SHELL SHOCK.

It's the original comfort food. But the fat and salt in macaroni and cheese give little comfort to your poor heart. Enter Annie's Homegrown, a small Connecticut company with a line of mac and cheese that's good for the body and the soul.

Every cup of Annie's delicious creamy Whole Wheat Shells & Cheddar packs all of the whole grain's vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber (six grams). And the whole wheat's organic. Follow the directions on the box and a cup of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese will get you but one gram of fiber...along with five times more fat and nearly twice the sodium.

If you're not ready to make the leap to 100 percent whole-grain, try mixing Annie's Whole Wheat Shells & Cheddar half and half with one of her nine other (non-whole-grain) flavors. Our favorites were the Shells and Cheddar and the Mild Mexican. Compared to most other macaroni and cheese mixes, you'll get less salt, less fat, and no artificial colors.

All that and the satisfying taste of real homemade food. What more could you ask for? The way we figure it, unless you've got a thing for neon-orange pasta, there's no reason not to give Annie a whirl.

Annie's Homegrown--[phone] (www.annies.com).