RECOMMENDATION: Planters NUTrition.

Planters has hit a serious home run in the world of mixed nuts. Their NUTrition lineup is delicious, with an eye towards health.

The Hearth Healthy mix made a long-awaited return after this year's pistachio scare. Heaping doses of almonds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, and depressingly few hazelnuts are very satisfying. But it's the Energy Mix that really gets my love. The chocolate-covered soy nuts are so much better than I thought they would be, and the super-crispy sweetness of the honey sesame sticks brightens up the usually savory world of the nuts.

Now, if you're interested in just losing weight, these are not your food of choice. They are pretty high-calorie, with 8 servings in each container at 150-180 calories. They are very healthy, though, and if you look at them as a supplement to an otherwise healthy diet, I think these are an excellent replacement for potato chips or other such munchies. I heartily recommend. In fact, I'm eating some now.

UPDATE 2/2/1010: Planters has just launched some NUTrition branded bars and, much like their mixes, they're very good. As far as bars go, they're high-ish calorie at 160 and 170 for the two types. In comparison to the various fiber bars, they have 2g of fiber compared to upwards of 9g. You do get 5g of protein, though, which is great, and a heaping helping of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The texture is unique and the mix of almonds and peanuts really make these bars an appealing product. They unfortunately follow the lead of so many other companies of pretending to keep prices down by including only five bars in the box instead of the expected six.