Fresh Gourmet® Nuts

Nuts are healthy. They're full of nutrients, fiber, flavor and, yes, calories. Recommendations to consume nuts abound, with the always present qualifier “watch portion sizes”.

Nuts are a concentrated source of calories and while healthy, eating too many could lead to weight gain. That is why I love the little individual packages of sliced almonds and pecan pieces. These come in honey roasted flavors as well. Each package is ½ ounce, which takes care of portion size issues for sure. These are great to take with you and add to salads or just simply to eat as a small snack; I love tossing them in the kids' lunch boxes too.

Nutrients per serving (2 servings per packet): Calories 40-45, Fat 3-4g, Sodium 0-20mg, Carbohydrate 1-3 g, Fiber 1g, Protein 1-2g.

Fresh Gourmet® Dried Fruit

This is really nothing new; however, the packaging is what makes this a fun “new” item. Like the nuts, Fresh Gourmet is packaging dried cranberries in ½ ounce servings. This is the size of the smallest raisin box. I love those for lunch boxes or school or party treat bags.

Nutrients per serving: Calories 20, Fat 0g, Sodium 0mg, Carbohydrate 5g.

Bottom Line: A great snack or salad add-in for lunch on the go.

Serving size note: The serving size of 1 tablespoon indicates that there are two servings per package--quite the small serving. It is not a re-sealable package, so I don’t think the manufacturer really thinks you are going to stop at ¼ ounce of nuts or dried fruit. In this case you have my permission to eat the whole package. It is still a small portion--just double the nutrients above and enjoy a quick snack.