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Let’s Face It: Without That Fat, The Taste Just Simply Goes Flat

Rick Bonino Food Editor

Fiber, the food police remind us, is one of the most important ingredients in a good breakfast. But how you get it is another question.

The box of the Jimmy Dean sausage/egg/cheese breakfast sandwich we fed to The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel proudly advertised the 2 grams of fiber it contains - but not the 27 fat grams or 1,040 milligrams of sodium, both of which are close to half of the recommended daily intake. Panel members, not surprisingly, loved it.

Then there was the “Fiber Rich” apple/orange/banana juice in a jar from Tree Top, with a full 5 grams of fiber in a 1-cup serving (one-fifth of the daily requirement), only 30 milligrams of sodium and no fat to be found.

Panel members, not surprisingly, weren’t too keen on it - although some suggested it might be OK as a mixer with rum. (But not nessarily for breakfast.)

Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg and Cheese on a Biscuit

Price: $1.49 for 4.5 ounces.

Nutrition: 390 calories (62 percent fat calories); 1,040 milligrams sodium.

Taste: ****

Value: **

Comments: “Skip the line at McDonald’s and pop this one in the oven. The sausage is an identifiable piece of meat, instead of a mystery, and the eggs looked normal.” - Madilyn Hutchison Foco.

“Meat almost tasteless; egg and cheese parts okay. For a fast break, it’s certainly good enough.” - Helen Span.

Tree Top Fiber Rich Apple Orange Banana Juice

Price: $2.49 for 1 quart.

Nutrition: 170 calories (no fat); 30 milligrams sodium in 8 ounces.

Taste: ***

Value: **

Comments: “Thick, sweet taste. Tastes like thinned baby food. Couldn’t drink very much of this!” - Sandi Kessler.

“A little heavy for breakfast, but blend this with some ice and rum and it would be GREAT!” - Sandy Davidson.

, DataTimes MEMO: Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are prepared in a test kitchen according to package directions. Panelists are not aware of a product’s brand name or price until after they have tasted it. Products are rated for taste and for value, based on quality compared to price.

Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are prepared in a test kitchen according to package directions. Panelists are not aware of a product’s brand name or price until after they have tasted it. Products are rated for taste and for value, based on quality compared to price.