Fruitwell Snacks - Sweet and Crunchy
When I get the urge for a snack, I look for something crunchy and if it happens to be sweet, it’s bonus time. I try to find healthy snacks, but sometimes that’s not as easy as it seems. When you read the ingredient list on what should be a healthy dried fruit snack, it’s a bit overwhelming when you can’t pronounce the ingredient names.
When I first tasted the freeze-dried fruit snacks from Ariel Natural Foods, I was pleasantly surprised. To begin with, ingredient list for each one is simply the fruit that is freeze-dried and nothing more. Now that’s a snack I am interested in giving a full taste test.
There is a significant difference in the flavor and texture between the packages you’ll find in your local grocery store and what Ariel Foods has produced. The Fruitwell products are produced through a process that takes all the moisture out of the fruit. This leaves you with a crispy snack that is full of the natural flavor of each fruit. I was given three different fruits to try: Apple, Banana and Pineapple. They each had different characteristics that would make them appealing depending on your mood.
The apple slices still had the skin on them, which gives the fiber content a boost to over 4 grams. They were not as overpoweringly sweet as the dried apples I’ve eaten before. They retained a fresh crunch in each bite. One thing I noticed while eating them is that they tend to slightly melt on your tongue and you are rewarded with natural sweetness that makes you want go back for more.
The banana pieces were very different from the flat banana discs that you get at the grocery store. They are as crunchy, but they are thicker and have retained much of their banana texture and flavor, but in a freeze-dried form. They were not terribly sweet, but the crunch was so much better than other dried bananas I’ve tried. The crispiness reminds me of a rice cake - in a tasty way. The freeze-dried bananas are definitely not tasteless.
My favorite was the pineapple. I tend to have quite a bit of a sweet tooth, and the pineapple was exactly what I was looking for in a snack. Just the right bit of crunch and sweetness without tasting like it would stick to my teeth due to all the added sulfides, phosphates and whatever else is added to the other brands. Pineapple is so naturally sweet that it really doesn’t need anything added to it in order to make a delicious snack.
Each of these snacks would be delicious and healthy enough to toss into a bag to keep in your car or backpack for those times when you just need a little something. We’ll be taking small bags of them to the beach with us throughout the rest of this summer. They are not sticky like the other brands, so no worries of having to clean your hands before running off to play in the sand.
These freeze-dried fruits are pure and natural with no additives, preservatives and no added sugar. They are naturally fat free and with only 133 calories, you can feel good enjoying these snacks and sharing them with your family. They will be introducing a new freeze-dried fruit soon, Mango.
You can order these delicious snacks directly from Ariel Natural Foods.
Photo courtesy of Ariel Natural Foods.
