Have you ever been stuck in a really long line that seems like it’s never going to move? For me, that’s usually when I’m hit with some serious hunger. In such an instance, the most heroic person near me is the woman who notices my blood-sugar-dropping swoon and offers me a granola bar from her purse, which I unapologetically devour like a mad woman! It reminds me of that Snickers commercial in which a guy transforms into a sassy, weary Betty White on the football field when he’s hungry. We’ve all had those moments. Today, be prepared to tackle your “hangry” inclinations with a tasty snack. Your friends and co-workers will definitely thank you for it.
WOMEN IN NUMBERS: 1 in 4
Snacking has an odd connotation of being something unhealthy. For instance, don’t you remember your mom warning you, “Don’t ruin your dinner!” with a pre-meal snack? But snacking on the right foods throughout the day can actually maintain blood-sugar levels and keep us from reaching that hangry point. I’m sure my snacking ladies out there know what I’m talking about. In fact, a recent Nielsen study found that one in four American women snacks three to four times a day. That’s more than men, with only one in five dudes nibbling between meals. The study notes that women prefer the sweet stuff while men prefer the salty. I dare say women are smart enough to combine both into one epically delicious and healthful sweet-and-salty snack. Who’s hungry?
WOMAN TO WATCH: Kristy Lewis, Co-founder and CEO of Quinn Snacks
Today’s Woman to Watch, Kristy Lewis, has built her successful career around our chomping habits, and serves up some crave-worthy—and wholesome—snacks to feed our hankerings as well as our desire for health-conscious, natural ingredients.
As the co-founder and CEO of Quinn Snacks, Kristy has reimagined noshing, delivering all-natural snacks straight to our tummies, with no GMOs, fake flavorings, preservatives or any of that terrible stuff that so often makes its way into our favorite nibbles.
A lifelong food fanatic and devotee of microwave popcorn, Kristy realized shortly after the birth of her first son, Quinn, that it was time to finally clean up her beloved snack. She went digging and discovered most microwave popcorns are laden with preservatives, GMO ingredients, artificial flavors, whatever that orange-yellow butter-like goop is and even a toxic chemical lining the popping bags, a substance that, by the way, the Environmental Protection Agency lists as a carcinogen.
A dedicated cook, Kristy put her culinary talent to work, developing her own seasoned popcorn flavored with natural ingredients. Focused on providing simple, honest foods that are transparent in where they come from, Quinn Snacks seizes on Kristy’s initial popcorn recipes, using real butter and sea salt, Vermont maple syrup, white cheddar, and Parmesan and rosemary. Best yet, Quinn Snacks’ organic popcorn varieties come in the first-ever chemical-free and compostable microwave-popcorn bag. The company now offers other snacks as well, including already-popped popcorn, gluten-free pretzels and popping kernels.
On its website, Quinn Snacks features the growers and suppliers for every snack product, and shows an interactive map, allowing you to enter the batch number from your Quinn product to find out where exactly it was sourced. From the sunflower oil to the organic blackstrap molasses, you can easily see what independent farm it originated from and learn every detail of how your favorite snacks are made. It’s truly farm-to-bag, feel-good snacking.
Kristy’s vision for her company is simple: Use only ingredients people can pronounce. It’s a wonderful mission that has resulted in a business that really pops!
QUITE THE QUOTE
It’s time to lick our fingers, pat our stomachs and bid you adieu. But the next time you reach for that tasty popcorn snack, remember what Charles Schulz said:
“Love is sharing your popcorn.”
This is Melinda Garvey signing off until next time. Remember, ladies, empowered women empower other women. Share On the Dot so more women can have a voice. Thanks for getting ready with us.
To learn more about our conversation, check us out at OnTheDotWoman.com and talk to us @OnTheDotWoman on Twitter and Instagram. We’d love to hear your voice.