"eating well magazine" news and stories

Whether you like them or not, there is no escaping the fact that natural peanut butters are healthier than their more processed counterparts because they contain no trans-fats. It can be hard to decide on a brand when you have reached for the same Skippy or Jif brands for so many years. EatingWell magazine took the time to review several brands and the health-conscious taste testers - ranging from a toddler to an attorney - picked their favorites:

• Nut ‘N Better Organic: Creamy - Smooth and silky, this peanut butter is sold under the Safeway Organics "O" brand.
• Smucker’s Natural: Creamy - With a very peanutty flavor, this brand was named "the crunchy-lover's smooth" and can be found in most grocery stores.

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Snack bars are the new granola bars. This isn’t really a news flash, but I certainly never thought of them this way. They were, by and large, previously marketed as energy bars, designed to deliver an extra dose of calories to hard-working athletes or as meal replacements for busy people. Many people don’t use these as meal replacements, though, and eat two or three a day as snacks, hence the new "snack bar" designation. Though most of the bars have 200-250 calories and less than 6 grams of fat, some can have more than 10 grams of fat and over 300 calories. Eating two or three of these adds up – and quickly.

This month, EatingWell magazine rounded up some of the best snack bar options, based on the following criteria: 225 calories or less and less than 3 grams of saturated fat, as well as at least 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. The goal was to find something worth eating nutritionally as a snack and was filling enough to hold you over until your next meal.