Friday, October 13, 2017

Amy's - Andy's Dandy Candy Dreamy bar - Oct. 13, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amy's Kitchen Inc.
Andy's Dandy Candy - Dreamy bar
Good
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) in 1 package of 2 bars
Calories: 200 calories in 1 package
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs. And happy spooky* Friday the 13th to you.

We've been examining traditional candy bars and healthier alternatives this week. And, healthier means different things to different people.

Today's Andy's** Dandy Candy Dreamy bar was from Amy's Kitchen Inc. (Petaluma, CA). While similar to a traditional candy bar in appearance, it's been substantially improved (and I would say it was healthier too).

The vegan Dreamy bar contained no 1.) high fructose corn syrup, 2.) preservatives or 3.) GMOs. Several companies have made a move away from the first two, not so much with the third.

Also, the bar was made with organic dark chocolate and real cocoa butter. (Much of the chocolate used in traditional candy bars is milk chocolate and often contains vegetable oils in place of cocoa fat/dairy butter, and a very low percent of cocoa solids—barely qualifying as chocolate in some cases. Beware when you see the term "chocolately.")

Amy's updated take on candy bars shows how this market has evolved. Their bars are gluten free, vegan and 98% organic ingredients, and can still satisfy a sweet tooth (via organic cane sugar and tapioca syrup).

It was sweet; but the high sugar contain (found in almost all nougat-centered candy bars) was also balanced by the use of dark chocolate and the addition of soy protein. The two smaller bars in one package made sharing and portion control easier (100 calories in each bar).

There were no dairy, wheat, gluten, or nut ingredients listed; but the packaging did contain the: "May contain traces of tree nuts" statement.

*Scarier than Halloween or Friday the 13th this week are the real life wildfires that are burning around some of the Amy's facilities in Northern California. I called to convey good thoughts, and as of this writing the facilities were fine, although many employees were being affected. 

** The name Andy's Dandy Candy came from Andy and Rachel Berliner. who founded the original company in 1987 and named it after their daughter, Amy. The privately-held, family business has grown over the years and produces a line of frozen foods, entrees, soups, and chocolates that offer consumers organic, gluten free and low-sodium options.


Quest - Nutrition Bar - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - Oct. 12, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Quest Nutrition, LLC
Quest Bar - Protein Bar - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flavor
Good
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total package
Calories: 190 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Halloween wEEKs. We're exploring health and nutrition bar alternatives these last few days. While the notion of health bars may offend some traditional Halloween candy fans, there are alternatives for all in the U.S.

Typically nutrition and health bars have contained added nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and/or added protein.

Today's (full-size) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar contained 21 grams of protein.* That's a lot of protein

Most popular, full-size chocolate candy bars contain about 4-8 grams of protein and lots of sugar/carbohydrates. This bar boosted the protein and reduced the sugar and fiber.

Despite the sweet-sounding cookie flavor name, the gluten free Quest bar contained only 1 gram of sugar (and 4 grams of net carbs); it was sweetened with Sucralose, Erythritol and Stevia. The bar also contained 14 grams of fiber.

This protein bar had a caramel color and flavor, with a dense/compressed, chewy texture. The embedded chocolate chips were more obvious after taking a bite and they contributed some chocolate flavor.

*This bar contained a protein blend: milk protein isolate, whey protein isolate





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