[kiiyopta]

Hello!
So my diet is basically NO processed foods. BUT lately I've gone back to school and it seems to be taking a lot out of me, I've only got about 15 minutes between 3 classes and the usual snacks like nuts, banana, yoghurt just do not seem fill me up and I don't have the room in my bag to bring meals.

But recently I found unsweetened apple-sauce; (Here's info I've copied from the website)

Nutritional Info
Serving Size: 111 G (1 container)

CONTENTS ---- AMOUNT
Calories ---- 50
Total Fat ---- 0 g
Sodium ---- 0 mg
Total Carb ---- 13 g
Dietary Fiber ---- 1 g
Soluble Fiber ---- 1 g
Sugars ---- 11 g
Protein ---- 0 g
Potassium ---- 85 mg

Vitamin C ---- 20%


INGREDIENTS: APPLES, WATER, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C)

So I'm wondering, do you think this could be an "okay" snack considering I've cut out everything else processed? I used to eat these back in high-school and found them very filling.

Do you have any other recommendations?

[Misti in Seattle]

Both Peter Rabbit and Plum Organics make fantastic "pouches" that contain nothing but 100'% fruit. PR sells them as both baby and adult foods but Plum calls them baby food. But they are just fruit sauce (similar to applesauce). I avoid processed foods also but I do eat these and I love them for a snack. I would consider the unsweetened applesauce okay provided it is just fruit and does not contain a bunch of other junk and chemicals, which a lot of it does.

According to thedoctorwithin website and several other sites, ascorbic acid is not Vitamin C. Ascorbic acid is synthetic. Whether you do or do not want to eat it is, of course, up to you... but it is not a natural product.

Edited to add.... I knew it!! I would have bet that this applesauce contained corn, as do at least 80% of all processed foods in the supermarket. So it contains pure corn syrup but they are allowed to call it Vitamin C. I googled further and at realvitaminc website I found this:

"The Food & Drug Administration has permitted ascorbic acid to be identified as Vitamin C. This is why beverages, foods, and supplements which are fortified with ascorbic acid can say they contain this vitamin. Technically they do contain it, since according to the FDA, they’re allowed to call it that.
How is ascorbic acid made?
Well it starts with corn syrup (that clear syrup that is nothing but refined pure corn sugar). Then follow these chemical steps:"
Steps 1 thru 9 (Starch Hydrolysis): Corn starch is broken down into simple sugar (D-Glucose) by the action of heat and enzymes.
Step 10 (Hydrogenation): D-Glucose is converted into D-Sorbitol.
Step 11 (Fermentation): D-Sorbitol is converted into L-Sorbose.
Step 12 (Acetonation): Yes that's right, they use acetone! L-Sorbose is combined with an acid at low temperatures.
Step 13 (Oxidation): The product is then oxidized with a catalyst, acidified, washed and dried forming L-Gluconic Acid.
Step 14 (Hydrolysis): L-Gluconic Acid is treated with hydrochloric acid forming crude ascorbic acid.
Step 15 (Recrystallization): The crude ascorbic acid is filtered, purified and milled into a fine crystalline powder.
This finished product is not Vitamin C, but legally can be called so. Is this not very misleading to consumers? It is missing 80% of what makes up food grade Vitamin C!"

[bubblybarrister]

Trader Joe's sells pear sauce cups (like applesauce, but with pears instead) that are low calorie and have 6 ingredients. I'm not sure if they'd be too processed for you but they contain bartlett pears, water, pear juice concentrate, lime juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, natural flavor... They taste pretty good though!

[QuilterInVA]

Eating an apple with a stick of cheese would be more filling than processed applesauce.

[berryblondeboys]

I would totally die if I ate apple sauce for a snack! WAY too unfilling.

My go to is low carb protein bars. I have been using atkins, but I'm about to switch to Quest. My son takes for school Nature Valley protein bars which aren't too bad either and are way more affordable.

Other things I take: individually wrapped cheese sticks, pepperoni sticks, jerky, and a sliced up apple thrown in a bag with cinnamon (keeps it from oxidizing) and then a little container with 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter to dip the apples into. That's my lunch A LOT.

[nelie]

If you are interested in various apple like sauces, you can also check out the baby food or toddler aisles. They have various sauces.

I'd probably do an apple with some nuts or apple with peanut butter vs apple sauce but if you do apple sauce, you might want to add some nuts to that.

[Skellig19]

I would make my own snacks but when you're in a crunch, I adore Larabars! They are dates and nuts...that's pretty much it! They can pack a calorific punch though so I tend to eat half for midmorning and half for afternoon. I find it fills me up if I eat it slowly.

[Skellig19]

Originally Posted by berryblondeboys

Other things I take: individually wrapped cheese sticks, pepperoni sticks, jerky, and a sliced up apple thrown in a bag with cinnamon (keeps it from oxidizing) and then a little container with 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter to dip the apples into. That's my lunch A LOT.

I know this shouldn't be quite as exciting as it feels but I eat exactly the same lunch...every day. Cheese, pepperoni, apple + PB. Neat!

[elvislover324]

That posting Misti put here makes me sick! I honestly would have bought the applesauce as a "safe" snack to have, even if it didn't fill me up.

Thank you for posting that, Misti!

[Misti in Seattle]

Originally Posted by elvislover324

That posting Misti put here makes me sick! I honestly would have bought the applesauce as a "safe" snack to have, even if it didn't fill me up.

Thank you for posting that, Misti!

Thanks. I was hoping it would not come across as offensive. And I didn't say whether anyone should eat it (though I sure would not LOL). I have been doing some extensive googling, especially after listening to Michael Pollan's videos on YouTube, and discovered even more disgusting stuff than I knew (and I was already fairly well educated). If you google on what those ingredients actually ARE, you really will find that GMO tainted corn..... plus a bunch of other horrific stuff... is in almost all processed foods. It was in the cottage cheese I was eating until I switched brands to Nancy's organic.

There is unbelievable stuff in our processed "food like substances."

[kiiyopta]

Thank you so much for all the feedback! I'm definitely going to check out your suggestions, hopefully we have these brands where I live (I'm on an island off the coast of Canada..not much variety!)

Thank you for the info Misti, I never knew!! It's definitely disheartening since the apple-sauce only had 3 ingredients but such a modified acid is definitely a turn off.

Also thank you for the apple cinnamon info berryblondeboys that sounds something easy I can do in a hurry! Will definitely do this tomorrow

Again, thank you so much everybody! This was definitely helpful ♥

[Palestrina]

Oh goodness Misti, that's frightening! Thanks for looking that up! I'll be on the look out for that absorbic acid. Yet another name for sugar!! I have a bunch of those little pouches for my toddler, it makes a quick snack when we're out and about!

Something else to think about when contemplating apple sauce - These days we've made our food way too easy to eat. We mush things up, and what that does is really compromise the fiber in the apple which is necessary for our digestion and sense of fullness. Meat is soft, bread is soft, everything is soft soft soft. An apple, in order to become applesauce first has to be cooked which compromises its nutrition. So yes, you're better off chewing a real apple. Digestion starts in the mouth, chewing gives your brain signals that it is full. That's why we should try to EAT our calories rather than DRINK our calories and applesauce is basically liquid.

[AlmostMe]

I'm with Wannabeskinny - I'm really trying to avoid drinking calories unless it's post-match drinkies with my rugby team.

However, the little organic baby food fruit pouches can be an absolute miracle when I'm desperate for easily digestible calories that don't sit in my stomach before rugby or yoga. (Digestion often stops when doing vigorous exercise - and sometimes the tummy will try to eject this food. Not good!!)

If it's a question of 'lesser of three evils' - being able to have one of those pouches on hand or starving or eating real junk - then it's better to eat/drink the fruit pouch.

[the shiv]

I'd say the sugar in that is not good! I find sugar makes me more hungry, and try to go for stuff with no more than 2-3G of sugar per 100cals (I don't count it, but say 2 dinners are 500cals each and look equally appealing, one has 7g sugar, another has 33g sugar... I'd go for the 7g sugar no matter what - otherwise I will feel famished after about 2hrs!). Nuts are lovely because they contain fat that makes you feel less hungry. Yesterday I had a snack portion of king prawns, and I wasn't hungry for hours. It was a bit pricey at £2.50 for a tiny pack, but it was a treat, and were I more organised I'd buy king prawns frozen, cook a few in garlic, chilli & olive oil the previous night, put them in the fridge & take them with me. Same goes for stuff like salmon flakes (from a salmon fillet pan fried in olive oil), chilled & sprinkled with herbs & lemon juice. That still works out cheaper than candy bars if I use one fillet a week.

I don't know how you feel about sugar, but that's definitely the kind of thing that helps me, good quality fibre, fat & protein over processed food any day.

[kiiyopta]

Thank you all so much for this information! Unfortunately I don't find nuts and snacks filling at all which is disappointing because I love them
I've been trying to lessen my portions as well because I know I have been eating way too much before I decided to become healthy, so I'm wondering if this might be why I always feel hungry.