Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo: Healthy Takeaways!

By: Finance Foodie

This past Sunday, thousands of registered dietitians, nutrition science researchers, policy makers, health-care providers and industry leaders took Boston by storm for the American Dietetic Association's Annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE). Since I’m still on my “No Joe Starbucks Program” (going on three weeks strong readers – thanks for your support!), I decided to check this expo out too – in search of more healthy and delicious snack options for the upcoming week. Because for me, variety is the spice of life (and the key to keeping me away from the caffeine drip)! After carefully examining and sampling the products on each aisle, I came up with this plan, after the jump…
Day 1 – 245 calories
1/6 cup dried cranberries (75 calories); 1 Corazonas Peanut Butter Oatmeal Square (160 calories)

Why I Chose this Snack: FIBER ALERT! Dried cranberries offer a higher count of dietary fiber per serving than fresh berries (about seven grams of dietary fiber /cup vs. four grams from fresh berries). Corozonas oatmeal square bars contain five grams of fiber and six grams of protein. Looks like its going to be a “regular” day!

Day 2 – 260 calories
Less than ½ oz. dry roasted peanuts (80 calories); 1 bag Mary’s Gone Crackers Sticks & Twigs Pretzel Sticks (180 calories)

Why I Chose this Snack: Peanuts are a very good source of heart healthy monounsaturated fats and are also as rich in antioxidants as many fruits. The Sticks and Twigs are all organic, whole grain, and contains 640mg of omega-3 fatty acids per bag.

Day 3 – 250 calories
1oz Jovial Spaghetti Einkorn Pasta (1OO calories); less than 1/8 cup Progresso Panko Lemon Pepper Bread Crumbs (5O calories); ½ cup Canned Tomatoes and Frozen Broccolli (4O calories); ½ tbsp Vegetable Oil for Sautéing (60 calories)

Why I Chose this Snack: A “mini-meal” as a snack is twice as satisfying because it feels like your are getting an extra meal for the day! Tomatoes are known for its high Lycopene content (Lycopene is a vital anti-oxidant that helps in the fight against cancerous cell formation). I’m in love with Einkorn Pasta. Panko Bread Crumbs give the dish a nice crunch without too many additional calories.

Day 4 – 250 calories
1 package of 6 Classic Late July Crackers (90 calories); 1oz bag of Dry Roasted Blue Diamond Almonds (160 calories)

Why I Chose this Snack: Almonds are high in mono-unsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats that have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease. In fact, almonds contain the most nutrients in comparison to all other nuts. Late July crackers are USDA certified organic and tastes so much “cleaner” than Ritz crackers.

Day 5 – 190 calories
1 28g bag of California Raisins (90 calories); 1 1.1oz bag of Pistachios (100 calories)

Why I Chose this Snack: Raisins are good source of potassium and magnesium both of which are very effective in reducing acidity. Raisins also contain considerable amount of iron which helps treating anemia (decrease in the number of red blood cells). Besides being my favorite nut, pistachios are an excellent source of copper and manganese, and a good source of phosphorus.

Here’s to hoping for a FULL ONE MONTH break from coffee! Wish me luck!

***Giveaway***

Congrats #6 - Simone

Progresso wants one of my lucky readers a prize pack including one package of Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko and an autographed copy of Chef Michael Chiarello’s new cookbook: Michael Chiarello’s Bottega (ARV: $40). An Emmy-award winning TV chef and cookbook author, Chef Chiarello is the tastemaker behind Bottega Napa Valley Restaurant, NapaStyle and Chiarello Family Vineyards, and appears on The Cooking Channel and Top Chef Masters on Bravo.

There are THREE ways to enter:
1. In my comments section, tell me what is your favorite healthy item to snack on
2. Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter (leave separate comment telling me this)
3. Reblog / Retweet this giveaway (leave separate comment telling me this)

Contest ends November 11, 2010 at 5pm EST. Winners will be chosen via random integer generator on random.org announced on the financefoodie.com site shortly afterwards that night!

General Mills provided me with the prize package and the panko bread crumbs via myblogspark