I reviewed both Beyond and Impossible burgers back in 2019, shortly after their introduction to the marketplace. In the intervening 5 years, both brands have been refining their recipes, so I wanted to revisit this topic and tell you what’s changed. You can listen to my review here. Below, you’ll find a table comparing the two with lean ground beef.

If you’re looking for a nutritious and shelf-stable treat to bridge the gap between grocery runs, RIND dried fruit snacks are an interesting new (to me) option to consider.

They’re available from various online and brick-and-mortar retailers.  You can also purchase them directly  from the company’s website and right now they are donating a portion of all proceeds to support Feeding America‘s Covid-19 response fund.

RIND recently sent me some of their products to sample and I was quite impressed on a few levels (and when it comes to new products and snack foods in general, I’m actually kind of hard to impress…)

There’s power in the peel

First, these are not your typical dried fruit snacks.  RIND believes in drying “the fruit, the whole fruit, and nothing but the fruit.”  That means peels and all! The result is a tangier, tarter, chewier, more grown up type of dried fruit snack.

I found the balance of sweetness, tartness, and bitterness in the dried orange, persimmon, pineapple, and kiwi much more interesting and enjoyable than bland dried apples or overly sweet banana chips.  The chewiness (which occasionally tips over into toughness) also slows you down a bit, which is useful for portion control.

Preserving the peels and rinds reduces food waste, of course, but it also substantially amps up the nutritional value. Much of the fiber of fruit is found in the peels and RIND snacks are quite a bit higher in fiber than most dried fruit– up to a quarter of the day’s requirement in a single serving.

Valuable nutrients are also often concentrated in (or right under) the peel.  When you peel apples, for example, you lose half the fiber and iron. And if you want to get the most nutrition out of your citrus fruit, don’t remove that white pith! It may be a bit bitter (some say pleasantly so).  But it’s rich in quercetin and other antioxidants.   And all of that–plus the nutrients found in the outer rind–is preserved in the RIND snacks.

RIND is a small company. (I had a couple of questions about the nutrition information and the owner called me himself to answer them).  They use all USA-grown fruit and add no sulfites, sugar, or preservatives.

If your quarantine (or post-quarantine) rations could use a little brightening up, check them out! My favorite flavors are the Tropical Blend (kiwis, pineapples, and oranges) and the Orchard Blend (peaches, apples, persimmons).

[This is not a sponsored post, by the way.  Just an honest review.]

In this week’s Nutrition Diva podcast, I talked about the pros and cons of oat milk, the latest craze in nondairy milk alternatives.

Here’s a breakdown of the nutrition for several leading brands. (Nutrition information is for 8 fluid ounces.)  Below, I’ve included the ingredients for each brand as well.

Probiotic foods continue to be one of the hottest food and nutrition trends. And now Kellogg’s has jumped on the bandwagon with a new probiotic cereal called Happy Inside. While this new offering is certainly on trend, I think they’ve missed the mark in a number of ways:

1. “Yogurty probiotic pieces” that are neither yogurty nor probiotic.

Don’t be fooled by the mention of “yogurt,” these are pieces of candy. They’re made of unnecessary ingredients like sugar, palm kernel oil, and Greek Yogurt Powder (which is heat-treated, killing any beneficial bacteria.)

2. Four kinds of added sugar, totaling 9 grams per serving

I’ve certainly seen worse, but it reminds me of General Mill’s “healthy” fail a few years ago with their high protein Cheerios, which added only a modest amount of protein but a whole lot of sugar. (What were they thinking?)

3. A single strain of probiotic bacteria

When it comes to live and active cultures, it’s just one lonely strain (Bifidobacterium lactis HN019) with a limited amount of research to back it up. Although HN019 may enhance immune function in the elderly, the strain otherwise has a small portfolio of effectiveness.

4. Plenty of marketing gloss

The cereal calls itself a 3-in-1 product because it contains fiber, prebiotics, and probiotics.  However, “prebiotic” and “fiber” are just two ways of saying the same thing.

The Bottom Line on Happy Inside

Rather than spending big bucks on this highly processed food, you can get more pre- and probiotic benefit at a lower cost with higher nutritional value.  For example, stir 1/3 cup of Swiss Muesli (I like this no-added-sugar brand from Familla) into 2/3 cup unsweetened kefir and refrigerate overnight for a gut-friendly breakfast without all the junk.