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Can you have a chocolately delcious mid-morning snack that’s also healthy? It seems to be a paradoxically sticky situation, but… the gang at The Healthy Snacks Blog has done it again!

Check out Lauren’s review of VitaMuffin Deep Chocolate VitaTops:

I usually start my day with a bowl of Special K or Wheaties at home, and then soon after I get to work, I’ll have almonds or a banana as a snack. But once in a while, my crazy sweet tooth kicks in early in the day, and I replace my healthy morning snack with a gooey chocolate croissant, chocolate chip scone, or some other goodie I pick up on the way to work. (I work in a cute area of New York City with lots of little bakeries, so I’m tempted all of the time!)

But to be honest, I never feel that great after eating those treats. There’s something about that much sugar in the morning that just doesn’t sit well with me - it almost gives me a mild headache. Or, maybe the treats are too heavy for me, sapping up the energy I need to be productive at work. And then there’s the guilt factor: if I have that many calories for my morning snack, should I feel guilty and compensate by eating a super-light lunch (or none at all)?

Fortunately, I made a new discovery that solves that whole problem: Vitalicious Deep Chocolate VitaTops, chocolate chocolate-chip muffin tops.

Here’s why I like them:

• They really do taste chocolately, so they satisfy my sweet tooth. The cake part doesn’t taste as moist as real muffins, I’m not gonna lie—in fact, they have a slightly grainy texture. But they’re made with real cocoa and chocolate chips, so they have a real chocolate flavor.
• They’re low in calories and fat, so I don’t feel guilty afterwards. Each muffin top is only 100 calories and 1.5 grams of fat, which is only 2% of your daily fat allowance.
• They’re made with whole-wheat flour (hence the slightly grainy taste), and that means they’re high in fiber. Each muffin top has 6 grams of fiber, which is 24% of what you need per day!
• They’re high in vitamins and minerals. They contain Vitamins A, C, D, E, and B12, along with iron, zinc. And, they have 50% of the daily recommended value of iron - a mineral that is a hard one to get from non-animal foods.
• They’re easy to find at the grocery store. Regular supermarkets like Gristedes (in the freezer section) carry them, or you can get them online at Vitalicious.com. If you’re someone who buys in bulk, you might want to get them online, where you can buy 12, 24, or even 12 dozen of them!

Yes, they come frozen but if you bring one to work, it’ll be defrosted by the time you get there. Or, you can microwave them for a few seconds. Sometimes I actually prefer to eat one a bit cold—gives the chocolate chips a good bite. And, sometimes I do the opposite—I overmicrowave it on purpose because then it will be warm and gooey, so I can sort of pretend I’m eating a warm molten cake (okay, that’s stretching it…). And, other times I eat them room temperature, which I think is the recommended way.

I also like their VitaBrownies, which have a similar nutritional profile.

So, is there a catch?

(Well… maybe.)

• One downside is that sometimes I’m a bit hungry after I eat one. But, that honestly might just be my own issues—I like them so much that I down them in just a couple bites, which doesn’t give my stomach much time to register that I’m full. (Studies have shown that "It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness.") Maybe if you’re good about chewing each bite slowly and savoring each morsel you won’t have that problem. If you do, I recommend either eating two of them (shhh), or pairing it with a banana or other fruit, or spreading a tiny bit of almond or peanut butter on one for a little extra protein.
• The second downside is something I learned about recently. You see, I always knew that VitaTops and VitaBrownies help you with a particular body function…, but I thought that was just because they’re high in fiber, which is a good thing. But I read the ingredients more closely in order to write this post, and I noticed they have an ingredient called maltitol. Maltitol is a sugar alcohol that’s apparently marketed to people with diabetes and on low-carb diets because it’s absorbed and metabolized more slowly than regular sugar (sucrose). However, because it is not fully absorbed, it can "make you go", or cause discomfort like bloating, gas, or diarrhea if consumed in large quantities. I’ve never had any problems after eating one or two VitaTops, but I’ve heard that people apparently have different reactions to them, so you’re supposed to experiment a bit before you, say, eat one on your way to a party or a business meeting.

By the way, if you would be interested in a guide on maltitol, other sugar alcohols (such as sorbitol and xylitol), and sugar substitutes, let us know.

– Lauren

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