When the box of snacks first showed up on my doorstep, I was unimpressed. I figured, how different could these be from anything else on the market? Nuts are nuts, right? Turns out, I was wrong. These new snacks from Frito-Lay, called TrueNorth, are fantastic. They are fresh-tasting, unique and made out of easily pronounceable ingredients (when Scott first picked up a package, he said, "Wow, I actually know what everything on the ingredient list is.").

They come in eight varieties, ranging from nut crisps (the peanut ones are amazing with a drop of honey), to nut clusters (by far my favorite and highly addictive), to nut crunchies (I didn't love these quite as much, but they were still quite tasty). The nut clusters are a bit sweet and would make a great snack to take with you on an airplane or car trip, as they are compact, high in protein and have a little sweetness in them as well, which makes them an energizing snack (sugar for quick energy and then protein for the slow burn). With all the crap in packaged food these days, it's really nice to see a large food corporation making food that keeps things simple and natural.

Honestly, the only thing I didn't like about this product was the marketing materials. They're a little cheesy, announcing that "By naming the nut snacks TrueNorth, Frito-Lay hopes to celebrate its passion for nuts and inspire other people to find their own true north." I can appreciate the sentiment behind that statement, but they are still just snacks. I don't think they're going to be changing anyone's life.

It is a well-known fact that, whether they be made of corn, potato or other variety of vegetable matter, chips aren't a health food. However, they are delicious little buggers and so despite the danger that they present to the waistline, many of us keep on crunching away.

The Frito-Lay company, in an attempt to respond to some of the health concerns related to the high levels of salt in their chips, has recently released a line of chips that they're calling "A Pinch of Salt." They've reduced the level of sodium in several of their most popular chip lines between 30 and 50%.

I had the opportunity to taste chips from the two bags you see above and I must say that I was really impressed by the flavor of both products. While I've never been one to avoid salt due to health concerns, I don't like to eat overly salty foods because while a little salt can enhance flavor, too much of it can mask the natural flavor of the food you're eating. I found when the amount of salt was reduced I could really taste the corn and potato from which the chips were made. Whether you like less salty foods, or are trying to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet, this new line of chips could be a good choice.

The new Cracker Trax crackers from Cheetos advertises itself as "dangerously cheesy." I'm here to tell you that isn't true.

The new crackers come in two flavors: Cheesy Cheddar and Spicy Cheddar. My supermarket didn't have any of the spicy variety, but I did buy the cheesy, and they leave a lot to be desired. Oh, they aren't bad, but they just aren't cheesy enough. They smell really cheesy (it will hit you once you open the bag) and they look and feel cheesy, but once you put them in your mouth, the cheese taste seems to evaporate instantly, and you're left with the taste of a plain cracker.

I don't know, I really love cheese and maybe I'm just a person that looks for a lot of cheese taste in their foods (especially when they are labeled as "dangerous"), but these just didn't do it for me. I'll stick with other Cheetos snacks.

Frito-Lay is changing its Lay’s line of potato chips to give them a healthier nutritional profile. The company is switching to frying in sunflower oil from cottonseed oil, a move that will reduce the saturated fat content in the chips by 66%. Though some people, analysts and consumers alike, worry about a taste change in the best-selling snack food, the company says that it has been selling sunflower-fried chips in Canada and the UK (under the Walker’s brand) with only positive feedback from customers. There are other brands, including Kettle Chips, which currently use sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is made from sunflower seeds and is higher in vitamin E than any other vegetable oil. There are three types of sunflower oils: linoleic, high oleic and NuSun, all created through selective cross breeding of sunflower plants. Linoleic sunflower oil is the original oil, with low saturated fat levels (11% saturated) and a clean, light taste. Because it is so high in polyunsaturates, it is susceptible to oxidation during frying. The high oleic oil is unusually high in monounsaturated fats (82% monounsaturated, 9% polyunsaturated, 9% saturated) and was created to preserve the benefits of traditional sunflower oil but to be better for frying, so as to have a greater commercial application. In fact, this is most likely the type of oil that is being used by Frito Lay. NuSun is the newest type of sunflower oil. It is shelf-stable without the need for hydrogenation and falls somewhere between the linoleic and high oleic oils, with 65% monounsaturated, 26% polyunsaturated and 9% saturate fat.

By comparison, cottonseed oil is 27% saturated fat.

This isn't turning potato chips into health food, per say, but it is a very positive change in the snack food industry. And that’s something that can really make you “get your smile on.”