The Daily Balance

Who hasn’t heard they should increase their fiber intake by now? We all know about the nutritional benefits, right? Just in case you’ve been living under a rock missed it, here are some great educational links that provide a general overview:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fiber/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033

The recommended daily dose of fiber (for women) is 25 grams. Anyone who is cognizant of their daily fiber intake knows that it could be tricky to reach those 25 grams.

Enter: FiberOne

This company confronts the popular notion that products higher in fiber can taste like cardboard with their tagline, “Cardboard no. Delicious Yes.” (Note: FiberOne is not as crafty as I, and the tagline is all in black text. I just wanted to spice things up for you all!) But how accurate are those claims? I’ve tried many of the brand’s cereals, and I LOVE the yogurt, but I had not yet branched out to the ‘baked goods’ product offerings.

I ran across the banana nut muffin mix on an impromptu trip to the grocery store (aren’t these always the trips where we mindlessly grab things we don’t actually NEED?).

Side note: I wonder why The Mister hasn’t put a ban on impromptu grocery store trips (maybe because I pay for the groceries? – HA! Take that Mister! – wait, why am I endorsing that I continue to pay for the groceries?)

Anyway, I grabbed the box thinking it would be a new addition to our lunches and a good option for snacks during the week.

Taking a glance at the nutritional label I was impressed with the stats:

Fiber One Nutrition Facts

My muffins were actually lower in fat and calories due to the substitutions I made. Why, you ask? Because I am an enchanted fairy and waved my glittery magical wand; that’s why.

Don’t worry, you don’t need magical powers, FiberOne does not discriminate against those without magical skills.

Just follow the ‘healthy’ directions on the FiberOne box. I reduced the water to 1/3 cup and used eggbeaters instead of eggs. The box suggested I substitute the oil for 1/3 cup of applesauce. I didn’t have any applesauce so I used 1/3 cup of pumpkin. If you are not a fan of pumpkin, GET OUT OF HERE! make sure to use the applesauce, because I could taste a hint of pumpkin (which I personally loved!) EDITED TO ADD: The Mister claims he could not taste any pumpkin (I must have more advanced palate, huh?)

With these substitutions, the nutritional info was as follows:

Calories: 140

Fat: 3

Fiber: 5

Protein: 3

Verdict?

These were delicious! No cardboard-taste/texture here! I think the added pumpkin made the muffins extra moist and I’d imagine the applesauce would have a similar effect on consistency. I loved the crunch of the real walnuts! It was great to have the varying textures.

Ever had that terrible artificial ‘banana’ taste? Ya know, that overpowering, potent grossness that tastes NOTHING like banana? (I’ll stop myself now before I get to artificial grape flavoring- the horror!) Not the case here. The banana flavor was spot-on and complimented these muffins quite well.

It also passed The Mister’s taste test. He loved the muffins and took a few to work for a snack. I also took a few to my parents (Hi, Mom and Dad!) and they both gave the muffins a ‘thumbs-up.’

In addition to eating these as a stand-alone snack, I think they’d work well with other healthy products and ingredients we all love.

Other muffin applications:
Crumble on top of oatmeal
Smear with some peanut butter for some extra protein
Mix into vanilla (or plain) yogurt

I will definitely be buying this mix again. While I love making muffins from scratch, sometime convenience wins out and for those moments, I’ll have FiberOne on hand.

Have any of you tried the apple cinnamon flavor? I’d be interested to hear how it measures up to the banana nut. However, since I’m such a huge banana fan I think the apple cinnamon mix would already be at a disadvantage!

10 Responses to “Because carboard is way too hard to swallow…”

1. VeggieGirl said:

   Great blog you have here!! Thank you so much for your kind comment on my blog

   Posted on March 18, 2009 at 8:46 am | Reply
2. Tina said:

   HSPH (and the Nutrition Source) is my old stomping ground! Nice link!

   Posted on March 18, 2009 at 9:14 am | Reply
3. Ashley said:

   just found your blog.. and i LOVE IT

   Posted on March 18, 2009 at 10:43 am | Reply
4. Holly said:

   Hydrogenated oils :*(

   Posted on March 18, 2009 at 10:46 am | Reply
5. thedailybalance said:

   I know, Holly, I too was a little bummed about the hydrogenated oils. Yet another reason why it’s best to make things from scratch!

   Posted on March 18, 2009 at 3:32 pm | Reply
6. Jenny DiDonato said:

   I love modifying already “healthy” recipes, too! LOL! How many grams of sugar in these?

   Posted on March 18, 2009 at 4:10 pm | Reply
   • thedailybalance said:

     Unfortunately, still 12 grams. But still a sweet, healthy(er) treat

     Posted on March 18, 2009 at 5:36 pm | Reply
7. Erica said:

   Sorry, I love your blog but could not stay silent on a topic like this. I would NOT recommend this product to anyone! Hydrogenated vegetable oils (heavy in PUFAs), propylene glycol, artificial colors & artificial flavors have been linked to cancer and heart problems. And, many, many people have allergies and intolerances to wheat and soy, and some don’t even know it yet! Plus, manufacturers are known for putting chemicals in the packaging to help maintain “freshness”. The best sources of fiber are from whole fruits and vegetables and whole grains. The less processed the food is, the more certain you can be of its healthiness. If you’re going to make muffins from a mix, why not make it from scratch? You’ll still spend time mixing and baking them, but you won’t be adding unpronouncables to the mix.

   Posted on March 19, 2009 at 10:47 am | Reply
8. thedailybalance said:

   Erica — NO problem! Thanks so much for your input. To be quite honest, I didn’t even think hydrogenated veg oils were in this mix. I am embarrassed to say I missed it, because I normally analyze nutritional info to a TEE! I do love making muffins from scratch, I was just trying this out to see what all the hype was about. I see FiberOne all over the bloggsphere! I do try and avoid packaged foods as much as possible, but I admit there are times when convenience wins out. I always avoid hydrogenated veg oils like the plague though, so I’m shocked I missed it. Thanks for your input, it’s always welcome

   Posted on March 19, 2009 at 12:02 pm | Reply
9. sharon gill said:

   How to mix using cdj 400 anyone help i am looking for some info or site that can help me improve my skills on my new cdj400,s thanks

   Posted on February 16, 2010 at 2:35 pm | Reply