Snack Chat

A Little Goes a Long Way! Setting New Records in the 2011 Dallas Heart Walk!

Last Saturday, my husband and I (pictured left) participated in the American Heart Association (AHA) Heart Walk to help raise money to fight heart disease. The Dallas Heart Walk set a record this year with around 50,000 walkers and total contributions of more than $3.3 Million! Frito-Lay also set a record of our own by raising more than $250,000 for AHA this year – more than we’ve ever raised in years past! 

As a dietitian, it was exciting to see so many people getting out and being active. People often do not realize that just a little exercise is good for your heart; you don’t necessarily have to spend hours on the treadmill to see beneficial effects. If you aren’t exercising now, I recommend you start slow and gradually work your way up to 30 minutes per day, most days of the week. Physical activity is not only good for your heart, but it is also builds stronger muscles and bones, helps you sleep better at night, can decrease your chances of becoming depressed, and can even increase your chances of living longer. 

I encourage you to get moving at your local AHA Heart Walk or find another type of exercise that you enjoy. And, if you’re looking for the perfect post-workout snack, I recommend SunChips multigrain snacks, made with 18 grams of heart healthy whole grains per serving.* (Read more about the benefits of whole grains on the AHA website.) 

With the great success of the Dallas Heart Walk this year, I’m already looking forward to next year’s walk! 

- Danielle 

*Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Real Foods and Real Flavors Inspire Bloggers at the Healthy Living Summit

Last week, I took a whirlwind trip to the City of Brotherly Love (Philadelphia) where Frito-Lay participated in the Healthy Living Summit (HLS), a weekend-long conference and networking event for food, nutrition and health bloggers from around the country. We wanted to bring a taste of Frito-Lay to the bloggers and give them an experience they wouldn’t forget. So, on Friday, we hosted an interactive demonstration in a downtown Philly kitchen to showcase the steps Chef Stephen Kalil from the Frito-Lay Flavor Kitchen and his team take to help develop new flavors for Frito-Lay snacks.  

I think many of our guests were surprised to learn the Flavor Kitchen team starts with real food and real recipes to develop the flavor inspirations behind many of our snacks. The end result? Chips as flavorful as Chef Stephen’s recipes -- many made with all natural ingredients, like Lay’s potato chips, SunChips multigrain snacks and Tostitos tortilla chips. (Our chips made with all natural ingredients contain no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives and no monosodium glutamate (MSG)). 

Chef Stephen explained how the Flavor Kitchen chefs start with a flavor idea and develop an extensive number of recipes to bring that flavor to life. After exploring the different recipes and conducting consumer taste testing, the team selects the final flavor profile used to create the seasoning blend for the snack. We encouraged the bloggers to submit their own flavor inspiration ideas for SunChips snacks and Lay’s chips, and Chef Stephen chose to prepare two submissions from blogger Lauren at Sassy Molassy: Caramelized onions and cheese for SunChips multigrain snacks and coconut curry for Lay’s potato chips. Click here to listen to a podcast I recorded with Lauren following the kitchen demos.

(Above: Chef Stephen Kalil and Flavor Kitchen consultant chef Nico Murillo are joined by Lauren of Sassy Molassy to cook up two versions of caramelized onions and cheese.)

Chef Stephen also showed bloggers how an existing flavor of our chips can inspire a new recipe. Lay’s Garden Tomato and Basil potato chips served as the inspiration behind Chef Stephen’s Bruschetta Quinoa Salad, which he prepared at the event.

 (Above: Chef Stephen and the HLS bloggers after the Flavor Kitchen demonstrations.) 

Chef Stephen wrapped up the cooking demos by preparing a recipe for avocado hummus, a snack that pairs perfectly with Tostitos Artisan Recipes Roasted Garlic and Black Bean tortilla chips. I think the bloggers enjoyed the chips and humus -- there was not much left over after they tasted them! 

On Saturday, the HLS bloggers came together for a marathon day of lectures, workshops and classes aimed to make them healthier, happier bloggers! Of course, Frito-Lay was there to offer a little levity, with a photo booth full of fun props and a giveaway for a Williams-Sonoma gift card to encourage the bloggers to get cooking in their own kitchens. Check out our photo gallery from the HLS events. 

I’d like to give a special shout out to all the HLS bloggers who joined us for the cooking demo: What Katie Said, Running Loving Living, Finish Your Broccoli, Little Bitty Bakes, Healthy Happier Bear, Lisa's Foods, The Realistic Nutritionist, Caitlin Lives Well, Sweet Tooth Sweet Life, A Philly Nerd Girl, The Running Jewess, Dynamic Balancing, Jen is Green, Brownies and Zucchini, Blunder Construction, Healthy Happy Whole and Hungry Healthy Hilary -- and thank you to all of the HLS attendees who visited our photo booth. We had a blast, and we hope you did too! 

- Kristin

Back-To-School Meals Made Easy With Help From Frito-Lay

The beginning of a new school year brings all sorts of stress to busy families, as they change schedules, buy school supplies and start up new routines. As a working mom of three (with one on the way!) my house isn’t any different, and it can sometimes feel like we’re all running in different directions. That’s why on weeknights I look forward to the time with my kids when we make their lunches for the following day -- complete with Frito-Lay snacks!

It’s important to me that meals and snacks are supplemented with whole grains, protein, fruits and veggies that my kids enjoy. Along with a sandwich and some fruit, Frito-Lay snacks like our SunChips Variety Mix give my kids the lunchtime variety they want along with the healthier options I want. Sabra hummus and raw veggies make a great snack, and when they need something sweet I add a Quaker Chewy Granola Cocoa bar. For an afterschool snack, our Munchies snack mix and a bottle of Propel Zero do the trick.

With plenty of options, the sky’s the limit! What are your tips and tricks for your kids’ back-to-school meals?

- Brooke

Bringing Our Snacks to Life for the Society for Nutrition Education

Last week, I attended the Society for Nutrition Education’s (SNE) annual conference in Kansas City, Mo. SNE is made up of dietitians with a passion for teaching others about nutrition, and many of them work at universities across the United States. Frito-Lay hosted a booth in the exhibit hall where I had the chance to talk to SNE members about Frito-Lay’s latest health and wellness initiatives -- and of course, provide some tasty samples of products like Fritos Lightly Salted Corn Chips with 50% less sodium than Fritos Original Corn Chips*. We also hosted a dialogue session with SNE leaders to discuss new ways to educate health professionals and consumers about how snacks can fit into the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Boy did they have some great ideas for how to help consumers understand chips really can fit into a balanced diet!

After the conference, we took four SNE members on a tour of our plant in Topeka, Kan. to bring to life how we take simple ingredients, like potatoes and corn, oil, and salt, and use simple processes to make our snack chips. It was a great opportunity for us to discuss the nutrition of Frito-Lay snacks in depth, and for me to provide information they can share with the students and clients they educate. I think some of them were surprised to learn that a 1-oz serving of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips provides 10% of the daily value for both Vitamin C and Potassium! (Above: A picture of our group at the plant.)

Thank you to SNE and all of its members for engaging with Frito-Lay at your 2011 conference! I look forward to seeing you again in 2012.

*Fritos Original Corn Chips have 170 mg of sodium per 1-oz serving. Fritos Lightly Salted Corn Chips have 85 mg of sodium per 1-oz serving.

- Danielle

Which Video Featuring Frito-Lay Snacks is Your Favorite?

At Frito-Lay, we love to talk about all our snacks and share with you new flavors and product news. This year, we’re even more passionate to tell our good, fun snacking story, since all flavors of Lay’s potato chips, Tostitos tortilla chips and SunChips snacks are now made with all natural ingredients. Crunching into a high quality, tasty snack is one of life’s small pleasures, and we’re fortunate to share that joy with people all over the globe. As much as we enjoy talking about our products, we love hearing what our fans think about them even more. Today, we introduce three aspiring filmmakers who shared the Frito-Lay love in style! 

We invite you to watch the three videos below, which were produced in cooperation with Poptent, then vote on our Facebook page for your favorite. You can share comments about the videos here on Snack Chat too. Enjoy!

“All-Natural Family Lifestyle”

 

“Rock Mom”

 

“The Frito-Lay Family Anthem”