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Replace Your Morning Scone (or Donut): First Step

Monday December 14, 2009
in Makeover
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100 calories

1
muffin top

Other Baked-Good Snacks

Buttermilk Banana Bread, Energy Bar Recipe, Chocolate Chip Cookies

under 100 calories, after exercise, afternoon snack, lose weight, healthy, morning snack, packaged, sweet

I know what is stopping me from losing the tire of chub that sits on my belly. Baked goods. I just love them and they are SO calorific. I don't ever want to give them up. So, what to do?

Recently, I saw a blog from a mom who started a running program to support her Doughnut habit! I can relate, but I don't want to run, I just want to eat less of them.

Enter the VitaMuffin - VitaTop. 100 Calories, vitamin fortified, chocolate, no preservatives, whole wheat.....You find them in the freezer because unlike other packaged bake goods, these are not shelf-stable (like Twinkies or Hostess Cupcakes). They cost about $4.79 for 4 and they come in individual packages.

I really wanted to like them but I have a few problems with them:

They don't taste very good. I was hoping they would be delicious but they just aren't. This is a matter of personal preference - maybe you will like them.
Too much packaging. There is a cardboard box and 4 plastic bags.
The box states "VitaMuffin better than an apple - The VitaMuffin contains less sugar and more vitamins and minerals than an apple!" Really?

I guess there is a holy grail in food manufacturer marketing for "being better than Apples". It doesn't taste better than an apple and it has 20 more calories than your average apple.

Finally, humans have not evolved with VitaMuffins. We have evolved with apples. The apple plays a prominent role in the Bible for a good reason - our ancestors have been eating them for a LONG time.

Can you see Eve handing Adam a VitaMuffin?

No food manufacturer will EVER make a product better for you than an apple. Trust me. Nature has got this one covered.

So, eat these if you think they will help you kick your scone or donut habit, because you could do ALOT worse. And then start doing ALOT better. Move on to eating more Apples.

How do you avoid eating too many high calorie baked goods?

Want more like this?
Replace Potato Chips - First Step
Healthy Chocolate
A Dip that Won't Kill You

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6 Comments:

I'm not a big baked good fan, but once in awhile I do want a muffin-type thing, so I've had the banana nut and chocolate Vita-Tops. I toasted them and put on a little Earth Balance (for the banana nut) and made a parfait with Greek yogurt (for the chocolate one) and thought they were pretty good!

It would accompany fruit, never replace it, and it kicked that craving pretty good. I don't know that someone who is really into the "real" thing would go for it, but they worked for me :)

Abby on December 14, 2009

These are good for a chocolate craving "every once in a while." But they are too processed for me to eat with any regularity. They should in no way replace real fruit in our diets either.

I actually like to make my own banana muffins that are full of real banana, greek yogurt, and whole wheat flour with little added sugar. Really, an overripe banana is sweet enough on its own that I just add a touch of honey or maple syrup for sweetening.

Candice on December 14, 2009

I have a serious problem with VitaTops. I like them too much! There are several boxes in my freezer and I want to eat them up so they aren't there tempting me anymore. With some fresh berries and some Cool Whip Free they are yummy. Maybe I've just been on a diet for too long and anything chocolaty tastes good, but I love them!

Ellen on December 14, 2009

You should try warming them up
If you place them in the microwave for 30 seconds, they taste warm and ouuuuey like a baked good.. you can even add a scoop of frozen yogurt which adds up to 150 calories, 10 g of fiber, and protein!

Cindy on March 16, 2010

I love these things!! I even searched your archives to see if you talked about them. I do not like their comparison to apples, either and would never replace my daily apple or any other fruit with them! But for an occasional chocolatey treat, I think these things rock!!

Stephanie on April 6, 2010