NutritionwWorks Seattle: Nutrition Counseling: Press Room

There is a formidable distance between an idea and reality. Many ideas go by way of detour or dead end altogether.

From that comes the first impressive thing about locally produced Zing Nutrition Bars: They exist.

Over the past few years, four Bastyr University-trained nutritionists, three in the same nutrition-counseling practice together, routinely talked about the lack of nutritious and tasty all-natural energy bars on the market. Clients asked for recommendations, and the nutritionists struggled to identify one product that was the perfect fit.

"Either the bars offered good nutrition but didn't taste good," said Minh-Hai Tran, one of those four nutritionists, "or the bars taste great but lack good nutrition."

So Tran and her Zing co-founders decided the world needed another energy bar. It helped that Tran previously had worked with an energy bar company and that the nutritionists had connections with a Seattle-based, family-owned food manufacturer willing to take on the numerous test-kitchen rounds. It is no easy feat to make a bar that not only tastes good but remains stable as it is shipped and stocked.

The testing and product development started in earnest 18 months ago. Last month, the first Zing bars were sold for about $2.50 per bar online (zingbars.com) and at select locations, such as Custom Smoothie in Fremont and Bothell Ski & Bike. The bars first will be marketed nationally to health professionals who want to feel good about suggesting an all-natural energy bar. The next part of the plan is to distribute the bars in independently owned coffee shops, salons, spas and yoga studios.

"We actually call it a 'nutrition' bar to make the point that it is a great balance of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats," said Tran. "But taste is really important to us. We made no compromise on taste or nutrition. Life is too short to be eating things you don't like."

In a wildly subjective and drastically limited test, here are the findings about the three flavors of bar:

The chocolate peanut butter bar is "wonderful," said a 10-year-old girl from the back seat of my car. She was clearly not talking about the nutrition factor. This is a kid who is always hungry for something delicious right after school no matter how much lunch she has consumed.
"Too much almond for me, not enough blueberry," said an 11-year-old boy and fruit enthusiast in critiquing the blueberry almond flavor. "But I like the peanut butter one a lot."
The third flavor, oatmeal chocolate, reminded me, in the front seat, of homemade oatmeal chocolate chip bars I ate as a child -- that's a good thing -- not only its taste but the texture of the bar. All three bars provided some satisfying crunch and were not at all gooey like some protein-rich bars.

One of the big pluses of these bars is the protein content. Spend a few minutes in the energy bar aisle and you discover many bars don't have much protein, which flies in the face of nutritionists who typically recommend including protein in midmorning or midafternoon snacks for brain power. The Zing bars range from 10 to 13 grams in a 210-calorie serving.

Julie Burns, a Chicago-based nutritionist who has worked with professional athletes and working parents alike, has long suggested that her clients pack or buy edamame (steamed soybeans in the pod or shelled) to go along with their energy bars in effort to boost protein.

Of course, there are protein bars that pack an even bigger wallop but, according to Tran, they "taste like it."

"Protein is the key to helping signal satiety to the brain," said Tran. "We recommend (an energy bar) to prevent long gaps in your day without eating. If you go too long without food, then you will overeat at the next meal. That can lead to weight gains. There are studies that clearly show you can eat the same amount of food (in a day) but have different effects on your weight and metabolism."

As it turns out, Tran is the only Zing bar co-founder who doesn't have children. The others, Sandi Kaplan, David Ingalls and Kathleen Putnam, all were motivated by creating Zing bars that are both healthful and tasty to kids. To that end, the nutritionists made a point of not fortifying the bars with any added vitamins or minerals.

There is a possibility of over-fortifying, said Tran: "The vitamin and mineral counts can add quickly and be too much for some children's bodies."

What's more, the Zing team was afraid that added vitamins and minerals "can change the taste (to their detriment) if they stay on the shelf for a while."

The Zing co-founders made other conscious decisions that will appeal to parents and other nutrition-savvy individuals. There is no soy protein in any of the bars. Two are gluten-free and all three are wheat-free. There are no artificial sweeteners and no corn syrup derivatives.

Digging deeper, the team worked hard to use low glycemic natural sweeteners to promote a "healthy blood sugar balance" and avoid the candy-bar crash. In that product equation is the delicate matter of making a bar that is easy on the digestive tract.

It is not surprising that Zing bars don't contain trans fats. But the nutritionist/entrepreneur in Tran can't resist explaining that while lots of energy bars tout the "no trans fat line" on their labels, there is a catch.

"A number of bars contain fractionated palm kernel oil," said Tran. "This type of palm kernel oil has no trans fat but it is an ultra-saturated fat that we don't think is any better or healthier than trans fats. We didn't want palm kernel oil in any form."

Not to break up the Santa fun, but it's tempting to wonder if all those cookies and-milk snacks won't send St. Nick on a sugar crash rather than his appointed rounds.

"The milk is a good addition to the cookies," said Emily Edison, who operates the Momentum Nutrition and Fitness practice in Kenmore. "You get some protein with the snack, not just carbohydrates and fat."

"Hey, come on, Santa is out there burning a lot of calories," said Kathleen Putnam of the NutritionWorks practice based in Seattle. "And we sort of want him plump."
In fact, both dietitians said snacking, or eating "mini-meals" as Edison likes to call them, can be an effective step to a healthier 2008.

"Mini-meals get people to think more about healthy options than something out of a vending machine," said Edison, whose practice offers nutrition counseling, personal training and fitness consulting. "Mini-meals are more like half a turkey sandwich, a tortilla rolled up with ham and cheese or soup."

Edison said variety is best for your soup choices. "You can look for soups with beans or veggies, ones that are broth-based. Minestrone is a great choice."

She didn't rule out clam chowder. "I'm a big fan myself, so I would never say don't have some chowder. Just not every day."

Santa might not have time for soup, but a half-sandwich might well hit that jelly-belly spot.

Putnam offered other healthy "smaller meal" ideas to get us thinking outside of the vending machine or prepackaged foods aisle.

"You want to look for where you can add protein," she said. "You can get carbohydrates anywhere. So have some nuts with dried fruit. Or cheese and fresh fruit, maybe cheese and crackers. Half your lunch now, then the other half in two hours. Or think portable, like a hard-boiled egg, apple and bun."

The half-lunch idea sounds good, but Putnam acknowledged some clients -- and a former editor friend of mine -- always struggled not to eat the rest of the sandwich.
"Make it three-quarters if you must," she said. "But you want to eat to energize, not until you are overfull. Stop short of that. The reason why your editor wanted to eat the rest of his lunch sandwich is probably because he didn't have a mid-morning snack."

"Lots of people don't get or trust the frequency thing," Putnam said. "They are sort of scared of snacking, especially if they have tried (restrictive) diets. It takes some work on that behavior to get over those beliefs that snacking will add weight."

"It's more that we gain weight when eating at night even when we are not hungry," she said. "That's why I am a huge fan of TiVO. You don't get in the habit of going for a snack (during commercials)."

Edison said that adding protein to your snacks can lead to more clear-headedness and less thinking about being hungry. She talks regularly to clients about eating three mini-meals between a hearty breakfast and a lean protein, whole grain, at least two vegetables dinner. Pull out those half-sandwiches or yogurts with a handful of almonds at the first sign of personal hunger -- not when you are shaky, feeling lightheaded, headachy or irritable. Stomach growling? You waited too long.

"You probably never want to go more than three hours without some food," she said. "And skip the big lunch. Unfortunately, the siesta system doesn't really work in this country."

Both nutritionists emphasized the value of breakfast to not only start the day but help curb mindless eating and "empty calories" snacks.

"A hearty breakfast is three or four foods, while a snack is two foods," said Edison. "Oatmeal with raisins and walnuts, a glass of milk and a piece of fresh fruit is a healthy breakfast. A cereal alone, like Cheerios with nonfat milk, is not going to satisfy you."

Putnam said she realizes it can be hard to get a good breakfast some mornings. Whether you are scurrying or end up at a morning meeting with not so healthy choices (can you say pastries?), Putnam said something in your body typically is better than nothing.

For instance, if "you do the Seattle thing" and coffee is your breakfast, a latte is the healthier choice compared to black Americano with espresso shots and hot water. At the meeting, look for fruit or yogurt. But if a doughnut or scone is all you can get, better to eat part of it with a cup of milk if available.

Which brings us back to Santa's milk and cookies. Edison said it is possible to make for healthier cookies by substituting walnuts for peanuts ("higher in the healthy omega-3 fats"), using some whole-wheat flour in place of all-purpose white flour ("if you use all whole-wheat flour, the cookies will probably get too hard") and using less sugar than designated ("almost every recipe can be reduced about half or so" without affecting the taste or texture of the goodie).

"The tricky part in baking is chemistry-driven," said Edison. "You don't want to mess with it too much."

Let's say the same about Santa's snacks. Happy holidays, and let there be pecan tassies on Earth.

Bob Condor writes about health and quality of life every Monday. You can send him ideas or questions at bobcondor@aol.com.

Sandi was interviewed for Seattle's KOMO-TV, Channel 4, for a report on low-carb diets, titled "The truth about carbs," that aired on Feb. 8th and 9th, 2004.

Kathleen was interviewed by Seattle's KOMO-TV, channel 4, for a report titled "Avoid the holiday food traps." Following this link lets you watch the video and read an article related to the story.

Kathleen was interviewed on KOMO-TV, channel 4, in Seattle, for a report titled "Beware the dieting pitfalls". Following this link lets you watch the video and read an article related to the story.

Kathleen was interviewed about the Mediterranean Lifestyle. The article will appear in the March issue of Health Magazine. Kathleen was also interviewed about blood sugar issues and nutrition. This article will be featured in the August issue of Natural Health magazine.

Sandi was interviewed for and quoted in a feature article on the October/November issue of Natural Health Magazine. The article is called "How to Shop for Healthy Foods".

Kathleen is mentioned in a Seattle Times restaurant review of Functional Fuel, a restaurant in Seattle's downtown. Kathleen is one of the developers of the restaurant.

Kathleen was interviewed in the January PCC newsletter. She was interviewed on the topic of Eating Healthfully.

Press Inquiries:
If you need an experienced registered dietitian for an interview or a quote, contact Sandi Kaplan or Kathleen Putnam.