If you’ve never tried water lily seeds, get ready… they’re a light, puffy snack that you’ll be seeing a lot more of! I gotta tell you, they’re delicious – and it doesn’t hurt that they’re pretty darn healthy.

But this ‘new’ snack is anything but new to people in India, where they’re called makhana, and have been enjoyed for hundreds of years. Water lily seeds are drawn from a species of water lily that floats in ponds in Asia, where they are sun-dried and roasted until they’re puffy and light. Spices and flavors coating the outside give this airy snack its punch.

Now, startup companies like Bohana are bringing them to the US, and people are noticing. I did!

In a snack, I first look or texture and flavor: This delivers. Puffy like a cheese puff. Flavor-wise, the Wild White Cheddar tasted just like you’d expect from a ‘cheese curl.’ It’s high in protein and amino acids, and has less of the junk you see in other snacks. My video taste test is below.

Like many unique snacks made by smaller companies, the price point is higher than you’ll pay for a traditional bag of cheese curls, but the upside may be worth the extra spend. 60 puffs are only 120 calories! Count me in…

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The Good Bean Chili Lime Chick Peas deliver on taste, crunch and nutrition.

Generally speaking, when a snack food starts right out of the gate with ‘good for you,’ I’m don’t exactly get jazzed. I mean, in general my whole goal with a snack is to be wowed by the taste! Tell me they’re delicious first AND good for you! I’m doubly delighted when something tasty delivers on both. These do just that.

Chick peas are getting their due as a truly healthy vessel for flavor and spices. In crispy savory snacks, it’s all about the powder coating. After all, those corn chips in all sorts of zesty, fiery, cool ranchy, tasty flavors you’ve been eating? They get that flavor from the seasonings coated on TOP of the chip, not so much the chip itself. So it stands to reason that if a chick pea can deliver on a crunchy consistency, why couldn’t it take on some great flavor and replace your chip fix?

My go-to flavor for these chips were the chili lime,but they also come in sea salt, classic hummus, sweet cinnamon and thai coconut.

The chili lime deliver a healthy crunch, which is saying something considering how soft you’re used to seeing them. The flavor of lime gives a sour edge to the chili, which is about a six on the heat scale – not a bother for those who are wary of spicy foods. Just the right amount of salt makes this an addictive snack you won’t feel terrible about.

So let’s get to the dry side of things: Why are they better for you? They’re high in protein and fiber which make you feel fuller faster, and high fiber foods help prevent heart disease. Plus, a chick pea snack has a fraction of the processing involved in making a lot of crackers and chips out there. They also have a fairly low glycemic index (GI), which is a marker of how rapidly your blood sugar rises after eating a food.

This particular snack is certified gluten-free, vegan, and NON-GMO Project verified.

Did I also mention they’re delicious??

Available at grocery stores on Amazon or their own website.

That was a play on ‘stack up’ – get it?  Anyway…you don’t usually say ‘mochi’ and ‘crunch’ together – until now. Here’s why, and what makes this gluten free snack is so addictive.

Okay, are you ready for a freaky story? First, know that Sun Tropics’ Sriracha Mochi Rice Bites are easy to eat, crunchy and delicious. They’re inspired by traditional Japanese soft rice dough. But these are cooked until they’re crunchy and come in easy to eat bites. They’re tasty and easy to eat.

Okay, here comes from the wild part:

If you haven’t had actual mochi before, there’s an interesting backstory: Mochi is a traditional Japanese soft rice that is steamed, pounded and mashed and then formed into buns made of soft and chewy rice. And I mean CHEWY. They’re hugely popular around the New Year where they are often served cooked in vegetable broth. They look harmless enough, but officials in Japan usually issue warnings that their ‘hard-to-eat’ nature make them a choking hazard! As in, several people (kids and the elderly) had apparently died from suffocation because they didn’t CHEW THEM ENOUGH. Yeesh.

Now remember: THESE ARE NOT THOSE. THESE ARE CRUNCHY AND EASY TO EAT. Everyone relax.

These are cut into delicious, crunchy nuggets full of flavor. I’m a crunch person. These deliver on that in spades. The flavor has just enough of a pop or sriracha heat, but will not overblast you for shock value. Think of a medium buffalo wing type of flavor. (In fact these could easily have been called Buffalo bites in another scenario. The heat and the crunch make this a seriously addictive snack.

The line of bites offers Asian inspired flavors that also inlcude Tamari, Tokyo Curry, and Sea Salt.

These are also VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE and have no MSG. (You’d be surprised how many of the snacks – especially flavored chips you’re eating all the time do us MSG.)

They’re available at health food stores, and online, although the prices online seem to be higher than you’ll pay in a grocery store.

Give them a try!