May Club Fx-Approved New Product Roundup
The following article was written by Heinen’s Chief Dietitian, Melanie Jatsek RD, LD.
Listen to this Article
I had breakfast with a dear friend yesterday, and she confessed something most of us can probably relate to: she loves sweets! Maybe you can do without sugary treats, but salty and crunchy foods captivate your tastebuds. The bottom line is, we like what we like!
This month’s Fx-Approved new product roundup offers a little something for everyone. I chose these five products because they are unique alternatives that brilliantly satisfy cravings in a fun, flavorful, and supportive way.
Yellow Watermelon
Watermelon is the ultimate cure for a raging sweet tooth. It’s sweet like candy and more importantly, as its name suggests, watermelon is mostly water (about 92%)! This second point is important because it’s the water that helps you feel full and cuts down on cravings.
Yellow watermelons get their color from beta-carotene, the same compound that makes carrots orange. At first glance, you may think a yellow watermelon is less sweet than red. But tasting is believing! Yellow is actually sweeter, with a hint of honey.
Have a sugar craving? Head to Heinen’s Produce department and smash it with a yellow watermelon! It works every time.
Root Foods Chips
I love a good crunchy snack, but I learned long ago that potato chips aren’t my friend. I could eat half the bag and still want more! That’s a warning sign that the addictive nature of salt was at play and my body wasn’t getting what it really needed— nutrition!
Root Foods takes a healthier approach to snack foods with hand-sliced fresh vegetables from small family-owned farms, cooked slowly at low temperatures to retain nutrients, then finished with a touch of avocado oil and a sprinkle of sea salt (only 15-30 mg of sodium per serving).
Root Foods veggie chips are free of gluten, dairy, pesticides, and GMOs. Look for them in Heinen’s Wellness department in these four varieties:
- Six Mix: 2 pounds of fresh okra, zucchini, green beans, green bell pepper, asparagus, and broccoli per bag
- Beet: 6 fresh beets per bag
- Onion: 3 fresh white and purple onions per bag
- Zucchini: 2 pounds of fresh green and yellow zucchini per bag
Honey Mama’s Fudge Bars
What do you call it when your favorite candy bar goes to a meditation retreat and comes back enlightened? A Honey Mama’s fudge bar. The ultimate sweet treat you can feel good about, these Oregon-based bars are made without refined sugar, gluten, dairy, soy, stabilizers, emulsifiers, or additives.
Instead, they start with a base of organic raw honey and cold-pressed virgin coconut oil swirled together with dark cocoa powder. The texture is compared to brownie batter or fudge. Yum!
To keep their form, Honey Mama’s bars should be refrigerated. You can find them in the Dairy department of your local Heinen’s in these decadent flavors: Chocolate Cake, Peanut Butter Cup, Girl Scout Thin Mints, Salted Almond.
Note: Each bar contains three servings, separated by score marks. Be sure to multiply the nutrition facts by the number of servings you actually eat!
Cleveland Kitchen Coleslaw
When it’s swimming in mayonnaise, a health-boosting cruciferous vegetable like cabbage loses all bragging rights. Cleveland Kitchen flipped the script on traditional coleslaw with their latest masterpiece— a lightly fermented version using simple vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and live active cultures. The result is an Fx-Approved condiment brimming with probiotics (health-promoting bacteria), making it the perfect topping for fish tacos, salads, sandwiches, and burgers.
Discover Cleveland Kitchen Coleslaw next to their other fermented products in Heinen’s Deli department in Classic and Korean (spicy) varieties.
Living Intentions Sprouted Nuts and Seeds
What makes sprouted foods so special? For starters, the process of soaking a nut, seed, or grain kernel in water begins the germination process (that’s when you notice a tiny sprout forming). And why is this a big deal? Because the nutrients that were hidden inside of that grain, nut, and seed become activated and more readily available for our body. This means better digestion and absorption of the goodness inside!
Living Intentions is known for its line of sprouted almonds and cereals, and now they’ve added more crunchy, sweet and, savory snacks to the mix, including: Sprouted Nut Clusters (Salted Maple, Spicy Teriyaki, Dark Chocolate, Rosemary Garlic varieties), Wild Berry Sprouted Trail Mix, and Jalapeno Mojo Sprouted Sunflower Seeds. Each variety is made with whole food ingredients and functional foods to make them extra nutritious, like spirulina, goji berries, and cacao. Look for them in Heinen’s Grocery department.
Key Takeaway
I was delighted to hear that my friend now calms her sugar monster with nature’s candy… medjool dates! She found their sweet caramelly goodness to be the perfect swap for candy and feels better in body and mind as a result. This begs the question: if we can find a healthier alternative, why not give it a try?
