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Wednesday, April 30,2008
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Healthy Habits
Oskri’s natural snacks
Snacking is
an American pastime, a well-loved tradition that we manage to associate
with whatever activity we can. There are those of us who can’t imagine
a movie without popcorn, a baseball game without peanuts or a road trip
without sweets. Finally, there are some nutritionists on our side! They
are suggesting that rather than consume three substantial meals a day
in the form of breakfast, lunch and dinner, we should graze, snacking
on several small meals a day. Granted, dietitians are not recommending
we supplement our meals with movie theater popcorn and Milk Duds, but
rather healthy and nutritious snacks that enrich our diets with
protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Breaking up our
daily dietary needs into mini-meals and snacks helps keep our blood
sugar level from making drastic up-and-down fluctuations and fills in
those necessary calories and nutrients we might otherwise miss due to
incomplete or skipped meals.
To realistically fit into our work, school or parenting schedules, or while traveling, shopping or sporting, these snacks have to be convenient: small, portable, discreet and easy to eat (i.e. no utensils, refrigeration or napkins required). For a while, granola and sports bars were considered the healthy alternative to other on-the-go foods, but then health-conscious consumers became more savvy. Is that high fructose corn syrup and artificial preservatives on the nutrition label? Tsk, tsk. Off to the health-food stores and co-ops it is, to comb the aisles for an all-natural, healthy snack.
Fekri Zainoba founded Oskri Organics in
1999 as a supplier of organic products that, at the time, weren’t
avail- able in the market. With the creation of the now popular sesame
bars, Zainoba was not only a supplier of organic and natural products,
but a manufacturer too. Operating from Ixonia, Wis. in a
15,000-square-foot facility powered by wind energy, Oskri Organics
sells a wide variety of confections, from chocolate, coffee, granola,
trail mix and dried fruit, to cooking oils, spices, spreads and syrups.
But it’s Zainoba’s Oskri Bars, a collection of great-tasting,
all-natural sesame, coconut, honey, fruit and Jalow snack bars, that
deserve the spotlight. Oskri’s sesame bars, which offer the most
variety, are a great source of protein, calcium and dietary fiber. The
bars (which are actually three thin wafers) are free of gluten, lactose
and refined sugar, and are vegan, as well as U.S.D.A.-certified organic
by Ecocert SA. In addition to sesame seeds, they are made with
ingredients like black sesame seeds, quinoa seeds, fennel and black
cumin, and are mixed with molasses, date syrup and brown rice syrup.
Fifty-nine
percent of an Oskri coconut bar is made with actual coconut; the rest
consists of brown rice syrup and a natural flavor, either mango,
strawberry, cherry, pineapple or almond. These chewy, sweet bars are a
good source of protein and minerals, like iron and zinc. Oskri
Organics’ honey bars are made in seven flavors: cashew, granola,
Turkish delight, desert date, mixed nuts, muesli and flax seed.
“All of
our products have similar success,” Zainoba says. “But the most
promising products are our new low-sugar bars.”
Jalow pecan
raisin, Jalow almond cranberry, and Jalow cashew cranberry were created
with children in mind and contain four grams of sugar or less, which
also makes them suitable for diabetics. Oskri Organics products can be
purchased online at www.oskri.com or at stores such as Outpost Natural Foods, Sendik’s and the Health Hut.
Located at W1240 Elmwood Ave., Ixonia. Call (800) 628- 1110 or e-mail: info@oskri.com.
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