KNIKA

Um Yea!

thenutritionator:

maryrambin:

—By Nutritionista

I hope I brought you back to at least middle school with that song. Anyway, it’s that time of year again. You know the one. Candy bowls are sitting out everywhere and you have good reason to indulge. Who wants to be the party pooper who says no to a little mini candy bar around Halloween? Here are some Nutritionista-approved sweets you can buy for yourself and others that won’t get you too sugar high (and offer a little something extra):

• Dark Chocolate Hershey Kisses

If you’re going to go chocolate, at least go dark. Nine of these have 180 calories, which is far fewer than a traditional candy bar. Bonus? Antioxidants!

• Hershey’s Miniatures Special Dark

Again, go for the dark. Five mini bars ring in at 210 calories. Bonus? More antioxidants!

• Reed’s Crystallized Ginger

Just ginger root plus raw cane sugar. Bonus? Ginger’s a tummy soother!

• Annie’s Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks

All organic ingredients and sweetened partially with fruit juice. Bonus? 100% of your recommended daily value of Vitamin C!

• Figamajigs

Chocolate-covered figs mean you get the deliciousness of chocolate and the natural sweetness of figs. Bonus? A little extra fiber!

• York Peppermint Pattie

One big guy has 140 calories, one of the lowest-calorie traditional candies out there. Bonus? Fresh breath!

• Almond M&Ms

Another promising classic. With 250 calories in a large bag, your best bet might be buying the mini bags. Bonus? Healthy unsaturated fat from the almonds!

• Mrs. May’s Almond Crunch

Another almond treat. With just four ingredients (almonds, rice malt, evaporated cane juice, and sea salt), you know you’re getting a fairly natural pick. Bonus? Again, the healthy fat!

• Jolly Ranchers

Though they don’t offer much in the way of nutrition, classic Jolly Ranchers do offer one thing: Like all hard candies, they take awhile to suck on! You can have three for 70 calories. Bonus? Multicolored tongue!!!

Photo by lovelypetal

I just love the above picture! So Vibrant!

Carrots, Carrots, Carrots. Did you know carrots are good for the eye? Carrots offer an abundance of Vitamin A, which has been noted to keep eyes healthy. Vitamin A supplements are often given to children in countries where there is not enough nutritionally dense food. These supplements are distributed to children in order to prevent night blindness.

Beta-carotene

Carrots also offer beta-carotene. Beta-carotene gives carrots their rich orange pigment Beta-carotene actually makes Vitamin A. Furthermore, beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant. Beta-carotene is present in other dark, rich colored vegetables and fruits such as squash, spinach, and sweet potatoes.

Eating Carrots

Carrots can be consumed numerous ways, raw, boiled, juiced, stewed, gently fried and placed with stir fry.

Carrot Snacks:

• Raw Carrot stick
• Carrots dipped in a tad bit of lite ranch dressing
• Beef/chicken/vegetable stir fry
• Carrots dipped in hummus
• Juice a carrot, apple, and other fruits/veggies (actually taste goods)
• Sliced in carrots in a salad
• Carrots and peanut butter…I need to try this

This is pretty cool! A Halloween treat, carrots and dipping sauce!

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40767

Any more ideas for carrot snacks? Click on the post and scroll all the way down to add a comment!