Diet Food Reviews

Heaven's Whey Pro-Nola (Chocolate) Review

For the last few days, I've been reviewing my purchases at Adam's Fairacre Farms. Another product that I picked up there is Heaven's Whey Pro-Nola. I'm not the biggest fan of granola - I think they are mostly empty calories, and don't fill you up at all - BUT, recently, I've been having oatmeal with no sugar at all (definitely an acquired taste), and I do like to add some things to ramp up the texture & taste, and this seemed like it might make a good addition.

This is the BEST granola I have ever tried. It's in dense clumps and somehow that rustic vibe works. Just break off a piece and proceed to chomp on this sweet (yes, sweet despite only having 3 grams of sugars and 3 grams of sugar alchols per serving), chocolatey ... and coconuty granola. And surprisingly, I didn't want to eat the entire bag in one sitting. Just a nosh or 2 at a time. And it is insanely good in oatmeal!

As for the nutrition facts - each 1 ounce serving (about 1/4 cup) provides 130 calories from 6 grams of total fat, 2 grams of which is saturated fat (both are 9% of the daily value), 2% of the DV for sodium, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugars and sugar alcohols, plus 5 grams of protein.

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The ingredients in Heaven's Whey Chocolate Pro-Nola include rolled oats, whey protein (whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, xanthan gum, natural vanilla flavor, luo han guo (sweetener)), maltitol/ polyglucitol, honey, canola oil, coconut, sunflower seeds, cocoa powder, flax seeds, sesame seed, salt.

It cost $6.99 for a 9 ounce bag, which is quite pricey. This is not the lowest calorie granola out there for sure - Cascadian Farm Organic Dark Chocolate Almond Granola Review or Health Valley Granolas are probably better in that department - but where this shines is as an addition. For me, it really jazzed up oatmeal, yogurt & bland cereal. I use just about 1 serving (or a little less), and it adds a touch of sweetness & protein.

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Kathie's Kitchen Super Seedz (Somewhat Spicy) Pumpkin Seeds Review

I think I might just have discovered a new favorite snack in the form of Kathie's Kitchen Super Seedz. I saw these at Adams Fairacre Farms a few days ago, and despite the $3.99 price tag (for a 6 ounce bag), I decided to pick up this gluten free, tree nut free, peanut free, MSG free & vegan, snack.

These seeds are super-tasty and somewhat spicy as the name implies. I definitely did not eat more than 1 serving at a time, but in addition to having it by itself, I also added it to home-made trail mix for the kids - they liked the spicy kick. Another reason that I didn't have more than 1 serving is that each serving provides 12 grams of total fat, which is 18% of the daily value. Of that, 2 grams is saturated (10% of the DV). Each 28 gram serving (about 1/3rd cup) also provides 160 calories, 60 mg of sodium (3% of the DV), 1 gram of fiber, no sugars and 9 grams of protein. There is also 25% of the DV for iron.

Route 11 Sweet Potato Chips Review

Potato chips are looked at like the devil's spawn because of the high fat & low nutritional value - so are other types of chips more ... wholesome? Well, when I saw Route 11 Sweet Potato Chips at the grocery store recently, I decided to check it out to see if these were any better than regular potato chips. The packaging says these chips are lightly salted, all natural, wheat and gluten free plus made using all natural sea salt.

These chips certainly are mighty tasty. They're sturdy yet crunchy, and are slightly sweet and slightly salty at the same time - it sounds like an odd combo, but somehow it all works together and a yummy chip is the result.

Each 1 ounce (28 gram) serving of Route 11 Sweet Potato Chips provides 140 calories, 7 grams of total fat (11% of the daily value), 1 gram of which is saturated fat (5% of the DV), 55 mg sodium (6% of the DV), 4 grams of sugars, 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein. Plus there is 120% of the daily value for vitamin A. When you compare these chips to Lays (Classic) Potato Chips, they come out on top. A 28 gram serving of Lays provides 160 calories, 10 grams of total fat (16% of the daily value) and 170 mg of sodium.

Old Chatham Sheepherding Company Sheep's Milk (Ginger) Yogurt Review

It's been quite a while since I posted reviews. Call it the winter blues or call it a bit of a burn-out. Either way - I'm back!!! There's a new grocery store that opened up not too far from me, Adams Fairacre Farms, so I decided to go check it out and I found quite a few interesting products that were screaming at me to review them. In particular, this Sheep's Milk Yogurt by Old Chatham Sheepherding Company stood out because I hadn't had yogurt made from sheep's milk before. Plus, Old Chatham is just about 70 miles north of me in upstate NY, and I love supporting local farmers & their products.

I was hoping to have good things to say about the Ginger flavor of the Sheep's Milk Yogurt - and I do! The consistency is very similar to Greek yogurt - thick, rich & creamy. The taste is quite tart, and it's not very sweet - this might be an acquired taste to some. The yogurt is studded with ginger crystals throughout, and you really have to mix it well because these crystals bring a little pop of sweetness, and added texture & that burst of ginger flavor. Don't worry, there's not much of that characteristic tangy, spicy ginger flavor - it's more of an essence. All in all, I really liked this yogurt (which is also gluten-free). I felt full afterwards & it's just substantial, all natural goodness. My only hesitation with this comes from the high saturated fat (although sheep's milk is higher in medium chain fatty acids than cow's milk).

Each 6 ounce serving of Old Chatham Sheepherding Company Sheep's Milk (Ginger) Yogurt provides 150 calories, 9 grams of total fat (14% of the daily value), 4 grams of which is saturated fat (20% of the DV), 27 mg cholesterol (9% of the DV), 12 grams of sugars, no fiber & 8 grams of protein.

Naked Juice Blue Machine Boosted 100% Juice Smoothie Review

I was at Starbucks the other day doing some work, when I impulsively decided to review one of the beverages they sell there. I picked up a bottle of Naked Blue Machine Boosted 100% Juice Smoothie which cost $4.27 - way more than I would normally spend on a (15.2 ounce) bottled beverage - so I was certainly hoping that this would not only be tasty and nutritious, but would provide some super-duper fuel for my workout later in the evening.

First off - this is not "blue" but purple-ish. But I really didn't care about that - what I can say is that this was one refreshing drink. The first sip and I could feel some of the tiredness evaporating from my body. The drink is thick, sweet and a little tart. I have not one complaint about the flavor as I enjoyed it immensely. I drank only half of the bottle in the morning, because I noticed that each 8 ounce serving provides 170 calories from 29 grams of sugars, 1 gram of protein and a surprising 7 grams of fiber (29% of the daily value).

Naked Juice Blue Machine has (according to the product page) 27 blueberries, 3 blackberries, 3 1/4 apples and 1 banana. According to the label on the bottle, this "no sugar added" juice smoothie has apple juice, banana puree, blueberry puree, fibersol-2 fiber (maltodextrin), blackberry puree, natural flavors, fruit and vegetable juice for color, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E (AS acetate), niacinamide, D-Calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), pyridoxine hydrochlroide (vitamin B6), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12).