It even stuck to the wrapper a little bit. It did have more body and was tastier than the other two. It had little crispies in it, and coated with a vanilla icing. It was more of a “sweet” peanut taste- like Better N’ Peanut Butter (if you ever had that product before). It also kind of reminded me of a typical “peanut butter” energy bar- more sweet than savory. 4 stars

Overall, not bad. But definietly geared toward children more than adults. I can see maybe having one of these with some yogurt or fruit as a snack, but definietly not by itself. It would also be a nice “sweet treat” on the side of a meal, that’s healthier and better than, say a donut or piece of chocolate. What I also didn’t really like was that they are a bit high in sugar- about 8 grams per bar, which doesn’t seem like much, but the bar isn’t that big.  It also only provided 1 gram of fiber each. On the bright side, each provides 15-20% of your daily calcium needs and 20 % vitamin C. Woop! :)

Each bar is 100 calories, 3.5-4 grams of fat, 13-14 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

For information on the ingredients of each bar, visit the website :)

Dont Forget about the YOUBAR giveaway!!

18 May 2010, Comments (2)

Surf Sweets Gummy Swirls candy

Author: Healthnuttxo

I have such a sweet tooth (seeing as this is my SECOND candy review/post tonight! Make sure you scroll down to see the second review!)  I’m so happy that companies like Surf Sweets make healthier alternatives to traditional candies to help satisfy my sweet tooth but also ease my mind!

Surf Sweets makes organic and natural jelly beans and gummy candies. According to the website, “At Surf Sweets, we love candy! We’re passionate about making the world’s most flavorful candy using all natural pure ingredients. We’re also a company that cares about the health and well-being of our customers and our planet. These values have inspired us to launch a complete line of all-natural, organic gummy candy and jelly beans.”

An added bonus- their products are made without corn syrup, trans fats, artificial ingredients, and preservatives. They also provide 100% of your daily vitamin C needs per serving. How’s that for a candy??

The company sent me a few of their products to try, including the Gummy Swirls. These are vegetarian/vegan, and not only provide 100% daily needs of Vitamin C, but calcium as well. (I can see it now. Kids everywhere saying, “No thanks, Mom. I don’t need to drink my milk today. I can have these candies instead!!” :) )

Each cute drop has colored swirls of orange and pink, and is coated with delicious “sugar” sprinkles. I put sugar in quotes because they are sweetened with evaporated cane juice, tapioca syrup and fruit juice concentrate, so I’m not sure what factor gives it the “sugary” coating. They are sweet, indeed, but not WOAH that’s SWEET!. They are sweet, in a good way. And addictive too! They are nice and chewy on the inside, and stick to your teeth like a good gummy candy should ;)

Overall, I give these 4 1/2 stars. They are really tasty! I like to suck on them, one by one, and savor each piece (plus that prevents me from eating the whole bag in one sitting!). If you like gummy candy, give these a try! They will satisfy a sweet tooth, and provide some health benefits as well. Take the advice from the bag and “Catch a Wave of Flavor”.- Cute!!

16 pieces is 120 calories, 0 grams of fat, 29 carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 22 grams of sugar and 0 grams of protein.

Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Tricalcium Phosphate, Organic Grape Juice Concentrate, Pectin, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Color Added (including Black Carrot Juice Concentrate, Turmeric, Annatto), Natural Flavors.

2 May 2010, Comments (1)

Just the Cheese Crunchy Baked Cheese snacks

Author: Healthnuttxo

(HOW LUCKY ARE YOU!! 2 reviews in one day- I’m on a roll 8) (scroll down for the 2nd review on cookies after this post!!) )

You read right- crunchy, baked, CHEESE snacks!
These snacks are made by company Just the Cheese and are literally crunchy bites of CHEESE! The company sent me some of their flavors to try, and I was both hesistant, yet excited, to try these cheesy snacks. After all, I do like Cheez-it’s and Amy’s Cheddar Bunnies, so why not like these?

Well- the only resemblance between cheese crackers and Just the Cheese snacks are the word “Cheese”. These snacks are a COMPLETELY different cheese-snacking experience! They come in flavors White Cheddar, Pizza, Nacho, Cool Ranch, Jalapeno, Wisconsin Cheddar, and Grilled Cheese.  I decided to try the Crispy Cool Ranch, White Cheddar, Pizza, and Jalapeno varieties. Who knew there were so many cheesy-snacks?!

Each 1/2 oz. bag provides a rather large handful of round cheese bits. Each bit is about the size of a dime or a penny, and crumbly in texture. It certainly is hard and crunchy. The Pizza and White Cheddar flavors were my favorite- the Pizza flavor ACTUALLY tasted like eating pizza in crunchy form! It had a saucy/paprika flavor, and also had undertones of garlic and onion. The White Cheddar flavor reminded me of white cheddar popcorn and that white cheddar cheese sauce you would get if you were to make boxed mac & cheese (in the white cheddar flavor, of course). My next favorite was the Crispy Cool Ranch, as it had a slight ranch flavor, but was overall quite salty. I did taste hints of onion and garlic as well. Lastly, of the four, the Jalapeno flavor. It has a little bit of a kick to it, but was too pepper-y tasting for my preferences. I’ll stick to th Pizza and White Cheddar for now! :)

Overall, these get 4 stars. They are unique snacks for sure, and I love how there are really no other ingredients besides cheese! They also have 5 grams of protein per bag and have a good amount of calcium per serving as well. They are certainly salty  however, so make sure you have some water near by! Otherwise, there’s no better way to nix a salty/cheesy craving than to pop a handful of these cheese nuggets in your mouth! :)

1 bag (approx 22 pieces) is 75 calories, 6.5 grams of fat (3.5 grams saturated),1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein.

ingredients only vary slightly from flavor to flavor. Here’s the ingredients for the White Cheddar Cheese

Cheese (milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes), Other Natural Flavors, Autolyzed Yeast, Maltodextrin from corn, Yeast Extract

16 Mar 2010, Comments (0)

Stonyfield Farm Organic Maple Vanilla Yogurt

Author: Healthnuttxo

Browsing the dairy section at my grocery store looking for new things to pop in my fridge (as IF there was ANY room available), I spotted something truly beautiful & tempting.

Alas- some simple math calculations arose in my head.
Stonyfield Farm + Organic Yogurt + Maple Vanilla + NEW PRODUCT = ONE HAPPY LISA!

Not only that, but to continue with the math theme, my yogurt’s price was FREE, courtesy of Kristina @ Stonyfield Farm, who sent me a coupon (thanks Kristina!)

So, really, how could I resist Maple Vanilla flavored yogurt, a new product by Stonyfield Farm? Well, I couldn’t, and I bought out the rest of the shelf ( Yep, there were 8. I bought ALL 8. I knew this had to taste good, how could it not!?)

The Maple Vanilla is the newest addition to Stonyfield’s line of low fat and fat free organic 6 oz cups of yogurt. It’s only available for a limited time (of course, I ALWAYS like the limited addition flavors. Do we recall my post on the Pumpkin Pie flavor by Stonyfield?).


So far, I had the Maple Vanilla 2 ways- once slightly frozen, and once as is. Both ways were delightful, indeed. The yogurt is creamy- one of the reasons I love Stonyfield’s blended yogurts is because they are CREAMY! They are not watery like those “diet” yogurts I have tried, and are not super thick like greek yogurt, but they are a happy medium between the two. A texture I really like, because I feel like I am actually eating something, not drinking something. The yogurt is mildly sweet, with just a hint of maple. I honestly felt there was more vanilla flavor than maple, and sort of wish there was a bit more maple flavor. Nonetheless, it was a delicious yogurt, and a real treat frozen. I give it 4 stars.

I also had the yogurt with some cream of wheat, maple syrup and sliced bananas, and it was one DELICIOUS breakfast!

1 yogurt is 130 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 23 carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, and 7 grams of protein. It also has 25% daily calcium needs and those lovely probiotics!

CULTURED PASTEURIZED ORGANIC LOW FAT MILK, NATURALLY MILLED ORGANIC SUGAR, ORGANIC MAPLE SYRUP,  ORGANIC NATURAL FLAVOR, PECTIN, ORGANIC CARAMEL COLOR, ORGANIC NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR, VITAMIN D3.

3 Feb 2010, Comments (3)

Attune Chocolate Probiotic Wellness Bar

Author: healthnuttxo

That’s right. This is totally a CHOCOLATE review. But not just any chocolate- an actual HEALTHIER chocolate you can feel good about eating!

Attune Chocolate Probiotic Wellness Bars are exactly that- healthy, delicious, CHOCOLATE! Attune’s bars may have approximately 6.1 billion CFU’s in each bar, but those probiotics don’t alter the taste at all! These are the same probiotics you find in yogurt that help keep the digestive system running smoothly.

These bars are found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store to keep those probiotics alive & running. Each bar has 2 squares each, which are actually rather big (its a 20 gram bar). The bars also come in 7 flavors, chocolate crisp, mint chocolate, blueberry vanilla, dark chocolate, coffee bean dark chocolate, raspberry dark chocolate, and almond milk chocolate. I got to try the chocolate crisp,  and blueberry vanilla varieties.

Chocolate Crisp- ooh. This one reminds me of a Crunch bar. Smooth milk chocolate with little rice crisps embedded in each square. The smell of the bar is really delicious- just pure, smooth milk chocolate bliss. I wish they had a milk chocolate flavor without the crisps, as I prefer my chocolate plain, but it was still very good.

Blueberry Vanilla- I really enjoyed this one! Just the SMELL of the bar was delicious- a true blueberry scent! I was a little hesistant to try this one at first-but glad I did! It was a sweet white chocolate with a nice addition of vanilla and blueberry flavors (and actual blueberry pieces!). This one was my favorite of the two. I wonder what it would taste like melted and drizzled on some icecream or with yogurt (too bad I already ate my bar!!).

Overall, these get 4  stars. I love how Attune made chocolate a healthier indulgence, and didn’t blow calories or sugar content out of the park. I also like how they are a good source of calcium (and I got to skip my yogurt for the day without guilt knowing I ate some probiotics!). I found breaking off one square when a little sugar craving hit and letting it melt slowly in my mouth was just perfect.

Chocolate Crisp- Milk Chocolate Coating (evaporated cane juice, chocolate, cocoa butter, inulin, non fat milk, calcium carbonate, Anhydrous Milk Fat, soy lecithin [an emulsifier], vanilla), Organic Brown Rice Crisps (organic brown rice flour, organic molasses, calcium carbonate), Probiotic Cultures (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium lactis).

Blueberry Vanilla- White Chocolate Coating (cocoa butter, evaporated cane juice, yogurt powder, lactose, inulin, nonfat milk, calcium carbonate, soy lecithin [an emulsifier], vanilla), Organic Brown Rice Crisps (organic brown rice flour, organic molasses, calcium carbonate), Freeze Dried Blueberry Pieces, Probiotic Cultures (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium lactis), Natural Flavor.

 

15 Dec 2009, Comments (5)

Stonyfield Farm Organic Banilla Yogurt

Author: healthnuttxo

Stonyfield Farm, as you all should know, makes dozens of products ranging from organic/all natural yogurts, frozen desserts and smoothies. They all benefit the earth and are made using only nature’s finest ingredients. I personally love their yogurt, and I’ve passed by the Banilla flavored yogurt way too many times in the store, simply because it was in the 32 oz. cup instead of the individual cups. For conveinence, of course, I usually only buy the individual 6 oz. cups, plus it is easy portion control. However, I decided I was in the mood for a new flavor of yogurt, and Stonyfield has never let me down before, so I decided to give Banilla a try.

So i took home the 32 oz. “cup” of yogurt and took out a spoon from my cupboard. I took a scoop and instantly fell in love. My taste-buds rejoiced upon tasting this yogurt. THIS WAS MY NEW FAVORITE FLAVOR! I was actually, to be honest, a little mad at myself for not buying it any sooner just because it was in the 32 oz. size instead of the 6 oz.

It was very creamy, not runny at all, and had a real banana flavor. Not that “artificial banana” flavor that you get when you buy candy like Laffy Taffy or something of the sort. But it really tasted like vanilla yogurt blended with banana puree. It was sweet, but not too sweet, and was just perfect. Definietely worth 5 stars! I’ve had it multiple times already, and my favorite concoctions [so far] are

1. Banilla Yogurt, Trader Joe’s Chocolate Toucan cookies, sliced bananas, and a squirt of whipped cream.

2.Banilla Yogurt, Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal, sliced bananas, and some organic chocolate syrup.

3.Banilla Yogurt, Kashi Honey Puffs and a Kashi Dark Chocolate cookie.

1 cup is 200 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 35 carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 9 grams of protein and 35% daily value of calcium + tons of probiotics!



5 Oct 2009, Comments (5)

Late July Mini Sandwich Cookies

Author: healthnuttxo

late

Late July is a great company. Founded by Nicole Bernard Dawes with her dad in 2003, they make a variety of all natural and organic foods. There top 3 reasons for choosing organic is 1. To save the environment 2. Reduce Health Risks and 3. Support Small businesses. The Late July Organic Mini Endangered Animal Sandwich cookies even donate 10% of their profits to the Jane Goodall Institute, to help those poor animals!! They are also a good source of whole grains and calcium :) Finally, a cookie everyone can feel good about eating!!
They come in two flavors, White Chocolate and Milk Chocolate. I got the pleasure of trying both, provided by Late July. Each of the sandwich cookies are ADORABLE. They have a whole bunch of animals on the outside cookie part, including the Leatherback Sea Turtle, Red Wolf, Chimpanzee, Sumatran Rhino, Pygmy Rabbit, Black-Footed Ferret and the Giant Panda. My favorite was the panda! So cute! How could you eat these guys ?

White Chocolate- Very delicious. Tastes like a mini oreo-but not as fake tasting or overly sweet. The cream is soft and sweet, with a light vanilla flavor. The chocolate cookie is crisp, and easy to swirl off of the cream.

Milk Chocolate- Also deeeeeelicious. Think keebler cookies, but better! The chocolate cream on the inside tastes like a soft, creamy milk chocolate, accompanied by a rich vanilla cookie on the outside.

Overall, these sandwich cookies ROCK. 4 stars for sure. These are great by themselves or with a glass of milk. I spread some natural peanut butter on the white chocolate flavor-HEAVEN!! I would love to try more Late July products. They seem AWESOME!!

10 cookies is 130-140 calories, 6-7 grams of fat, 18-19 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein. You also get 10% calcium needs and 8 grams of whole grain per serving.

White Chocolate-Organic whole wheat flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic powdered evaporated cane juice with organic cornstarch, organic wheat flour, organic oleic sunflower oil, organic palm oil, organic cocoa butter, organic chocolate liquor, organic cocoa processed with alkali, organic brown rice syrup, organic powdered milk, calcium carbonate, organic vanilla extract, natural flavors, sodium bicarbonate, soy lecithin, sea salt.

Milk Chocolate-Organic whole wheat flour, organic wheat flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic powdered evaporated cane juice with organic cornstarch, organic wheat flour, organic palm oil, organic oleic sunflower oil and/or organic oleic safflower oil,  organic cocoa butter, organic powdered milk, organic chocolate liquor,organic brown rice syrup, organic cocoa processed with alkali, sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, sea salt, cream of tartar, organic vanilla extract, natural flavors, soy lecithin.

Related Posts with Thumbnails
Beaded Watches