PopTastically Part of You?

To all you snack-loving people out there, welcome back for the second to last time! As previously discussed in my last blog post my final three posts are dealing with whole snack substitutions instead of switching out a topping or adding an alternative. Moving forward, as a warning, this next substitution is more likely to appeal to the those who enjoy eating a healthy and solid after school snack. I say this because I used to eat Strawberry PopTarts everyday when I got home. But after reading a section on PopTarts in my book Eat This, Not That I realized it was time for a change.

Chicken Breast, Spinach, and Lettuce at it's finest.

Two things I learned about PopTarts I thought were worth sharing. 1) "Low fat, or not, this gooey tart packs unhealthy doses of high fructose corn syrup." (Zinczenko 171). Yet again high fructose corn shows up. Check out my last blog post if you would like more detail about high fructose corn syrup and it's harm. Also, 2) The USDA regulations state that for a product to claim it's a "good source" of something (such as vitamins, fiber, etc...) all the product has to do is contain at least 10% of the recommended daily intake. To put that into perspective, a 900-calorie pizza with 10% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A can stamp "Good source of Vitamin A!" on its box. (Zinczenko 157). That was for sure a shocker because that means I would have to eat seven PopTarts (worth about 2000 calories) for 7% of vitamins that I could get elsewhere! For others they may be like Alright! Awesome! Pizza IS good for me! But, although Pizza is quite delicious, at the same time it's loaded with saturated fat. My response? Create a "sandwich."
I'm not sure where my combination came from honestly but it's pretty simple. Multigrain/Whole Grain English Muffin (toasted of course) with romaine lettuce, spinach, and chicken breast. Right off the bat, did you know that romaine lettuce, "...is bursting at the leaves with everything from bone-strengthening vitamin K to folic acid (which is essential to cardiovascular health)." (Zinczenko 17). I sure didn't! Another thing is that spinach, "...is one of your best sources of folate, which keeps the body in good supply of oxygen-carrying red blood cells." (Zinczenko 17). These two products may sound unappealing but boy are they healthy for you! Come to think of it now, I'm pretty sure my sandwich combination came from me just randomly looking through the fridge and pantry for food to combine in my English muffin. Who knew that random food like that could be so beneficial for your body! It's probably all mental, but I swear I could feel a difference after I substituted my after school snack from PopTarts to a homemade sandwich. I went from needing a nap from around 4:00 pm-6:00 pm to having enough energy to finish all my homework! From then on I decided to never eat a PopTart or buy them unless it was a life or death situation.

If you may have noticed I added a Costco Greek Yogurt in both pictures. This is because I enjoy having one with my sandwich but it's just a preference.

To conclude, I must say PopTarts are delicious don't get me wrong on that, but I knew I needed a more substantial snack to recharge my body with because I had a long night ahead of me (due to school). If I hadn't read the section about PopTarts, I strongly believe that I would still be eating more PopTarts then I would like to admit. But, it was so a worthwhile substitution. :)

Have you ever switched/substituted a snack and noticed a change in how you felt later in the day?

Citation
ZINCZENKO, DAVID, and MATT GOULDING. EAT THIS NOT THAT. NEW YORK NY: Macmillan, 2008. Print.