“Ah-well, then it’s going to be just fine,” with a big sigh of relief?

That’s how I felt after watching this very well done documentary on living well with celiac disease.

The film’s director, Susan Cohen, also recently celebrated her 10 year anniversary of living gluten free.

Congratulations Susan!

I first heard about the film on Twitter (which, if you haven’t checked it out, has a very large, vocal, and friendly celiac and gluten free community.)

Looking over the site, I ordered it.  Heck, for $4.50 you can’t go wrong.

I am sorry to say that months went by before I watched it.  Truthfully, I wanted to watch it with my Dad, so I waited until he visited.  We watched it and were really impressed.

The quality of the film is great.  This is not the “Blair Witch Project” quality of film making.  (Did I just date myself?)

More importantly though, the content really shines.

Susan speaks with individuals from several different perspectives who are all involved with the celiac community.  Some of them have celiac disease, some do not.  I’m not going to spoil it by giving details.

The big take away point of the film, and one that I’ve been banging the drum about since I started this blog, is that a diagnosis of celiac disease is not a bad thing.

In fact, I think celiac disease/gluten intolerance is a blessing in disguise.

Susan has done a fantastic job in showing that living gluten free can be an incredibly empowering, and tasty, way to live.

The film shows just how far we’ve come in the past 15 years or so with diagnosis, treatment, and gluten free eating.  Considering that filming was completed in 2005, it’s amazing how much more we’ve learned in the past 5 years.

I thought about asking Susan to donate a copy of the DVD to give away.

I changed my mind.

The DVD is $4.50.  It’s more than worth it.  Go buy it, watch it with your family, buy copies for friends and family that can benefit from seeing celiac disease and gluten intolerance in a positive and uplifting light.

Visit Generation Gluten Free and buy your copy today.

After you’re all inspired and looking for some concrete ways to live your life in a healthy gluten free manner, go check out Gluten Free and Fit 101.

Go order, watch, and let me know what you think!  If you’ve already watched the film, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Go Generation Gluten Free!

Review of Generation Gluten Free-the Documentary is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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They make the gluten free snack products ThinkThin protein bars, ThinkThin dessert bars, and ThinkThin bites.

I reviewed a few flavors of the Think Thin protein bars last year.  Click here to read the reviews of the Brownie Crunch, Chunky Peanut Butter, Chocolate Mudslide, and White Chocolate chip flavors.

Julia from Think Products contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing some of the bars.

They were kind enough to send me a few samples to try.

Funnily enough, most of the flavors they sent were ones I had already reviewed.  However, I did try the Chocolate Covered Strawberry dessert bar for the first time, and I have to revise my previously posted opinion of the White Chocolate Chip bar.

But first: the ingredients.

Because I’m lazy like that, I’m going to copy and paste my take on the ingredients from my post last year.  This has not changed.

“At first inspection the Think Thin nutrition facts look pretty good. It’s labeled as sugar free, has about 240 calories give or take depending on the flavor, 20 grams of protein, 7-8 grams of fat, and 26 grams of carbs, 1 gram of which is fiber. However, it also has 10-13 grams of sugar alcohols. This is where it gets interesting.

A quick primer on sugar alcohols-some of you may already be uncomfortably familiar with sugar alcohols.

I know I am.

Sugar alcohols, commonly seen as malitol, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, and lactitol, are frequently used in items marketed
as “sugar free.” They are sweeteners, and not fully absorbed into the small intestine. (Alert!Alert!) What is not absorbed by the small intestine is converted into a short chained fatty acid in the large intestine.

Sugar alcohols DO HAVE CALORIES! Approximately 2-3 calories per gram, whereas a “regular” carbohydrate has 4 calories per gram. So when you see labels that subtract out sugar alcohols from carbohydrate grams to give you a “net carb” count-that’s not strictly true.

Sugar alcohols do tend to not affect blood sugar as much as glucose, or sugar.  However,  they’re not a “free food.”

Here’s the bad part. Sugar alcohols, due to the whole absorption thing, can cause stomach upset, diarrhea, and gas. Our celiac tummies seem to be a bit more susceptible than your average Joe or Jane. I know mine is. Strike 1.

So now a closer look at the rest of the ingredients. First ingredient is a protein blend, OK great, but wait. It has soy protein as a second ingredient in the blend. Strike 2 for me. I can tolerate some natural soy foods, like edamame, but not concentrated into supplements. Then the sugar alcohols next. More soy in “crisps.” The rest of the ingredients appear “mostly harmless” (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference ) and vary dependent on the flavor. They contain 25% of RDA for calcium and Vitamin C, A, B12, B6, and thiamin, 30% for iron, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid. Nothing crazy, nice to have those in there though.”

I do not know if the formulations of the bars have changed slightly since I wrote the original review last year.  Based on my tastebuds and stomach, I’d say it has.

These bars were definitely not as dry as the ones I had tried previously.  Also, I did not experience any stomach upset this go ’round.  Now, it’s completely possible that my digestive system is just in better shape now, so who knows, but that’s my (n=1, which is incredibly poor reliability from a research standpoint and is not to be trusted to carry over to others) observation.

New flavor: Chocolate Covered Strawberry:

I was really impressed with this.  Ordinarily, I run like hell from fruit flavored stuff that isn’t fruit.  It tastes incredible artificial to me.  However, this had a nice, subtle, not too artificial strawberry flavor.  And chocolate covered fruit is one of my all time favorite combinations.  This is one of their “dessert” bars.   They are smaller, have a lower calorie count at 200 calories, and have slightly less protein than the “protein bars” at 15 grams.  The other dessert bar flavors are tangerine creamsicle and lemon cream pie, which I have not tried.  GFree TV has done a review on Think Thin as well, and Debbie did mention she really likes the lemon flavor.

Old flavor but different? White Chocolate Chip:

This bar is different from the others in that the bar itself it chocolate flavored and colored, and the coating is white chocolate.   I’m not a white chocolate girl, but this was actually quite good.  It seemed to balance the flavor of the bar itself quite well.  It was not nearly as dry and flavorless as I indicated in my previous review.  Good improvements there.  Either it was reformulated, or the bar I had purchased in Whole Foods had been sitting around for a while and wasn’t as fresh as these coming right from the company.

Overall, these are a nice option to have.  They are available very widely.  I even see them in the grocery store.  They do have a chocolate coating and so are prone to meltage in the summer heat.  Although I prefer whole foods whenever possible, these are great in a pinch, or to quench the sweet tooth fairly harmlessly.  For another taste perspective, you can read my friend Kim’s review.  Her main blog is Gluten Free is Life, but she is a prolific writer in the gluten free world.

Have you tried other flavors?  What did you think, and which was your favorite?

Think Thin Bars Review-Redux is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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I heard about NuGo bars, and contacted the company to get some more information.

NuGo Nutrition has seven product lines.

Of those seven, three product lines are gluten, dairy, and soy free.  The others are not, so make sure to check the labels.

The three product lines that are gluten, dairy and soy free are the NuGo 10 bars, the Crispy Cat bars, and the NuGo Free Bars.

Alyssa at NuGo was kind enough to send me samples of NuGo 10 and Free bars to try.

The NuGo 10 bars are gluten, dairy, peanut, and soy free.

They remind me quite a bit of LaraBars in the sense that they are made of whole food ingredients.  They contain 3 nuts, 3 fruits, and 4 seeds.  (Hence the name NuGo 10-10 ingredients.)  They are also vegan and Pareve.

The nutritional facts are as follows:

160 calories.

10 grams of fat.

17 grams of carbohydrates, 4 of which are fiber.

4 grams of protein.

The NuGo 10 bars are available in lemon, cranberry and apple cinnamon flavors.

Taste review:

The flavors of these were very good.  Strong taste of what they were supposed to taste like, given each individual flavor.  They are similar in composition to a LaraBar as well.  However, the texture was a bit dry.  They would hold up well in a purse or backpack, and since there is no chocolate coating you don’t have to worry about summer time melting.

Nutritionally, these are low in protein for my preferences.  I would add a protein source like yogurt/cottage cheese, egg (s), jerky, or string cheese for a nutritional boost.

I also tried 2 flavors of the NuGo Free bars.

These are also gluten, dairy, and soy free, as well as Pareve and vegan.  These are certified gluten free by GFCO, which always gives me extra peace of mind.

The nutrition facts are quite good on these:

150 calories.

3 grams of fat.

28 grams of carbohydrate, 5 of which are fiber.

9 grams of protein.

They are available in 3 flavors: Carrot Cake, Dark Chocolate Crunch, and Dark Chocolate Trail Mix.

Taste review:

I tried the Carrot Cake and Dark Chocolate Trail Mix.  When you open the package, they look vaguely reminiscent of a rice krispie treat.  The Chocolate bar also had a coating of chocolate on one side.  The texture is quite different than a rice krispie treat because the rice crisps used are rice protein crisps.  They are not light and crispy, they are a bit heavier.  These also were a bit dry.  The chocolate coating lessened that a bit on the Trail Mix bar.

The Carrot Cake bar had good flavor with a strong cinnamon and nutmeg taste.  Perhaps a white chocolate coating would go well on this bar and help with the dryness, but as it is it can hold up to heat without melting.

The Trail Mix bar was by far my favorite.  I love the combination of chocolate and fruit.

Nutritionally, these have enough protein to hold you over for a bit, and could stand up on their own if you are in a pinch.  Adding some additional protein would be helpful if you are looking at a longer period of time before you will be able to eat real food.

Overall, these are a handy option to have available.  Personally, I prefer Zing bars, but everyone’s tastes are different.  Also, the NuGo bars are dairy free, the Zing bars are not.  My friend Kim at Gluten Free is Life also reviewed the NuGo bars.  You can check out her review for another perspective.

If you have tried these please share your thoughts in the comments!

NuGo Gluten Free Protein Bars-Review is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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Rockwell Nutrition is a company that is owned and run by nutritionists and dietitians.  This is something that is unique in the supplement industry.  The company offers consulting in combination with products, so their customers can choose the proper products that will help them the most.

When I contacted Annika,  the owner, she responded quickly to all my questions.  The company does not make and manufacturer their own supplements, they act as a reseller for brands and products that they have researched and believe are the best for their customers.

The website is easy to navigate, and there is a menu which separates products by type and also by health concern.  You can also simply type “gluten free” into the search bar and the appropriate products are shown.

Another feature that I liked about this company is that you can purchase multiple types of supplements and vitamins all at one site.  For example, I ordered protein powders, a multivitamin, and a probiotic supplement.

They carry the 6 supplements that I think everyone could benefit from-a multivitamin, fish oil, creatine monohydrate, probiotics, Vitamin D, and protein powder.  (I’ll expand on why I think these are important in an upcoming article.)

They also provide extensive dairy free options.

The products I’m reviewing are a combination of ones I purchased, and a few complimentary samples that Annika and Julie were kind enough to send.

Multivitamin:

Multi (Twice Daily) by Designs For Health

What can you really say about a multivitamin?  It’s a capsule, I take it.  I believe in a multivitamin just to cover any nutritional gaps we may have.  This is iron free as well.  I add calcium/magnesium and more Vitamin D, but this is a good starting point.

Probiotics:

HLC Maintenance caps by Pharmax

This was the product I chose.  I have no significant GI issues at this time, and this seemed the proper choice for me.  This particular product ” is the product of choice for the reasonably healthy individual who does not have a particularly stressful lifestyle.

• HLC organisms successfully used in clinical trial
• Most suitable product in HLC range for maintenance of already-balanced flora
• 1 billion viable Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum organisms and 250mg FOS per capsule
• Virtually 100% survival through stomach”

There are other products available which could be used if a “stronger” probiotic is needed.  I would recommend speaking with one of their staff to decipher which one would be most appropriate for you.

Gluten Free and Dairy Free Protein Powders

Clinical Metacore Organic Multi Care Meal

-I tried the Cacao Bean and Berry Vanilla flavors.  This product is marked as a “meal replacement” but I would definitely not consider it a meal replacement.  It is a hemp protein and fiber blend.  It has a very high amount of fiber (13 grams!) per serving, which is phenomenal, but should be transitioned to gradually if your diet is a bit low in fiber.  It has 5 grams of protein, which in my eyes is not enough to qualify as a protein supplement or meal replacement.  This would be great mixed with some additional protein, or as an addition to a small whole foods meal.   Per the description:

• Contains 14 grams fiber, 5g hemp protein, 3 billion probiotics, 1.3g Omegas, and multivitamin.
• Guaranteed to be Free of:  Gluten, Corn, Dairy & Artificial Ingredients

My assessment: This had a mild chocolate flavor, the berry flavor was stronger but pleasant.  Texture was slightly gritty.  Required a good bit of shaking to mix (I used water.)  Moderate thickness.  Definite aftertaste-not sure which ingredient is responsible for that.  Overall, not unpleasant.  Good source of nutrition, you just may need a water chaser.

Paleocleanse

I am not an advocate of “cleanses.”  I feel that following a varied and healthful diet provides your body with nutrients you need, and our bodies and livers are amazing at cleansing ourselves.   Of course, I understand that some people may wish to cleanse, which is an individual decision.  As always, get educated and make an informed and independent decision.  Be that as it may, this product appears to be designed to be used in conjunction with a “cleanse,” so you may find it helpful it you choose to go that route.
It is listed as being a blend of rice and pea protein, but I could not find nutritional specs.

My assessment:

This was unflavored, I think, and tasteless.  It has an unappealing color and smell, so if you choose to use it I would definitely mix it with something.  This also had an aftertaste and was gritty in texture.

Rice Protein Concentrate by Biogenesis Nutraceuticals

-This is a non-GMO brown rice protein.  I tried the unflavored, which is nice if you want to make your own gluten free and dairy free protein bars.

• Each scoop contains:
  
• 110 calories with 1 gram of fat
  
• 15 grams of protein
  
• 11 grams of carbohydrate (2 of which are fiber)

This mixed easily.  It also had a smoother texture than the rice protein that I reviewed from True Protein.  It did have slight grittiness.

Gluten Free but Not Dairy Free:

Paleomeal Organic Whey Protein

-This product has a unique production process in the world of whey protein.  According to the product information, “The fresh milk is heated once. It is pasteurized at 63 degrees C for 30 minutes. It is a low temperature method and unique in that it is not used by commercial dairies as it is very expensive to produce a finished product using this method. There is no heating to the liquid whey or whey protein powder. The milk and liquid whey are not exposed to acid or alkali treatment. The filtration method is proprietary information.

Proserum is produced using proprietary filtration and drying which involves the minimum amount of processing. We do not use cross-flow filtration, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, hydrolyzation or ion exchange because these methods denature the original, native proteins.”

I have not researched the manufacturing of whey to know if this makes a significant difference.

• Each scoop contains:
• 95 calories
• 1.5 grams of fat
• 17 grams of protein
• 3 grams of carbs

My assessment: I tried both the chocolate and the unsweetened vanilla flavor.  The chocolate is flavored with xylitol, a sugar alcohol, and stevia.

I really liked the chocolate flavor.  It had a rich chocolate, almost a chocolate malt flavor.  It mixed easily and had a thinner consistency, as expected for a whey protein.  The vanilla was very bland-again that could be a plus if used in a recipe.

Overall:

I very much liked the customer service and products provided by this company.  This is only a very small sample of the gluten and dairy free products they provide.  They also offer rewards points on your purchases.  I am happy to be an affiliate for them and support them.  If you choose to order and do so through one of the links on the banner, you will be helping  me continue to keep the blog going.

If you need some more information on setting up a healthy gluten free life, check out my free (gluten free!) nutrition guide.  Keep an eye out for the Gluten Free Healthy Tips project…it’s almost done!

Gluten Free Supplements Review-Rockwell Nutrition is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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Protein powder. It can be so useful, so tasty, so convenient! It can also be completely vile tasting, or worse, make us sick due to cross-contact or hidden gluten. This page is for us all to share our experiences with protein powders, so we can learn from each other and hopefully spare ourselves from wasting money on a product that is nasty. Please, please be aware that reformulations do occur-so always check labels prior to ingesting any product. If in doubt, contact the company directly.

Here’s what to do:
Leave a comment below indicating the brand of protein, flavor, and quick summary of the nutrition facts if you have the label handy. Please also indicate the gluten status-if you’ve contacted the company please include that information, if there’s a gluten free label, no gluten containing ingredients, etc. Whatever is applicable.

Add your review-how was the flavor, the consistency, the mixability? Would you purchase it again? Feel free to use a 1-10 scale if you would like.

Of course, taste is individual, and what one person finds delicious another may find revolting-but I’m hoping that this will give us a good starting point.

Here’s a couple I’ve done:

-General overview of gluten and dairy free protein powder types

-True Protein Gemma and Rice protein powder-dutch chocolate flavor

Labrada Nutrition Products

Gluten Free offerings from Muscle Milk

Gaspari Nutrition products, and a not-so-great answer from BSN (who since the time of this post has revised their labeling and now reveal gluten containing ingredients on some products)

Allmax Nutrition’s Gluten Free List

Rockwell Nutrition-Gluten and Dairy Free Supplement Options

Bring the reviews! I will be adding more as well.

Gluten Free Protein Powder Reviews is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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Custom Choice Cereal is a company headquarted in North Carolina. Hajo, one of the owner/creators is from Germany, and was inspired to create Custom Choice from a similar business in Germany based on creating your own muesli. From the Custom Choice website:

“The result of this work is Custom Choice Cereal, a company that allows celiacs and other consumers enjoying a gluten-free or wheat-free lifestyle to customize their own cereal mixes from a variety of entirely gluten-free ingredients. The idea was implemented successfully in Germany in 2007 and is very simple: through an intuitive online platform, you can choose a base mix and add any combination of your favorite dried fruits, nuts, and seeds to your cereal. Because we believe that your cereal should be as individual as you are, you can even name your mix. Custom Choice Cereal then mixes your cereal and ships it conveniently to your doorstep.

Contamination with Gluten

To ensure that all cereal mixes are entirely gluten-free and safe to consume, we carefully selected only naturally gluten-free ingredients from a broad range of suppliers. In addition, all incoming ingredients are tested for gluten and stored in our dedicated gluten- and wheat-free facility. It is our goal to completely eliminate the risk of any contamination with even traces of wheat, rye, or barley – for your safety and your well-being.”

Sounds good to me! I tend to be a creature of habit with my morning meal-I love my gluten free oatmeal, which I have with some berries and eggs cooked with spinach. But, this sounded like a great concept. When Hajo contacted me offering a sample to try, I was happy to accept.

I created a simple mix on the site, using the Good Morning flakes, dried blueberries, and sliced almonds. The site itself
is very intuitive and easy to navigate. A feature that I was very happy with is the interactive “Nutritional Facts” label on the right side of the screen. As you add/subtract ingredients, the label changes to reflect the current nutritional
breakdown of the cereal. Good stuff there-anything that allows people to be more in control and aware of what they are putting into their bodies I am all in favor for.

Nutrition Facts label on the back of the bag

Custom Choice is also an advocate for awareness of celiac disease and the gluten free lifestyle. They have an active blog, on which they post current events in the gluten free world as well as informative articles and links. Oh-and the ongoing “Quest for the Hoff” is absolutely hysterical and made me almost fall of my chair and spit my coffee onto my keyboard. I love the humor. Points for that!

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty of the cereal.

As I mentioned, I made a simple mix to test it out. There are many options for add ins, as well as 3 choices of bases for your cereal. As always, I am looking for the most “nutritional bang for the caloric buck.” You can choose to add as much or as little of the “add-ons” as you like.

The Good Morning flakes that I chose as my base are very similar to Mesa Sunrise cereal, if you have tried that. They are corn flakes woth buckwheat, amaranth, flax and quinoa. The blueberries and almonds are self explanatory. The cereal tasted wonderful-the blueberries gave plenty of sweetness without a bunch of unnecessary sugar. The almonds give a nice crunch and a bit of healthy fat to slow digestion a bit. The blueberries also were really plump and moist for being dried-not the hard little berries I’ve had in the past.

The cereal comes in a resealable plastic sack, which is sturdy. It also stands up in the cabinet like a box would.

The nutritional facts for my “Gluten Free Fitness” mix were as follows:

per 30 gram serving (11 servings per bag)

Calories: 123
Protein: 3 grams
Carbohydrate: 23 grams 3 of which are fiber, 5 of which are sugar (from the berries)
Fat: 2.5 grams

I would definitely recommend adding some protein to make this a complete meal-you could mix it with greek yogurt (yum!) or have it along with some eggs/egg whites, or some cottage cheese, or whatever protein source you choose.

All in all, a great product along with a great company. Many thanks to Hajo and the gang for their work. To order your cereal, click here.

For more information on setting up a nutritious gluten free eating plan, click here. And if you missed the Gluten Free and Fit 101 “class”, check it out here. Stay tuned for more information on specialized GFF “classes.”

What’s your favorite cereal? Have you tried Custom Choice? More importantly, have you read the Choose Your Own Adventure books? (I keed, I keed.

Custom Choice (Create your Mix) Gluten Free Cereal-Product Review is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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There is actually a nutrition bar that has a quality ingredient list, positive nutritional profile, and really good taste.

Did I mention how good they taste?

It’s AmaZing! (That’s actually part of the compant tagline, I can’t take credit for being that creative.)

Zing bars were created by a team of nutritionists who were unable to find a bar they liked enough to recommend to their patients. So, they created their own. I am so glad they did that!

From the Zing Bar website “We could create our own all-natural nutrition bar. Our take on the perfect snack. A bar with everything we wanted it to have, and nothing we didn’t. A healthy balance of carbs, protein and beneficial fats, but no artificial sweeteners, colors or preservatives. No trans fats, synthetic vitamins, or allergy-aggravating gluten, wheat or
soy protein.”

The Zing Bars come in 5 flavors: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cranberry Orange, Almond Blueberry, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. All flavors are gluten free, and the peanut butter chocolate chip and cranberry orange flavors are also dairy free.

Protein sources in the bars are rice protein, whey (in the bars which contain dairy) and a bit from nut butters and nuts.

The fats come primarily from the aforementioned nuts and nut butters. Carbohydrate sources (dependent on flavor) are from fruits (blueberry, cranberry, apples,) brown rice crisps, gluten free oats, Fruitrim, and agave or brown rice syrup.

Fruitrim (R) is a liquid, carbohydrate-based ingredient formed from fruit juice and dextrin is helps the bars retain moisture and extends shelf life. The bars also contain inulin/chicory root for a bit of added fiber.

The nutritional profile is similar for all flavors, but does vary a bit, so here’s a basic idea:

1 bar:

210 calories

25 grams of carbohydrate which includes 4 grams of fiber

9 grams of fat

11 grams of protein

The taste.

I was admittedly floored when I tasted these. They are moist, have chunks of whatever is appropriate to the flavor (blueberries, almonds, chocolate, etc.) and are plenty sweet without being overly sweet. The Chocolate peanut butter flavor has a chocolate coating, which was a pleasant surprise. Given that, this is the one flavor that has melting potential, so keep that in mind if you leave one or two in your glove box for “emergencies.” (Yes, I do that. I get really irritated when I get hungry, and having something available is best for everyone in the state.) I didn’t get to try the Cranberry Orange-I handed it to Jeff, because he’s big fan of that flavor combo. He tried it, said “Wow. This is really good.” And ate the whole thing. His feedback was-”really moist, and lots of flavor, lots of cranberries.” This is from a gluten-eater. I am a chocolate hound, as you guys have heard me say before, and the Almond Blueberry I liked just as much as the chocolate flavors. They are that good.

This would make a good between meal snack, something convenient to keep in a purse or backpack in case hunger strikes. (I also give some other ideas in my “Top 10 portable gluten free snacks” post.) It would even make for a good pre or post workout snack, although the fat is a tad high for that purpose. These would be perfect to keep on hand for your kids-a much healthier choice than a couple of cookies. I will be taking them on our road trip to Tennessee, and out with us when we go hiking-the mix of protein, carbs and fat is perfect for giving some sustained release of nutrition.

These are a great option. Thank you to Stacey for sending me each flavor to sample.

The folks at ZingBars have given the Gluten Free Fitness community a discount code, which is for $10 off a box of 12 bars, and there is no limit to how many boxes you can purchase with the $10 off. However, it expires on 2/28/10.

The discount code is “gffitness” You can order online here.

Let me know your thoughts on the bars in the comments below. Have you tried them? Favorite flavor?

Also, if you’d like more free information on setting up a healthy gluten free nutrition plan click here.

Gluten Free Protein Bar Review-Zing Bars is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

2  1

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The parade of meat...

I have a guest post restaurant review up over at the Gluten Free Post. Thanks Jay! Click here to read the review of Texas De Brazil-gluten free style.

Texas De Brazil-Gluten Free Restaurant Review at the Gluten Free Post is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

1  1

The parade of meat...

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Jessica at Divine Foods very kindly sent me 2 complimentary bars to review: the Prana Bar in coconut Acai flavor, and the Boomi Bar in Cashew Almond.

The bars claim to fame is that they are 100% natural, and both are gluten free.

They are slightly different in composition, texture and ingredient.

Boomi Bar: per the label: Gluten Free “Energy Bar”
Ingredients: Almonds, Cashews, Honey, Dates, crisped Rice, puffed amaranth, and salt.
Nutrition facts: 260 calories, 14 grams of fat, 23 grams of carbs (1 fiber) and 8 grams of protein.

The Boomi bar has a chunky nutty flavor which I like. Akin to the Kind bar in the sense of big chunks. It is VERY sweet. And I like sweet. This was almost too sweet for me, and that’s hard to do. I like the ingredients, and I really wanted to like these bars. I think the theory is great. But in practice, I see this more of a treat kind of bar. “Energy” bar-yes, in the sense that you’re getting calories, and being as there is no actual definition for “energy bar” I see no problem with that. It contains healthful ingredients, but don’t think this is like having an apple. This is very calorie dense for the size-eating one goes very quickly. I can see having this as a treat with a cup of coffee, or maybe for kids before/after sports to get some quick and easy calories in.

The Prana bar : per the label: Organic “Energy” bar
Ingredients: organic almond butter, organic agave nectar, organic date paste, organic dried coconut, organic almonds, organic raisins, organic puffed amaranth, organic acai dry powder, sea salt.
Nutrition facts: 220 calories, 13 grams of fat, 26 grams of carbs (3 fiber) and 4 grams of protein.

The Prana bar has a much more smooth and chewy texture, no big chunks. It did have some coconut texture. Again, very, very sweet. I was a little turned off right away by the fact that they were jumping on the ACAI SUPERFOOD ZOMG! bandwagon, especially seeing as it is the second to last ingredient. Call me skeptical. As far as the agave goes, again this seems to be a “hot” ingredient right now, and almost as controversial as it is popular. Check out this great article by Tamara Duker on the agave dust-up.

Overall, I think these have their place as a TREAT. I would not consider them a meal replacement by any stretch of the imagination. Think of them as a slightly healthier version of a candy bar.

For more free information on how something like this may fit into your overall nutrition plan, click here.

Have you tried these bars? What was your opinion?

Gluten Free Snack Product Review-Boomi and Prana Bars is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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Personally, I am a celiac without dairy issues. So I have used whey and casein protein powders. Whey is generally considered the standard as far as peri-workout nutrition. It is quickly digested and has a high level of amino acids which assist in the recovery process. Casein is used as a slower digesting protein that can be used in conjunction with whey, or by itself, many times prior to bed (think cottage cheese.)

However, I know many of you cannot tolerate dairy, or choose to follow a vegan diet. And off I went in an attempt to find some protein powders that fit the bill.

There are 5 main types of non-dairy protein powder options that I am aware of. Egg/egg white, soy, hemp, rice, and gemma (pea.) In my previous post Gluten Free Dairy Free Protein Powders 101, I covered some of the characteristics of each of these.

When I last ordered from True Protein, I ordered tubs of rice protein and gemma to try. There are several companies that produce these protein powders. Jay Robb seems to be a popular maker of rice and egg protein, Sunwarrior makes a sprouted rice protein powder, Nutribiotics, Olympian Labs makes a pea protein, and Nutiva a hemp. This is just a sampling, I am sure there are more-if you are aware or have a favorite, shoot a comment below.

True Protein

True Protein is a company that allows you to create custom protein mixes, and they also sell pre-made protein mixes,and various vitamins and supplements. From their website “Our Goal… To create a following and customer base in the athletic, fitness, bodybuilding and health world not on fancy marketing schemes but purely on a reputation as the company to go to, to find the highest quality nutritional supplements known to the public.” I have ordered from True Protein for several years and have been very pleased with their products and services in the past. They do not have fancy labels or packaging, everything is very simply marked with black and white labels, and minimally packaged. In fact you can have your powders sent in a food grade bag if you already have a canister to put it in. (Although transferring the powder can be a bit of a nightmare-but that’s another story for another day.) When it came time to try these new proteins (new to me) I chose to purchase them from True Protein. They also do carry the egg white, soy, and hemp protein powder. The rice and gemma powders that I tried are non-GMO.

From the True Protein FAQ:

“I am allergic to Wheat Gluten. Which of your products contain Wheat or Wheat Gluten?

None of our protein, carbohydrate, or flavoring materials will contain any form of wheat or wheat gluten. The only product that contains wheat gluten will be our Glutamine Peptides, which is maintained in an isolated storage unit within our clean oom facility to remove any risk of cross-contamination. Wheat gluten products are manufactured within our facility.”

Just to be certain, I contacted Carl at True Protein. This was his response (within 24 hours of when the email was sent): “The only item we carry that will contain even trace elements of Gluten will be the Glutamine Peptides and any custom product selected using that ingredient. We follow strict GMPs that have been designed using ISO9001 guidelines, with 0% chance for cross contamination within our facility. Thanks again and please dont hesitate to contact us with any additional questions or requests.” (Erin’s note-GMP=good manufacturing practices)

OK, on to the taste review!

I bought the premium dutch chocolate fudge flavor in both the rice and gemma, as I have had this flavor in whey isolate and thus a baseline for comparison. I mixed just with cold water in a shaker bottle. Keeping in mind that everyone’s tastes a bit different-here are my thoughts:

Gemma
-Mixes easily
-Thicker in consistency-you may need to use a bit more water. I liked it, because making protein powder into a pudding” is a favorite way of mine to combat the sweet tooth. Especially at night time. Blending half a scoop of this with some cottage cheese, stevia and cacao powder gives me my “chocolate pudding” fix
-Slight nutty flavor, not unpleasant at all

Rice
-Slightly tougher to mix, takes some vigorous shaking
-A bit chalky in texture-feels like it coats your teeth a bit
-Thinner consistency, more like whey isolate

One comment about the appearance of both-the brown is kind of a light brownish, not terrible visually appealing. Don’t let that fool you though, the chocolate flavor is definitely there.

Overall, both of these are very pleasant and will be in my protein powder rotation.

If you would like to order from True Protein, feel free to get 5% off using coupon code ENE038. If you buy using this code, it also adds points to my account and eventually I can earn free protein. Of course you can also order without using that code.

For more specific information on setting up a healthy gluten free nutrition plan, sign up below for my free guideline.

Have you tried any of these proteins? What has been your experience, good or bad? Specific brands and/or flavors you like? Share ‘em!! Leave a comment below!

Gluten Free Sports Nutrition Product Review-Dairy Free edition! True Protein Gemma and Rice Protein Powders is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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