What are you Craving?

Feb 20, 2023 by Chef David

By Chef David

Craving food is a signal that our body is out of balance. There are common signals your body sends that prompt you to snack.  You may reach for potato chips to satisfy a desire for salt which could just be a sign of dehydration. Similarly, the desire for high-fat, high-carb foods might indicate a disrupted sleep schedule.

It is important to distinguish between being hungry and having a craving. Hunger can be satisfied by eating. When you experience cravings, your body wants a specific food. This is your body looking for what it needs. This is why a diet lacking protein and fiber can leave you feeling hungry, even if you have eaten enough calories.

Instead of immediately turning to food, consider other options to restore your balance, get more sleep if you feel sluggish, and drink water before reaching for salty snacks.  High-stress levels can cause people to reach for sweets, or comfort foods to provide an emotional reward. Instead of snacking, try increasing physical activity, and avoiding boredom. Be mindful that snacking can become a social outlet.  No matter what your body is craving, select healthier snacks and eat them in moderation.

Take the time to understand what your body needs, and make smart choices. Two healthier snacks we tried are The Daily Carve certified by the CRC and OU or Nuts are Good which is pareve and certified by KVH.

 

The Daily Crave 

The Daily Crave is a snack created to provide healthier snacking options. It is gluten-free, kosher, and contains multi-grains. While these products are dairy free, The Daily Crave line of chips is manufactured in facilities that process dairy, therefore the CRC indicates they were made using dairy equipment, while the Churros are certified pareve by OU.

Brand Creation

In May 2012 founder Hassan Alireza introduced Veggie Straws and Veggie Sticks. Their popularity confirmed that consumers were looking for healthier snack alternatives with flavor. They followed this with the introduction of the Breaking News, chips made from lentil and quinoa flour. We were pleased to see that the lentil chips contained under one gram of sugar, while the quinoa chips had just one gram.

We tasted their Breaking News line, which includes Lentil Chips, and Bourbon BBQ Quinoa Chips – both contain 4 grams of protein per serving. These chips are light and crisp, pack a delightful crunch, and have none of the oily feeling associated with typical potato chips. We found them satisfying and tasty. Healthier, options that provide flavor, texture, and crunch, which is what we look for in a chip. As far as calories go they are equivalent to chips.

The Daily Crave extended its brand to include Beyond Churros. This sweeter snack uses healthier ingredients featuring four flavors: Original Cinnamon, Coconut, Salted Caramel, and Double Chocolate. We really enjoyed the creamy, non-dairy chocolate filling, surrounded by a baked churro-shaped shell.  Each 1-ounce serving, of 8 pieces, contains 4 grams of protein, with 5 grams of sugar, and is 140 calories.  An important observation is that the first ingredient is a multi-grain blend of sorghum, brown rice, and corn.

Even the packaging is brand-consistent supporting their newspaper theme with news headlines, like “Uninvited Guests Loot Ancient Treasures,” on their quinoa chips while their Veggie Straws share an article “Reality Star Tells All.”

The Daily Crave is designed to be a fun and healthier snack option.  Find them at a store near you!

Nuts are Good! Inc

Nuts are Good! Inc provides so many delicious choices, both sweet and savory. Their selection is extensive, with many varied tastes of nuts and chocolate, and nuts covered by chocolate. The flavors are wild and crazy, tastier than we imagined, and they are pareve. Creativity and consistent quality are their brand signature.

Their taste and texture are a game-changer and differentiation. Instead of oil-roasting the nuts, they are dry-roasted in big kettle batches. This process gives them a substantial mouthfeel, a complex coating, and flavor without grease.

We found all the flavors we sampled unexpectedly perfect, and different. We sampled – habanero mixed nuts, buffalo peanuts (a flavor they invented), toffee pecans, vanilla rum cashew crunch, banana walnuts, and cinnamon almonds. Each was a winner; our favorite was the combination of sweetness and spice in the habanero mixed nuts. For those who would rather avoid the heat, the banana walnut is a surprisingly good combination and a top choice of ours.

Nuts are Good! Inc has perfected non-dairy-chocolate-covered snacks, coating nuts and dried fruit with a deep, chocolate coating, which is satisfying without being overly sweet. We sampled the chocolate-covered raisins, and thoroughly enjoyed their taste and texture.

Nuts are Good! Brand

Nuts are Good! Inc began as Fresh Roasted Almond Company, in 1988. It started as a tiny retail roaster in the middle of a mall in Grand Rapids, Michigan by brothers, Danny, and Jonny Levy. The Fresh Roasted Almond Company was a replica of Detroit’s Eastern Market experience, an open-air market, with fresh foods direct from the farmers, bakers, roasters, and importers.

In 2000 the company transitioned to wholesale manufacturing, maintaining a retail presence at almondcompany.com. All their products are kosher pareve, providing innovative, fresh tastes for the kosher consumer. Reaching for a healthier snack? they even provide low-carb options and traditional unsweetened products. Nuts are a good source of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Nuts are Good! offerings include so many variations we wish we could have tried them all! They also sell a wide range of products including raisin and prune fruit honey as well as granola and sesame sticks.

Orders for Nuts Are Good! can be placed online or by calling them at (305) 89-SNACK.

High Quality and Healthier Snacking

Feeling the need to snack? Protein-rich foods may be what your body is craving. Protein gives your body energy. Because your body takes longer to digest protein than carbohydrates, eating protein-rich food can make you feel full longer.

Nuts are Good! and The Daily Crave are two high-protein snacks. On the surface, they appear decedent and frivolous, but looks may deceive you. These healthier snacking options may be exactly what your body is craving.

These two products can be perfect for Purim.

Snack healthier!