Today we have a guest writer – The Hubby. As you might recall from this article, last January he embarked on a weight loss journey that has been extremely successful and saw him losing over 30 kilos. The response to that article was incredible so he expressed a wish to review these products that he’s found have really been helping him out.
by Kurt Paris
One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to snacking is the lack of fulfillment that hits you approximately 10 seconds after whatever it is you’re eating has finished. Turning to wholesome options like nuts is great, but ends up with a little heart attack when I realised just how many calories that pack of nuts actually had.
Fast forward a few months, and add the fact that I was actually told to eat more due to the training I was doing – I started trying out the various protein shakes, bars, cookies and various snacks that are available on the market today. Protein shakes are extremely versatile and there are a ton of different types, textures and flavours to choose from – but to get a bit of bite I’m going to either get mix them with cereals like Weetabix in the morning, or my baking stuff out… and this isn’t always ideal.
Here are some sweet and savoury ideas that you can sink your teeth into from a brand that i’ve been pretty happy with so far, and who offer very low prices on shipping (i’ve paid 0.99c for my last 2 orders!)
The Sweet.
Protein Cookies
One of MyProtein’s best products is their protein cookie. It’s not the largest available but it packs a nice punch with 38g of protein. This is great if you’re trying to increase your protein intake but really what it means is that after you eat one of these and a glass of water.. you’re full. I find these perfect when I’m out and about and have to delay or skip a meal – they do have around 330kcal each so you do want to pace yourself. Double Chocolate, Cookies & Cream and Chocolate orange flavours are awesome, Oatmeal & Raisin sucks – the rest i haven’t tried… yet.. But the White Chocolate & Almond looks interesting
A “cut down” version of the above, clocking in at around 195kcal is the Skinny Cookie. These are a little bit smaller in size, but are actually surprisingly almost as filling as the real deal and pack 25g of protein. They also have less salt and fat so they are a bit kinder on your waistline. I have tried the cranberry and white chocolate ones – they are a bit sweet and a more berry than chocolate but the overall taste is nice and 200kcal is a convenient amount of calories for a filling snack
Protein Pudding
Long story short, unless you really like chocolatey desserts that are ready to eat – the Pudding is only marginally more filling than a similarly sized tub of greek yoghurt. The chocolate flavour is nice but nothing ground breaking. It’s conveniently sized and does not have to be refrigerated which is handy but this only gets a 6/10 from me overall.
The Savoury
Jerky!
Make your own or just buy it in little easy to munch packets – jerky (usually beef) is one of my favourite snacks since it’s usually low in fat and quite tasty. I usually get the peppered or smoky varieties since it reminds me of a recent (awesome!) trip to Phoenix, Arizona and as we were driving around we kept packets of the stuff around the car… just in case 🙂
I haven’t yet tried the jerky from MyProtein but I have a packet of Biltong on the way. The biggest issue with jerky is that it usually contains quite a bit of salt and sugar to preserve the meat, however from the nutritional information it *seems* like Biltong has a lower salt and sugar content. So haven’t tried this *yet* but I have a pack on the way and will be updating it once it gets here. I have however tried a packet of Turkey Jerky which was great as far as nutritional info and taste goes (i had the original flavour) – the only downside to this one is that this is made from formed meat so the texture feels a little unnatural and plasticy.
Check out the Beef biltong
Check out the Turkey Jerky
Skinny Protein Bites
Under 100 calories & packing 11g of protein, this little packet is actually pretty filling. First of all the packet actually gives you quite a few bites – so at least the disappointment of opening the packet and finding it half empty doesn’t apply here. The Sea salt & Black pepper variety is extremely tasty and after you’re done, you actually feel that you’ve eaten something as opposed to a small pack of packaged air. They also have quite a few more flavours but they are very often out of stock so keep a sharp eye out.
Protein Crisps
One of my favorite discoveries – MyProtein Protein Crisps .These have around 100kcal and contain 11g of protein (same as the skinny bites – but these contain 1.4g more fat, so that makes them a little less skinny :P). I’ve tried the Sweet Chilli & Sour Cream flavour which i love – the biggest difference between these and the bites is that you get a bit less in the package… but they have more of a bite. Caroline also claims that the crisps are more filling than the bites but i find them fairly similar. I personally prefer the bites.. Is it obvious? 😛
Protein Soup
We all have that outfit or two that we bought because it was comfortable, because sometimes wearing frumpy stuff might be ok because it makes us feel good, maybe at home on the sofa… This is pretty much the best way to describe this soup – It’s warm, filling and hearty, it tastes ok but not great, it feels thick but not luxurious… and it takes quite a bit of handiwork to get it to dissolve entirely. IF you want a filling snack for under 100 calories that will give you 15g of protein then this is a good option – but really this is a product that you have when you need to eat, not when you feel like something yummy. I tried the Thai Green Curry and Chicken flavours – similar to any other instant soup neither one is bad… but neither one is great either.
Disclaimers:
No Food post would be complete without a disclaimer and a few notes. I don’t buy my protein bars or shakes from them (and whilst my colleagues at work like them I’m not going to cover those categories in this article). Also, I’m not a doctor or dietician or any sort of expert – these are just some yummy things i’m currently quite happy with 🙂 Also, like most such products these contain salt and artificial sweeteners so if you’re not a fan of this stuff.. 🙂 Lastly, we paid for all of these products ourselves and were not sponsored by MyProtein
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