One of the great things about interns is that they give me tips on new products I have not seen yet. Honestly, there are so many new products available at grocery stores, it is impossible to keep up with them. One of my interns told me about Emerald’s Cocoa Roast Almonds. They are roasted almonds that are dusted with cocoa powder. It is just enough cocoa powder to give a chocolate flavor that is a perfect blend with the almonds.

One ounce of the cocoa roasted almonds give you 150 calories, 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of protein. This is a lot of calories in a small space, so you do need to be careful with them. Just because they are nuts does not mean you can eat as much as you want.

I have found they make a nice, filling snack (because of the mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fat) particularly after dinner when I’m looking for a taste of chocolate.

Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Clients often ask for recommendations for bars and other quick, portable, and shelf-stable foods they can keep with them for when they get in a food crunch.  They need something they can throw in a purse, bag, or glove box.  One of my favorite items to keep handy are KIND bars.

KIND bars are whole food packed with nuts, fruits, and other good things.  They are higher in fat than other bars, but that is because they have nuts in them.  Lots of nuts.  Nuts also provide some protein.  Those nuts also mean they are crunchy and take some work to eat.  That extra work can slow you down and allow your body to get signals to you saying it is satisfied.

KIND bars are available at a lot of grocery stores and health food stores.  If you are looking for a portable snack remember to be KIND to yourself.

One of the questions I get often is “how many  meals should I eat a day?”  My answer is that there is no one way to eat – you need to eat how your body wants you to eat.  For some people, that means three times a day, others five or six, and once or twice for some.  Regardless of how many meals you eat a day, your body still has a certain number of calories it needs to maintain your weight.

I started thinking about this today when I heard a story about a study that talked about how the rise in overweight and obesity may be linked not to the size of our meals, but to the between meals snacking.  Back in the 50′s there were three meals a day without snacks.  Now, we tend to have meals and snacks.  It makes sense that adding additional calories with snacks could lead to weight gain (in addition to the size of the meals getting larger).

If you are someone who eats more than three meals a day, remember that those snacks count towards you total daily calorie bank account just like a meal.  In fact, you can think of your snack as a meal or a mini-meal.  The best meals (and snacks/mini-meals) have a mix of protein, fat, and carbohydrates.  Having all three (like a piece of fruit with some yogurt)  helps you stay fuller and sated longer than eating a candy bar.

Next time you reach for a snack, ask yourself is that snack an appropriate mini-meal or meal.  If not, are you really hungry and need the snack or are you just grabbing the M&Ms because they are on the desk?  If you are a snacker who is working on maintaining or losing weight, remember to think about that snack when you have your meals and determine if you need to adjust the size of your meal.

Now. . . where’s that apple and string cheese?