Shred the Sugar: Shredded Wheat

Off with the seasonal gatherings and dragon new years feasts. February signals the revival of the sugar allergy, fitness attempts and calorie counting. We ought to pretend that our goal is to end 2012 as athlete of the year (I wish, but that should be a crazy motivation). With V-day and Lent approaching, the sugar-free quest shouldn't be a problem - as both occasions require abstinence, not celebration.

Fancy cereals (sorry, Special K with chocolate) are kicked out of the pantry, as we welcome the non deviant: Post Shredded Wheat. Original, not the Frosted one that brings shivers to your teeth.

In my quest for the low sugar cereal, I ended up with ZERO SUGAR - a jump-for-joy occasion like finding One Piece, or perhaps the Holy Grail for the more civilized readers. Not only that, a serving packs in 6g fiber, 1g of Total Fat and 170 calories.

Taste-wise, do not expect Chocolate Cheerios to start spreading chocolate goodness from your bland bowl. It's 100% wheat that's sugar-free so try to be more realistic: spiky wood chips drenched in milk. That's more like it. Keep it soggy and it'll be easier to swallow, but there's a downside to it as well as it grows in size the longer it stays drenched and untouched. Yes, kinda like the Gremlins, but with fiber.

The cereal takes getting used to, and of course there are ways to garnish the earthy flavor to make it more edible and worth feeding those under 20. With its sugar-free composition, we could afford to add a little fruit, soymilk or mochi even.

Look at the upside, this is the last cereal anyone's gonna steal from your pantry. Your investment is safe. :) 

Late July Organic Multigrain Chips

Healthy Options is infamous for selling organic food items, some of which do not cater to everyone's taste buds. I've had my share of chips and sauces that did not warrant any repeat purchase. Whoever said organic was synonymous to delectable anyway? Most of us have associated "going green" to "lowering one's food expectations", but that should not be the case.

Good thing this addiction to Healthy Options can be uncontrollable at times. Randomly snatching a bag of chips that suggested Latin American food fiesta, it was hard not to buy Late July Organic Multigrain Chips, Sea Salt Flavor.

Don't expect to memorize the lengthy name in one sitting, but do keep in mind its fabulous Nutritional facts per serving (13 chips): 120 calories, 2% saturated fat, 70mg sodium, 8% fiber and 0g sugar. With that much grains packed in a hefty chip, one serving already accounts for a satisfying snack. No kidding, you'd spend some time munching on a chip that you'll be full in no time. As for the taste, the sea salt is adequately sprinkled and brings out the heartwarming multigrain-oaty taste I've learned to love.

A sigh of relief for this Healthy Options jackpot! Finally found a less sinful alternative to Sun Chips and Nova!

Learn the Math

We've decided to list the acceptable threshold (synonym for limit, maximum) for every unit or nutrient, to filter the bad blood from the junkie universe and to commend the nutrition keepers. Stay within the radar and get to enjoy your snacks, guilt-free! Go overboard and get ready to roll down the hill of nutrition and healthy arteries.