Work-from-home has done nothing but add calories to the waistline. I’ll have to attribute that to the non-stop snacking on chips that I’ve been doing. Of course, I feel a little guilty, but I blame it on the preservatives that make snacks addictive.
Singaporean brand Zenko Superfoods is making it their mission to uncover underrated superfoods from around the world, to introduce healthier snacking to consumers looking for a guilt-free snack life.
Their first range of products are their Water Lily Pops, made from the seeds of water lily flowers originating from the ponds located in the North-Eastern Indian state of Bihar, at the foothills of the Himalayas.
Water Lily Pops are also known as Makhana. They’ve been around for over 2000 years. Their seeds are harvested, sun-dried, roasted and finally popped to produce a light, crunchy, and highly nutritional snack.
It is a good source of protein and antioxidants, low in fat with zero trans-fat and low in calories yet energy boosting, among other benefits. Its Low GI quality makes it suitable for diabetics as well.
The snacks are available in four natural and delicious flavours—Spicy, Cheddar Cheese, Himalayan Pink Salt, and Original.
My clear winner has to be the Himalayan Pink Salt. The lightness of the Water Lily Pops makes it texturally similar to popcorn. The lightly salted pops is great accompaniment for movie nights. The Original flavour simply has a touch of olive oil added to it. I love popcorn, so these two flavours have my heart.
The savoury Spicy flavoured pops have hints of red chilli spice, garlic and onion. Cheddar Cheese takes me straight to my childhood snack, Cheezels. All the flavours are irresistibly addictive, and it barely lasted one night in my household.
The founders are advocates of sustainable agriculture and of supporting the growth of local communities. Therefore, they pride themselves on having foods sustainably sourced and produced in its place of heritage. Adopting a “seed-to-snack” model, Zenko Superfoods’ work directly with the local communities in a 5-step process—from harvesting to roasting, popping, flavouring, and packing of the seeds.
The holistic approach allows Zenko Superfoods to improve parts of their supply chain, ensure the quality of their products and work directly with the local farmers.
Despite the rigorous process that Zenko Superfoods goes through, these Water Lily Pops range from just S$3.50. They are available online on the Zenko Superfoods’ website, Redmart as well as over 150 stores across Singapore.
This reminds me that I need a restock, especially if I want to watch the waist.
(Images: Zenko Superfoods)
