I sought and received some free samples from Penny’s Low-Fat Desserts after hearing about them on Jenny’s blog.  You say “muffin,” I say “gimme, gimme!”

Muffins are a dessert that has often masqueraded as a breakfast item and even as a health food item — but don’t be fooled.  Just because your muffin is “bran” or “blueberry” doesn’t mean it’s good for you.  Have you seen the size of some muffins?  A lot of times they are the size of my head and have more than the FDA’s recommended daily cap of fat in one serving.  Crazy!  That’ why I think it’s such good news that companies are coming out with legitimately healthier alternatives that are smaller in portion size and made from natural ingredients. After researching and sampling Penny’s products (it’s a tough job, but some one’s gotta do it), I thought that it would be more helpful if I provided a comparison to their very similar competitor, Vitalicious, instead of just going “this tasted good!” which is completely useless to anyone who does not have my exact taste buds…oh so that’s all of you, whoops…

Enter our two contestants…

Product Review and Comparison:  Penny’s Low-Fat Desserts‘ Muffin Tops vs. Vitalicious‘ VitaTops

To be fair in the comparison, I will compare side-by-side the two most similar products from Penny’s and Vitalicious — each of their chocolate muffin tops.

Penny’s Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffin Top

Ingredients: Water, whole wheat flour, erythritol, wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), dried plums, chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, dextrose, soy lecithin), milk, chicory root, cocoa (processed with alkali), sugar, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate), cellulose, natural flavors, rice syrup solids, palm oil, salt, soy lecithin, cinnamon, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, guar gum. Contains wheat, milk and soy.

Nutritional Information for serv size: 2 oz (56g): Calories 100, Fat Cal 15, Total Fat 1.5g (2%DV), Saturated Fat .5g (3%DV), Transfat 0g Cholest. 0g ( 0%DV), Sodium 180mg (7%DV), Total Carb 27g (9%DV), Fiber 5g (18%DV), Sugars 6g, Protein 3g, Vitamin A (0%DV), Vitamin C (0%DV), Calcium (10%DV), Iron (6%DV).  Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Price/1 muffin top: $1.44 (*Note: Must buy in 24-pack, $34.49, + $8.69 shipping)

vs. Vitalicious’ Double Chocolate Dream VitaTop

Ingredients: Water, whole wheat flour, organic evaporated cane juice, egg whites, white chocolate chips (sugar, cocoa butter,whole milk, milk fat, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), cocoa (processed with alkali), soy fiber, inulin, erythritol, dried honey, wheat gluten, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), tricalcium phosphate, fruitrim (grape juice, brown rice syrup), natural flavor, lecithin, sea salt, xanthan gum, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folic acid, iron, biotin, zinc. CONTAINS EGG, MILK, SOY, WHEAT

Nutritional Information for serv size: 2 oz (55g): Calories 100, Fat Cal 15, Total Fat 1.5g (2%DV), Saturated Fat 1.00 (5%DV), Transfat 0g Cholest. 0g ( 0%DV), Sodium 150mg (6%DV), Potassium 170mg (5%DV), Total Carb 23g (8%DV), Fiber 6g (24%DV), Sugars 11g, Protein 3g, Vitamin A (50%DV), Vitamin C (50%DV), Vitamin D (50%DV), Vitamin E (50%DV), Calcium (20%DV), Iron (50%DV), Thiamin (4%DV), Riboflavin (10%DV), Niacin (4%DV), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 (50%DV), Vitamin B6 (50%DV), Pantothenic Acid (12.5%DV), Biotin (50%DV), Zinc (50%DV). Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Price/1 muffin top: $1.33 (*Note: Must buy in 12-pack, $16.00, + $8.50 shipping)

**My Thoughts?**

• Almost identical in nutrition and ingredients with the biggest exception being that VitaTop has added vitamins whereas Penny’s does not.
• Almost identical in price and shipping costs, but it sucks that you have to buy a 24-pack of Penny’s (though note, she does offer a sampler pack for $18) whereas you’d only have to buy 12 from Vitalicious.
• VitaTops are more widely available in stores (Whole Foods nation-wide).  Penny’s is currently only available in Whole Foods, Sacramento and Redwood City, CA/ Get Healthy America, Plainview, NY/ The Diet Shop, Ronkonkoma, NY.
• I like the taste of Penny’s better.  To me, they tasted more wholesome (I found there to be a chemical after-taste to VitaTops and if you recall here, I was a bit disappointed with the product, but later admitted here that I at least liked the Triple Chocolate Chunk VitaTop).
• Whether you end up being a Penny’s or Vitalicious advocate, just remember how both fare in comparison to this muffin or that muffin.  Yowza.

Have you tried any products from either Penny’s or Vitalicious?  If yes, did you like and which was your fave?  What’s your favorite muffin flavor?

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Noteworthy in the News/Blogs

• Science Daily’s, “No Comfort In Comfort Foods During Tough Economic Times, Study Finds” (8/20/09) here
• That’s Fit’s, “Coconut Oil:  Diet Friend or Foe?” (8/20/09) here — Wait, you mean I can’t chug coconut oil from the bottle and expect to lose weight?! Blasphemy!

Give-Away Round Up

• You have until midnight PST tonight to enter my give-away here
• Win some Larabars here
• Win a So You Think You Can Dance Fitness DVD here
• Win some Clif Bars here
• My fave give-away right now is at The Special K Treatment here b/c it’s like a pen-pal, Secret Santa, type of give-away where you offer up your fave thing and get a random person to send it to and vice versa.  There’s no need to “re-tweet” or “link-back” or “add to blogroll” — just share with someone for the sake of sharing. It makes me all gooey inside!

<3,  The Cranky One