Monday 23 September 2013

Review of 'Fresh Finds' Dry Roasted Edamame

Fresh Finds -- Dry Roasted Edamame
Overall Rating: 4/5
Summary: very lightly salted, true to the labeling--I like! And, it was very fresh, very crunchy, very tasty. It was a hit with the entire vehicle of travelers over the last weekend's road trip. Would be best if there was some brand info online!

Where to buy: to be determined


Ingredients: soybeans, sea salt.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Calories: 130
Total fat: 4g
     Saturated: .5g
     Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 150mg
Total Carbohydrate: 10g
     Dietary fiber: 8g
     Sugars: 1g
Protein: 14g

Well, I'm not sure if the soybeans are organic since I couldn't fund a webpage with product info. However, the ingredients are minimal so we can all appreciate that. The calorie count and nutritional content is pretty great as well--for 130 cals, there's 14g of protein and 8g of fiber. You can't beat that...low in saturated fat, clean protein and fiber.

Brand:
  • I couldn't find any relevant info online--assistance is appreciated!

Sunday 8 September 2013

Review of 'Golden Harvest' Whole Wheat Raisin

Golden Harvest -- Whole Wheat Raisin (vegan)
Overall Rating: 3/5
Summary: way too dry. It's medium sweet and has plump raisins. If it weren't so very dry, this would be quite good! The website doesn't have specific product information, so what you see here, you will have to trust. The parent company, DIH Ltd is involved in social responsibility activities as well (more info below).

Where to buy: Caribbean countries (e.g. Guyana)



Ingredients: wheat flour, wheat bran, water, raisins, sugar, vegetable shortening, vegetable margarine, salt, yeast, mixed spice.
Preservative: calcium propionate
Emulsifier, Lecithin
Flour Treatment Agents: L Ascorbic Acids

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 4 slices
Calories: 290
Fat: 5g
     Saturated: 1g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 380mg
Total Carbohydrate: 56g
     Dietary Fiber: 5g
     Sugars: 6g
Protein: 7g
Vitamin A: 2%
Calcium: 6%
Iron: 15%

So, as for the ingredients...if they used real whole grains, the protein and fiber content would be richer.

I share the details for 2 slices, since this is a common serving. It would yield 2.5g of Fat, 190mg of Sodium, 28g of Carbs, 2.5g of Fiber, 3g of Sugar, 3.5g of Protein and 7.5% Iron. This is decent, but not impressive. The fiber and protein content isn't up to snuff for me.

Brand:

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Review of 'Nature's Path' Sunrise Crunchy Maple

Nature's Path --  Sunrise Crunchy Maple
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Summary: mmm, captain crunch corniness, with strong maple scent and perfect maple flavour, this is amazing, it's super crunchy and very sweet; the combo of flavours is exquisite. I highly recommend this product and brand.

Where to buy: Bulk, Barn, Longos, Fortinos, US product locator
 

Ingredients: whole corn meal*, evaporated cane juice*, brown rice flour*, yellow corn flour*, inulin*, quinoa puffs*, maple syrup*, flax seeds*, natural maple flavor, buckwheat flour*, quinoa*, sea salt, amaranth*, molasses*, tocopherols (natural vitamin E).
*Organic.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 2/3 cup
Calories: 110
Fat: 1g
     Saturated: .2g
     Trans: 0g
     Polyunsaturated: .5g
          Omega-6: .1g
          Omega-3: .2g
     Monounsaturated: .3g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 130mg
Potassium: 70mg
Carbohydrate: 25g
     Fibre: 3g
     Sugar: 7g
Protein: 2g
Iron: 6%

So, in true Nature's Path form, the ingredients are excellent; no complaints there. The nutritional profile is good--it's super low in fat, has healthy fats, and low in sugar. The only downside is that the fiber and protein content isn't that great. For someone active, this is not ideal. So, I'd likely not make this a regular stock in my pantry.

Other gluten-free cold cereals (all vegan):
Brand (quoted from the Nature's Path website):
  • Family-owned and operated
  •  Certified non-GMO and organic; non-GMO Project verified
  • Fairtrade certified
  • "We source all our ingredients as locally as possible to our production plants."
  • "...over 78% of the weight of ingredients we purchase comes from organic farmers in North America."
  • "Some of the ingredients we have committed to purchasing are Fairtrade Certified cocoa, sugar cane, molasses, and spices." 
  • Gardens for Good Project