Get Zapped
It seems like the rage these days in food is fitting more “good stuff” into products we already know and love. Take plant sterol fortified OJ or the official FBG pumpkin muffins or even toaster pastries with extra fiber as recent examples. It bothers me that many times these types of food get labeled as healthy, even though they’re loaded with sugar and preservatives. But in moderation, I’m cool with it. Especially those pumpkin muffins. Yum.
Another food-plus product that I’m cool with is Zap Peanut Butter. This stuff has what’s usually in peanut butter—peanuts—plus beet, carrot, spinach, sweet potato, banana, tomato, blueberry, orange peel, strawberry and tart cherry. Whew. That’s a lot of good stuff. PLUS, it tastes good. You can barely taste the added ingredients, and it’s especially delicious on toasted wheat bread with a drizzle of honey or agave nectar. Warm and melty, yum.
The founder of Zap, Dr. Z, sent Erin and me a couple of jars of the natural creamy and creamy PB, along with a sampling of Zap’s energy bars. Dr. Z has recently been working with different school districts to get the peanut butter in school lunches, as it’s a sneaky way to get more nutrients into our kiddos. In fact, the products contain more antioxidants per serving than nutritional powerhouses spinach or kale. Score!
While the peanut butter was by far my fave of the Zap products, the energy bars weren’t bad. They come in two sizes: 1.5 oz. or 2.5 oz. The smaller size has about 170 calories each, and the larger ones come in at 290 cals. While the 2.5 oz. bars had too many calories for me to really be a snack, I did eat the large strawberry-vanilla yogurt bar as an emergency meal replacement, and it kept me full for four-plus hours. According to Dr. Z, the bars are made with all-natural dehydrated fruits, veggies and peanut butter that actually expand in your stomach. Food science is so cool.
Overall, all of the bars kind of tasted like a grown-up fruit roll-up, were pretty chewy and surprisingly weren’t overly sweet like I find many bars to be. My favorite flavors were apple and banana. The super-filling strawberry-vanilla yogurt was pretty good with an almost sweet potato and strawberry flavor, plus it had some yogurt in it which tasted kind of like icing. My least favorite was the cola flavor, which was more spice cake with a cola aftertaste than anything. But, if you love washing spice cake down with Diet Coke, this could be your winner.
The bars and peanut butter are a little pricey at $15.95 for four 12-oz. peanut butter jars or upwards of $12 for a box of six energy bars, but tell me, are you willing to pay a bit more for foods that are fortified with fruits, veggies, antioxidants and more? What about for your chillins? Do you like this food-fortified stuff? —Jenn
Comments
I know what you mean. I get worried a bit with the term healthy going with all the new and improved junk foods that now have something added.
That peanut butter sounds really interesting. I probably wouldn’t fork over the cash though. I’m a bigger fan of eating the real thing rather than eating it pumped into another food, as a pill or as a powder. You know me, the whole fake food thing. 🙂
I’m all for anything that gets good healthy products into the youth! I have been reading a lot about the zap products- looks like good stuff! I need to look for it at the store!
Gah! Thats so expensive! No way- I dont even pay that much money for a meal at a restaurant
Kelly Turner
http://www.groundedfitness.com
The peanut butter intrests me. I’m all about finding ways to sneak better stuff into the kids diet. But you’re not kidding on the price factor. Ouch!
I’m wary of most fortified products, since I see fortification typically as a way to make something nutrient-poor somewhat less nutrient-poor instead of genuinely good-for-you. I’d like to go in the other direction of eating foods in as natural a state as possible…
Of course, I don’t have kids. I imagine that makes a big difference!
I’m mostly very wary of any of these kinds of products. If stuff has to be added in to make it healthy, then it can’t be so very healthy on its own, right? But I am super interested in Zap! I would love to try it. At least to compare it to my beloved PB2 and see what the difference is.
Ooh… now I really want to get a whole bunch of different peanut butters and do a taste test… that would be so yummy! (Yes, yes I will use any excuse to eat more PB:)).
Lori: Yea, Zap is pretty much all natural, I believe, but I kind of draw the line with sugar-laden cereals that they try to sell as healthy just because they’re whole grains.
Marcy: When I eat the PB, I do feel kind of self righteous…like, yes, I’m getting nuts AND kale! lol.
tfh: Good, good point.
Sagan: Sounds like a PB post is a brewin’! I’d read it!
I’ve heard about this PB before – it sounds so good! Quite the ingredient list :o) I haven’t seen it anywhere near me, though.
I used to love fruit roll-ups. And fruit by the foot!! You brought back some fond memories there, haha.
Wow those things sound awesome,I really like the sound of the peanut butter too nice to know that it still tastes like peanut butter even with all those added ingredients, but I highly doubt that this will be found in South Africa, thanks for the great post
I’m a little skeptical that these fortified foods wouldn’t be quite as good for you as actually eating kale, beets, or whatever. But I will have to check them out! Never heard of this brand. I’m definitely in the camp of paying more for better quality food. But it’s REALLY got to be worth it 🙂
Be careful. The PB with the yellow label has sugar and HYDROGENATED oil as its second and third ingredients! ICKY!!!! Bad stuff.
Be well, Carla.
http://www.OneHealthyGirl.com
Good point Carla — The FBGs recommend the natural kind!