Tags: soy free

19 Apr 2017, Comments (0)

Meta Ball bite sized energy & balanced nutrition

Author: Healthnuttxo
11 Apr 2017, Comments (0)

B- free Stone Baked Gluten Free Pita bread

Author: Healthnuttxo

 

 

STOP!!! 🙂

Don’t be afraid of this post. I know. It says gluten free. & when people see gluten free/ wheat free…THEY RUN.
WHY?
years ago they definitely had some…questionable gluten free products… cereal that would fall apart, “mealy” consistency for bread…or just plain awful.
However, insert B Free products. A serious improvement on gluten free breads and products.

The company sent me some pita breads to try. A LOT actually (thanks guys!)

So I hooked my friends up with some and let my family try as well. And let me tell you…they were a hit.

 

I can’t take any credit for these beautiful photos. Taken by a friend with some serious photo skills (that I lack….sorry guys!)

 

Anyway, we tried these toasted, non toasted, with eggs, bacon, tuna fish, and cold cuts.
They are soft and did not taste “fake” at all. My mom is one of the biggest skeptics with gluten free bread, and she had NO CLUE they were gluten free. They actually do just remind me of a wheat pita bread.

The texture was spot on– not too doughy or chewy, and not so hard that it fell apart. It wasn’t dry, and relatively moist. Loved that it didn’t fall apart while eating it as well.

The taste is really subtle, it will remind you of a “wheat flavor”– without the wheat — but this is good because it makes the pita bread super versatile.

Overall, these were a hit with at least 5 people, so with that…these have to get a 5 star rating. I’m not a *huge* sandwich person, but I appreciate when a bread is not only gluten free with awesome texture and nutritional stats, but also one that is durable.

Allergy sensitive? Well you’re in luck because these are also nut free, soy free, wheat free, dairy free AND egg free.

Gluten sensitive? Or just want to try a new pita? Give these a shot!

 

I received these pita breads for free. This is an UNBIASED review.

25 Nov 2016, Comments (5)

Thrive bars by Go Macro + BLACK FRIDAY GIVEAWAY!

Author: Healthnuttxo

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Hi Guys!

Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I know I ate too much. But certainly enjoyed all the food, and hope everyone else did too AND enjoyed their family time.

In the spirit of Black Friday, I will be hosting a giveaway today based on this review.
Go Macro sent me a box of bars, the “Thrive” line. These bars are organic, non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, kosher, vegan, and low glycemic.  They come in a variety of flavors, which we will go over below.

The bars more or less had the same texture- dense and chewy. They were hearty and most had a sesame seed and date flavor.

Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt--> this one was pretty darn good. The chocolate amount was decent– I feel like sometimes when companies add chocolate chips you get like 3 chips for the whole bar and they have the NERVE to call it a chocolate flavored bar… haha, not the case here. The dark chocolate chips are prevalent. The cashew flavor goes well with the chocolate. The sea salt? lacking. Needs more of that, however, still good.   —-4 stars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip--> this one was a bit more dense than the others, but very good. A peanut butter base, with peanut butter chips and a hint of chocolate. Picture a peanut butter cup but in a “granola” bar form. So did I like it? Yeah I liked it. Do you like peanut butter cups? Yea? Okay, you’ll like this one.  — 4 1/2 stars

Almond Apricot–> this one is pretty good. Seems “nuttier” than the others in flavor, a tad bit more crunchier. The apricot gives a nice sweetness that is scattered throughout the bar, and the almond adds that crispy crunch you sometimes crave in a “chewier” bar. —-4 star

Blueberry Lavender–> lavender… personally I am not a fan of ingesting lavender. Makes me feel like I am eating soap. But I digress…. anyway, this bar was okay. Lightly sweet, slightly bitter aftertaste. The blueberry flavor was prominent, and lavender had a hint. I think the flavor overall was a bit flat and almost needed a pinch of salt.    — 3 star

Ginger Lemon–>The ginger in this bar was mild, but prevalent, and went really well with the lemon flavor. I happen to be a fan of ginger, and the “burn/spice” you get from ginger was not present, which is good for those who don’t enjoy ginger, however I felt myself missing that.  However, it was a great combo and almost reminded me of a cookie. But again, I felt it was a bit flat/missing something.  —- 3 1/2 star

Caramel Coconut--> my personal favorite, wish I could order a box of just these. It was super, super yummy! Lightly sweetened with coconut and a mild caramel flavor, but went oh so well together. Reminded me of these coconut condensed milk brownies my mom makes for the holidays. The coconut flavor shines through and overall, a delicious bar.  — 4 1/2 stars

You can try these bars 30% off with the promo code THRIVE30  here!

GIVEAWAY!!!!

You will win 1 box of assorted Thrive bars! 🙂

TO enter….
1) you must like Go Macro on one of their social media outlets. Please leave a comment below telling me which outlet you used (IG, Twitter, FB, etc.)

2) If you do not have any social media, you may leave a comment below saying which bar you would like to try the most.

3) for an additional entry, follow my fitness/blog IG at lisa_liftsx. Leave a comment saying you did so!

U.S. only. Giveaway closes 1 week from today, December 2nd, 12 pm.

 

 

 

disclaimer: I received these bars for free. This is an unbiased review.

24 Jun 2016, Comments (0)

Heavenly Organics Chocolate Honey Patties

Author: Healthnuttxo

HO_family shot closeup

Hi!

I got some awesome goodies from Heavenly Organics. They created these chocolate honey patties in a few varieties, with minimal and sustainable ingredients.  The chocolate shell is made from 100% cocoa and raw Himalayan honey. They are gluten, dairy, and soy free, with no additional sugar added (aside from using the honey).  The honey is 100% organic, obtained from free roaming beehives.  The bees are in areas that are not near pesticides or pollutants, which is awesome, because then that stuff won’t get into YOUR body!

They come in a bunch of flavors. I got the Ginger Chocolate Honey Pattie, Mint Chocolate Honey Pattie, Almond Chocolate Honey Pattie, DOUBLE Dark Chocolate Honey Pattie, Pomegranate Chocolate Honey Pattie, and the Peanut Chocolate Honey Pattie!  Here’s what they looked like up close. IMG_3064

bitten into, of course!

The chocolate shells all taste the same. The chocolate is relatively bitter, not that smooth, but the honey flavor definitely shines through. I am not a huge fan of the chocolate, as it breaks like a shell would on ice cream (that hard chocolate shell you put on and it freezes), but I also prefer a smooth milk chocolate over a dark chocolate. The shell reminds me more of a bitter dark chocolate.

Each pattie has an inside filling. The Pomegranate is super sweet and supple, tasted like pure, silky honey with the sweetness of pomegranate juice. The Double Chocolate is exactly what it sounds like, more of a dark chocolate flavor, with honey. It is creamy and sweet, but again, the outside shell ruined it a bit for me. The Peanut Chocolate pattie inside is very good. Reminds me of a traditional peanut butter cup, but with a nice honey twist. I loved the inside, wanted to eat it by itself. The Mint Chocolate honey pattie is the dark chocolate shell, with honey completely oozing out the middle. There is a hint of mint as well. I didn’t really care for this one, as the chocolate is very bitter and the mint made it more bitter. However, the honey is excellent, and incredibly smooth and creamy. The Almond Chocolate Honey Pattie is pretty good, it has that almond joy type of almond flavor, like almond extract or a toasted almond, alongside the chocolate and honey. It goes well with the honey flavor in my opinion. Lastly, the Ginger Chocolate Honey Pattie. I actually really liked this one, but you have to enjoy ginger. I used to eat ginger chews as a kid, so I love candied, dry ginger. It mellows out the bitterness of the chocolate, and goes wonderfully with the honey.

My favorites were the Ginger, Pomegranate, and Peanut patties. But as a whole, these are pretty good, but you have to be a fan of bitter/dark chocolate. I wish they had a milk chocolate version 8)

Each patties is roughly 50 calories, which isn’t too shabby! Especially when you need a luxurious sweet treat.

Overall, 3 1/2 stars.

29 Nov 2015, Comments (0)

BFree Wheat and Gluten Free Foods

Author: Healthnuttxo

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A company that just expanded to the East Coast, I got some yummy bread samples from from BFree! They create products that are gluten free, wheat free, nut free, dairy free, soy free, no sugar added, Non GMO, and more. They can appeal to anyone with special dietary needs, especially those with severe allergies.

With Celiac’s Disease and gluten intolerance on the rise, it’s important to have companies that care to replace bread or pasta products in people’s diets that are allergy friendly, and also I think it’s great these products are also nut and dairy free, because more often than not, you find people have Celiac’s AND another allergy/intolerance to dairy or nuts. The GI tract is connected, so it makes sense!

Anyway, moving onward. I received a plethora of samples from BFree, including wraps, dinner rolls, bread, and bagels. Let’s get to it!

First up, Soft White Sandwich Loaf.

Here’s what it looked like toasted:

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And with some PB&J

 

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The sandwich loaf bread crisped up nice in the toaster oven. It had a nice crunch but was relatively bland on it’s own. The texture and consistency are good, chewy and soft underneath a crusty exterior. It doesn’t have much flavor, so it’s perfect for eating with toppings, just not alone. It doesn’t mask flavors either, so it went well with the PB&J. I think toasting is necessary. 3 stars

Next up, the Brown Seeded Sandwich Loaf. 

Here it is, toasted.

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This one, as you can see I also had with some peanut butter and one with butter, since plain and toasted is relatively flavorless. I noticed this one (and the white) take a while to toast in comparison to the bread I usually have. I didn’t really like the one with the butter…becuase the flavor of the bread isn’t masked. Alone, the bread has an odd seedy kind of rye bread flavor. With the peanut butter, the flavor is masked, and it is a crunchy piece of bread with a soft interior, that doesn’t affect the flavor of the peanut butter. So again, this bread is good if you have a spread you like on top. 2 1/2 

 

Next up, the bagels! First, the multi-seed bagel. 

Here it is toasted with some butter. Right off the bat, I am kind of annoyed because these aren’t pre sliced..HAH. I guess I am spoiled and used to pre-cut bagels.

This one toasted wasn’t bad. The texture isn’t 100% like a gluten filled bagel, since the dense chewiness comes from wheat gluten. But, this is pretty darn good for a gluten free bagel. It is chewy in a different way, and fluffy. It had the consistency of the chewiness of the bread but thicker since it it a bagel. The flavor again is really not there, very bland, and the seeds didn’t provide much flavor. I think all of these previous breads need a touch of salt or something to help bring out flavor. However, I think it would be good with butter and jam, or butter and a fried egg 🙂  3 1/2 stars
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Next up, the white/ Plain Bagel.

This one we toasted and put cream cheese on!

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This one was not really a hit. I also let my brother try this one (it was his cream cheese after all…) and he was not a fan. It was very bland, airy, and didn’t have that chew like the seeded bagel did. Even after toasted the inside of the bagel didn’t change color much, so I couldn’t really tell when it was done. Just not a fan, it almost took away the flavor from the cream cheese, and the consistency not as good as the seeded bagel. 2 stars

Next up, the Quinoa and Chia Seed Wrap.

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Made a turkey and cheese wrap with lettuce on this one.
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This one I am iffy about… I liked it at first, then as I made more wraps with it and continued to eat it, I grew to dislike it. One problem with the wrap for starters is that after you defrost it, it is WET. You need to really get the moisture out with a paper towel unless you will have a soggy wrap. I am used to having frozen then fresh wraps, and usually you just wipe off the little bit of condensation, but this one you need to really blot or toast to get some of the water out. I assume that is because it is made with rice, which holds onto water.

Anyway, this wrap doesn’t offer much flavor other than the seeds, so if you like a seedy flavor, you may like it. However, the consistency got semi- mealy after I continued to eat it. Not really a fan. It ripped really easy and isn’t chewy like a wrap normally is for me, and is a bit stiff. 2 stars

Lastly, the dinner rolls! Brown Seeded and Soft White. 
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These we heat up slightly in the oven and then cut open and put pats of butter on them.  The Brown roll was earthy and nutty tasting… it reminded me of a granola bar almost with some pumpkin seed flavor. It was pretty bland otherwise and needed some salt. The texture was chewy and a little dense which I actually kind of liked. 2 1/2 stars

The white roll was pretty good.

Again, a little bland, needed some salt, but tasted pretty close to a gluten filled white bread roll. Chewy and the thickness of the roll went well with the warm butter and dinner. I would eat this one again. 3 1/2 stars

Overall, BFree Foods has some hits and some misses in my book. HOWEVER, these are definitely some of the better gluten free products I have tried. Due to the nature of rice, a lot of GF products end up being piecey in consistency, or fall apart in your mouth, and just plain awful. These products, while a tad bland, were versatile and textures were honestly pretty good. The wrap was my least favorite, and I think the more “bread-y” products did better. I think these are definitely worth a try, especially if you have allergies.

BFree is on FACEBOOK here.
BFree is on TWITTER here. 

 

I received these products free from the company. This is an unbiased review.

 

 

9 Jun 2015, Comments (0)

Mancakes Cinnamon Oat High Protein Pancake/Waffle Mix

Author: Healthnuttxo

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5 Jun 2015, Comments (0)

D’s Naturals No Cow Bar – Mint Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Blueberry Cobbler

Author: Healthnuttxo

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Alright!

So a friend of mine told me about this brand called D’s Naturals. I personally never heard of them or have seen them in store, so I went to their website to check them out. I got the opportunity to try some of their No Cow bars, in 3 varieties- the Mint Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough,  and Blueberry Cobbler.

What makes these bars special?

They are gluten free, vegan, dairy free, soy free, no sugar added, lactose free, and non GMO according to the label. They run roughly 170 calories per bar, with 20 grams of protein and 19 grams of fiber. They are sweetened with Erythritol, not sugar.

These were appealing to me, especially as a Type 1 Diabetic. I CANNOT have added sugar…well I mean I *can* but, it doesn’t lead to pretty blood sugars. However, protein bars are usually chock full of sugar (and sugar is also HONEY, CANE JUICE, do not be fooled!). These also appealed to me since they had a good dose of fiber and protein, so I would have optimal blood sugar regulation as well as being, well, full!

Here’s a sneak peek of the Mint Chocolate Chip Bar:IMG_2221

As you can see, these bars are dense and chewy, almost like a “fruit” based bar made with fig. They are a bit sticky too!

 

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough– Mmmmm. Nice peanut butter flavor. It has some sort of sweet, semi caramelish feel to it. It was chewy and super soft, with little pieces of nuts in the bar. I can definitely get a peanut butter cookie dough vibe from it though! Like a batter before peanut butter cookies are made, but less sweet. However, there is definitely a consistency thing going on here. It’s hard to explain but there is this “leftover” piece-y type feel on the tongue. Like the bar has broken down and leaves a residue behind. I think it’s from the pea protein that is used to make the bar, but I could be wrong. In this case, taste outweighs texture for me. 4 out of 5 stars

Blueberry Cobbler– This one is sweet and fruity!! I enjoyed the blueberry flavor, it was a mixture of a fresh blueberry feel alongside sweet and chewy dried blueberries. You can’t taste any protein flavor, so that is a plus. I liked the flavor, but again, that texture thing is prevalent here. It’s like I can “feel” the protein, because I am positive this is from the pea protein. A good bar, however. 3 1/2 stars

Mint Chocolate Chip-  As a caveat, I am not a huge mint chocolate chip fan. I like Extra mint chocolate chip gum, and that’s about it. But I remained open minded about this bar. There are little pieces of cacao nibs in this bar which add a little crunch. It honestly tasted like a York peppermint patty, but in protein bar form. The consistency issue was NOT as bad here, still prevalent, but not as bad. The mint flavor is also pretty strong. Perhaps you can get a breath freshening while you dose up on your protein for the day (kidding). Given that I don’t generally like this flavor combination, I would still give it a 3 1/2 star rating.

Overall, not bad. I think the formula needs some tweaking. Personally, the consistency thing isn’t really an issue for me, as I go for nutrition and flavor over texture. For some it might be an issue. I think you have to pick your battles here though, the nutritional facts are pretty good AND these bars are vegan as well as dairy free, so they are limited with their protein sources. I can appreciate this company, so kudos D’s Naturals! I look forward to trying your products in the future, and maybe picking up some of those pb cookie dough bars if I see them 🙂

 

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I received this item for free. This is an unbiased review.
9 Jan 2015, Comments (7)

Uncomplicated Foods Tali-O Bites- Powerfully Peanut, A Hint of Almond, Double the Coconut

Author: Healthnuttxo

Hello!

I got some  yummy treats from Uncomplicated Foods to try for free called Tali-O Bites! They are these bite sized treats made from organic dates and other flavors, to make for a healthy snack. They come in 3 flavors, Powerfully Peanut, A Hint of Almond, and Double the Coconut. All 3 flavors are gluten free, vegan, non GMO, soy free, and free of added sugars, according to the package. The Double the Coconut and Hint of Almond flavor are also paleo friendly.

As you can see, they are tiny!

I tried the Double the Coconut flavor first. These were soft and chewy, and had a sweet and fruity taste. You can certainly detect the fate flavor. The coconut flavor was prominent, but I wouldn’t say it was “double” in terms of flavor strength. I am assuming the powder on the bite was some type of extra coconut flavor. There were tiny pieces of nuts that gave it a teeny crunch, which was nice and added texture. These were really yummy! I used them pre workout early in the morning (I’m talking 5 am…) for a boost since it was too early for me to eat a full breakfast. 4 stars

Next up, Hint of Almond. This one was not my favorite of the 3, but it was still good.  Almond was not the first thing I thought of when eating these, however. It had a sweet taste to it, but moreso tasted like an almond butter after-taste. It was soft and chewy, and had a rather peculiar flavor that is a bit hard to describe. Almost like if you took almond butter and dates and made it into a chew with teeny nut pieces. Overall, 3  stars.

Lastly,  Powerfully Peanut. This flavor was my favorite! It had a yummy peanut flavor and was mildly sweet. THere was a hint of coconut flavor and almost tasted a little like vanilla. They were soft, dense and chewy. Very good! Definitely want more of these!

Overall, these are good! I do not have or know the nutritional facts, but I do have the ingredients for Double The Coconut listed below.

13 Dec 2014, Comments (9)

EnjoyLife Handcrafted Crunchy Cookies

Author: Healthnuttxo

Who doesn’t love cookies?!?!

EnjoyLife sent me a huge box of goodies for free, and let me tell you how pleasant of a surprise it was seeing that on my doorstep!

These crunchy cookies are gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and soy free according to the box. The box also states that they are “free from the 8 common allergies”, so one could definitely assume they are allergen friendly :]

They come in 4 different flavors, Vanilla Honey Graham, Double Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, and Sugar Crisp. I was so excited! I generally prefer soft cookies over crunchy or crisp ones, but I am also never one to turn down a good cookie :]

I tried the double chocolate first. Here is what they looked like up close!

Mmmmm. These cookies were nice and crunchy, but not flaky, they had a good body to them. There was clearly a good amount of chocolate chips, but I think it had more of a dark chocolate than a milk chocolate flavor to them. These actually reminded me of a brownie-cookie. They were very sweet and a tad salty, so in other words, a great combination! The consistency was great. Couldn’t tell it was gluten free or anything aside from a regular ol’ gluten-y cookie. Haha. Very good! 4.5 stars

Next up, the chocolate chip. These were yummmay!!! Crunchy and crispy, but had body like the other ones. The chocolate chips melted easily which was a good thing, and they were plentiful without the cookie. There was a slight vanilla flavor as well. They were sweet with a slight punch of saltiness, so again, delicious combo. You really can’t tell it was gluten free! Often I tried GF cookies where you can taste the potato flour or there is a piecy consistency, but not the case with these. They held together well, and I ate, well, ALL of them 🙂 (oops) 4.5 stars

Next up, the Sugar Crisp. Again…yum! Crispy, but not airy, with a prominent vanilla flavor. In fact, these were full of flavor. These had a slight break down after you chew it where you can tell it was made of rice flour, unlike the other two, but they were still quite good. If you like a sweet cookie with a strong vanilla flavor, these are for you. 4 stars

Lastly, Vanilla Honey Graham!Look how perfect these little guys look! These cookies almost tasted like toast with honey spread on it. They had a rather strong honey flavor, and a very slight undertone of vanilla flavor. The toasted flavor however, was quite predominant, and the cookie has strong flavors. I think the toasted flavor was supposed to be the graham flavor, but not too sure. If you like honey, I would say this a good choice. I enjoyed it, but not my favorite of the 4. 3 1/2 stars

Overall, I approve! I would definitely buy some of these if I saw them on my next trip to the supermarket 🙂

18 Nov 2014, Comments (8)

Quest Nutrition Protein Chips

Author: Healthnuttxo

Quest Nutrition Protein Chips!

I know, I know, I am a little behind on these, and while I did  get samples a little while ago my schedule is so tight I did not have a chance to post this until now.

SO,

Here we go!

I got 1 bag of 3 different flavors to try for free from Quest. I got the BBQ, Cheddar & Sour Cream, and Sea Salt flavors to try.

These chips are made without soy, and are gluten free. They are baked, not fried, according to the bag, and have roughly 21g of protein per serving with ~5 g of carbohydrates. They do not have any fiber in them, and are relatively low in fat. For example, the sea salt flavor had 1.5 grams of fat per bag.

One serving gives you a decent amount of chips, but they are flaky and airy, and a lot of the chips end up being very piecey and on the bottom of the bag. For example, I packed a bag for lunch one day and ended up eating entirely crumbs during class. Not super convenient! First up, the Sea Salt.

These were pretty good. The chips were half and half, were some would have a good amount of yummy salt flavor, and others would be on the blander side. The chips were piecey via mouth feel- they had this dried potato flavor to them but a rather strong undertone of whey protein flavor. They were dry, and brittle, and broke apart easily while chewing.

Next up, the BBQ flavor. Here’s a sneak peak.This bag wasn’t as damaged as my other two got during travel, so I got a shot of the chips as whole pieces not crumbs. The BBQ ones had a mild BBQ flavor, standard flavoring like most BBQ chips, but definitely not as strong. No flavor in the BBQ seasoning stuck out in particular. They had a nice crunch, and were not too salty, which was nice. I wish the flavor was a bit stronger. What happened was I would eat the chip, the seasoning would come off, and then it would taste like a plain chip within a few seconds of being in my mouth- that dried potato + whey flavor. It was doable for a snack ,but not my favorite.

Lastly, the Sour Cream and Cheddar. This had the same type of issue the BBQ one did. The flavors were good, mild, but good, but the seasoning came off so easily that it was as if they got sprinkled with seasoning after they were already baked. I wish it had some flavor throughout the chip. I definitely tasted cheddar flavors, can’t say I saw where the sour cream component was coming from. This bag I took with me to class and was the bag I ended up eating almost entirely in pieces, but I was hungry so it was still manageble.

Overall, to be honest, a disappointment from me! I expected better, seeing as I am in love with Quest Bars. I ended up buying a case of the sour cream  & cheddar after receiving my samples to try out of excitement, sure I would like them, and let’s just say I already ordered Quest Bars almost biweekly and I still have 2-3 bags of the chips left waiting to be eaten.

I probably won’t buy them again in the future, I really wasn’t that impressed with these. I can see them as a livesaver for someone who is on a strict diet and needs a “cheat”, because it is crunchy and has mild but good flavor, but it doesn’t beat out the quest bars. Also, there is no fiber in the chips, so they left me hungry where as a Quest Bar was much more fulfilling.  However, I did enjoy the fact they were only 5 grams of carbohydrates. Always down for low carb snacks being a diabetic. Overall, 2  stars

1 serving (Sea Salt) = 120 calories, 1.5 grams fat (0 saturated), 190 mg sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 0 grams sugar, 21 grams protein.

Ingredients (Sea Salt- from bag): Protein blend (milk protein isolate, whey protein isolate), dried potatoes, corn starch, high oleic sunflower oil. Contains less than 2% of the following: Sea Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Natural Flavors.

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