Mac and Cheese Grows (And Shapes!) Up

After years of being labeled an unhealthy kids' food, mac and cheese is receiving a glamorous, adult-friendly makeover from two fairly new companies -- Road's End Organics and Fiber Gourmet.

Road's End Organics offers a delectable vegan and organic whole wheat elbow macaroni "Mac and Chreese" (yes, that is 'cheese' with an extra 'r') that is also free of soy and nuts.

The sauce gets most of its flavor from nutritional yeast, a popular vegan alternative to cheese.

The best part? Each serving (half the box) adds up to:

340 calories
0 grams of saturated fat
400 milligrams of sodium
8 grams of fiber
14 grams of protein
25% of the Vitamin B12 Daily Value (I mention this since we are referring to a vegan product)

This passed not only my taste test with flying colors, but also those of traditional Mac 'n Cheese eaters (some of which asked me, "Are you SURE this isn't real cheese?")

That is quite a feat, considering I used unsweetened soymilk as a base for the "cheese" sauce. If you are not of the vegan persuasion, you can certainly use cow's milk if you so choose -- preferably skim or 2%.

Fiber Gourmet meanwhile, is keeping the dairy in mac and cheese but adding fiber in plentiful amounts.

One serving (1 cup) of their new kosher-friendly, free-of-artificial-colors Mac and Cheese product contains a whooping 18 grams of fiber!

A few things worth noting:

First of all, the fiber comes from -- yay! -- actual food (modified wheat starch and wheat gluten, to be exact) rather than synthetic dust.

Secondly, the folks at Fiber Gourmet have done an amazing job of creating a high-fiber pasta with top-notch taste and texture.

There isn't the slightest hint of graininess, nor does the pasta quickly congeal into a great big ball of mush like those awful low-carb soy pastas that were the rage for all of eight seconds in 2003. Are we SURE that wasn't really fussilli shaped cardboard?

Because the fiber content is so high, I would recommend having half a cup in one sitting (as a tasty side dish that delivers a reasonable 330 milligrams of sodium, more than respectable 9 grams of fiber, and only 90 calories!), especially if your current diet is not very high in fiber (in which case, too much too soon causes an intestinal revolt).

Also, keep in mind that children's fiber needs are different from adults. For children ages 3 to 16, fiber needs are determined by taking the child's age and adding 5 to it.

Hence, the 18 grams of fiber in each serving is too much for a 9 year old.

With pre-teens, for instance, I would suggest mixing half a cup of Fiber Gourmet's mac and cheese with another half cup of a "regular" variety.

In any case, this is a wonderful way to boost fiber intake in a tasty, low-calorie way.

Mac and cheese. It's not just for kids anymore.

You Ask, I Answer: V8

Does a glass of V8 truly count as a serving of vegetables?

-- Greg M.
Los Angeles, CA

An 8-ounce glass of V8 -- a blend of tomatoes, carrots, celery, beets, pasley, lettuce, watercress, and spinach -- actually counts as two vegetable servings.

Well, at least technically it does.

If it comes down to having a V8 versus no vegetables at all, I would definitely suggest the V8.

However, I have a few issues with replacing actual vegetables with this beverage.

Firstly, the sodium content in standard V8 is moderately high -- 480 milligrams (approximately 25% of a day's worth) per 8 ounce glass.

The accompanying 480 milligrams of potassium -- one of two key nutrients in regulating blood pressure -- serves as some consolation, though.

My real concern with this drink comes from the absence of fat, which impairs the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and some antioxidants (i.e.: lycopene).

This can easily be remedied by accompanying your V8 with some fat, like a handful of nuts or a salad with avocado slices.

V8 also does not provide as much fiber -- or as many phytonutrients -- as actual vegetables.

It's a very middle of the road product, in my opinion. Nothing fantastic, but also not a heinous creation.

Good-For-You Gourmet

The thought of pasta ultra high in fiber conjures up unpleasant memories of trying chalky soy pasta (AKA hay) for the first time during the 2003 Atkins craze.

These days, all my pasta dishes at home are made with whole wheat varieties.

While the high fiber is a plus (a cup provides a butt-kicking seven grams), I genuinely enjoy the more substantial taste and texture they provide.

Upon first hearing about Fiber Gourmet (a lower-calorie, higher-fiber pasta), I was skeptical.

I was fully prepared to see "isolated soy protein" among the ingredient list.

Color me surprised. No wheat alternatives, no sugar alcohols.

The whole wheat noodles are made of whole wheat flour, modified wheat starch, and wheat gluten.

The standard Fiber Gourmet noodles are comprised of durum semolina flour, modified wheat starch, and wheat gluten.

Niacin, iron, thamine, riboflavin, and folic acid are added as they normally are to non-whole grain products.

A look at the nutrition facts reveals that two ounces of uncooked Fiber Gourmet noodles -- which yield one cup when cooked -- provide:

130 calories
1 gram fat
120 milligrams sodium
20 grams fiber
7 grams protein

Not only are we talking very high fiber, we are also talking lower-calorie (a standard cup of egg noodles provides 210 calories).

Wow!

The back of the bag briefly explains Fiber Gourmet's process:

"Through our patent-pending technology, we are able to add high amounts of dietary fiber, while keeping the same taste and texture of standard pasta."

My hat goes off to the folks at Fiber Gourmet -- their products passed several taste tests.

I figured I should not be the only evaluator, since my interest in, and passion for, nutrition and healthy foods might mentally program me to automatically give high marks to a high-fiber product.

So, I turned to more conventional palates in my social circle. Every single one approved.

Since this is a product very high in fiber, I would not recommend eating two cups in one sitting, particularly if your diet is normally low in fiber.

As great as fiber is, the "too much of a good thing" concept applies.

Apart from gastrointestinal discomfort (particularly, again, if intake suddenly increases), an overload of fiber interferes with the uptake of certain minerals, including calcium and iron.

This is best consumed as a side dish (think no more than one cup when cooked) to accompany a meal. A half cup, for instance, packs in 10 grams of fiber in a mere 60 calorie package.

Alternatively, when making a large batch of conventional pasta, you can throw in some Fiber Gourmet noodles to up the fiber content in a pinch.

Interested? Head over to the company's site to place an order. It's definitely a Small Bites approved purchase.

You can also stop by their blog to catch up on product development and sales updates and read answers to consumers' questions.