Posts Tagged probiotics

Product Review: Pop Culture Probiotic Oatmeal & Bars

Good morning blog buds!

Ahhhh, it’s the weekend.  We just completed a 40-minute morning workout, ate breakfast and are now headed to the off-leash dog park to let our crazy beasts get their exercise on too!  It’s a balmy 36 degrees out (where’s the HEAT??) and it’s supposed to rain later so we’re hoping to beat the sprinkles!

You may recall a while back that in response to a post I’d done on my favorite dairy-free probiotics, Pop Culture sent me some of their probiotic products to try.

The box contained:

  • Strawberries and Crème Oatmeal
  • Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
  • Yogurt Fruit & Nut Bars
  • Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

(For those of you who avoid dairy, you will want to note that the only one of the products listed above that does NOT contain some milk (or milk derivative) was the Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal.)

MSP tried the Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal, which he said he liked.  He thought it wasn’t very sweet (he’s also used to full-on Quaker Maple & Brown Sugar instant packets which have more than twice the sugar and more than twice the sodium.)

I tried the Strawberries and Crème oatmeal (made with water). And I thought it was nicely sweetened.  After a few bites, I chose to add some almond milk to it to thin it out a bit and the almond milk further enhanced the flavor.

The oatmeal flavors are each 140 calories and 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.  Strawberry has only 3g of sugar, while Maple has 6.

The serving size was just right for me and filled me up nicely for about 3 hours.

As for the bars, Pop Culture was kind enough to send a box so we each had a couple of opportunities to sample both flavors.   MSP’s favorite was Chocolate Chip (he doesn’t really like anything with dried fruit bits in it. )  I thought both flavors were great.  Yogurt Fruit flavor is 90 calories, 4 grams protein, 4 grams fiber, 7 grams sugarChocolate chip has 110 calories, 6 grams protein, less than 1 g fiber and 4 grams sugar.

Pop Culture’s products contain a specific probiotic called GanadenBC³º®, which contains an outer shell to keep the probiotic intact in the dry product.  I’ll leave the scientific info at their website, so feel free to click HERE to find out more.

My personal opinion is that all of the products tasted great. And I appreciate that they don’t use artificial sweeteners.

However, the only one that would fit into MY chosen style of nutrition (yes, I bent my eating rules to try these products out) is the Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal because it doesn’t contain the cow’s dairy or soy protein isolates.  And a big part of why I look for alternative probiotic sources (that aren’t yogurt) is because I prefer to not consume cow’s dairy.

My husband doesn’t avoid diary or soy isolates (and wouldn’t seek out regular yogurt unless it was hidden in something) so these products would be great options for him to boost his probiotic intake.  I also think the oatmeal products would be good items for kids to replace the high sugar, high sodium (not to mention high chemical) breakfast options that they often gravitate toward.

Thank you to the generous folks over at Pop Culture for allowing me the opportunity to sample their products!

– Shari B. =)

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Get Proactive with Probiotics: 3 Non-Yogurt Options

Hi blog buds!

How was your St. Patrick’s Day?   Glad to know some of you might give AVOCADO a try in your future smoothies!  I’m tellin’ ya, it’s GOOD!

Speaking of good things, you all know I’m kind of a freak when it comes to good digestion (almost as much of a freak as I am about getting to sleep on time!)  When my digestive tract goes awry, let’s just say I’m not a happy camper.  Luckily with the my current nutrition habits, poor digestive days are fewer than they used to be.  But that doesn’t stop me from taking PROACTIVE action on a daily basis by taking probiotics every day.

In addition to the digestive benefits, I also like knowing that they give my immune system a boost.

Did you know that about 80% of your immune system is located in your gut?¹  So making sure you have lots of “good” bacteria in there is key to boosting your chances of defending against that coughing co-worker or sniffling friend.  With the change of seasons at hand, now is the time that you’ll notice people getting those spring colds.

Yogurt seems to get all the credit for providing probiotics.  Since I avoid consuming cow’s dairy, yogurt isn’t my go-to choice for probiotics anymore.  Here are my three favorite non-dairy options:

1.) Ultimate Probiotic 12/12 Formula: I take one capsule of these each morning with breakfast (and if I think I’ll need an extra immune boost, like on a day I’ll be in a crowd of people, i.e., flying) I might even take two.  Some say you should take your probiotics on an empty stomach for maximum effectiveness but I have a tendency toward nausea when I take things like vitamins on an empty stomach.  Do what works best for you.

2.) Synergy Kombucha Tea – I drink this whenever the budget allows.  It’s one of my favorite ‘health foods’ and this brand claims to contain Lactobacillus Bacterium and S. Boulardii. 

3.) Good Belly – my friend’s husband started taking this after his doc recommended it for some tummy troubles.  I’d seen them at the grocery store, but passed them by because they were located by the yogurt.  I mistakenly assumed they had dairy in them.  Then I learned that they are DAIRY FREE!  I just started taking these about 10 days ago and while I can’t yet speak to any immune boost, I can say that I have noticed an improvement in …um, ahem… regularity.  :D

Plus who can resist drinking out of a smiley face every morning?

Today’s discussion: Do you take probiotics?  What are your favorites?  Did you notice a difference when  you started taking them?

Have a terrific Thursday everyone!

– Shari B. =)

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¹Dr. Joseph Mercola; “Enhance Your Immune System with the Benefits of Probiotics”; http://www.drmercola.biz/2009/04/enhance-your-immune-system-with.html (accessed March 18, 2010)

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A Sparkle in MY Day!

It’s Thanksgiving Eve!  Do you have all of your ingredient shopping done for the food-fest tomorrow?  I’m going to attempt to sub out ingredients in our favorite Sausage Gravy & Biscuits for tomorrow’s breakfast to make it free of meat and dairy.  It will be SOYsage Gravy & Biscuits.  If it turns out well, I’ll be sure to post the recipe here for you all to try.  I also plan to make a broccoli salad with some subbed items – I’m hoping that by STEAMING the broccoli I don’t end up with houseful of broccoli stink again!

Before I get into yesterday’s eats, I want to send a VERY BIG HUG OF THANKS to dear Cindy over at A Sparkle A Day.  She lives in California where it is nice and toasty and she took pity on me freezing my hiney off with all this cold and snow we’ve had already this year.  As a result she has put a lot of hours and generosity into making me something with which to keep warm and it arrived in the mail yesterday like an early Christmas gift. 

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Wahoo, it was even WRAPPED!  Totally feels like Christmas!! 

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She knows me well, sending a homemade card with COFFEE on the front!  Look how pretty it is! 

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It is SO incredibly soft and warm!  It was meant to keep me warm while jogging, but I think it’s much to pretty too use that way.  I wore it out with my dressy coat last night to run some errands and the cashier at Hobby Lobby commented that she loved my scarf and how pretty the colors were!  So of course I had to tell her the story of who made it for me and why and that I’d just received it that very evening!

Cindy, thank you so much for your kindness and thoughtfulness… It is amazing how receiving a HANDMADE gift can make one feel so special! 

Now I see why my mom loved that crazy thing I made her in kindergarten:  a paper plate with dry macaroni glued all over it and spray painted GOLD!  :)   If you are thinking of holiday shopping this time of year, I highly suggest you MAKE something instead.  It truly does make the recipient feel so good!

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Yesterday was another one of those whirlwind days.  I started the day off with a cup of coffee and half a banana bread Larabar before my client training appointment.

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Then I ate the other half while I was writing yesterday’s blog post.

Lunch was an unpictured HUGE salad at Sweet Tomatoes full of spinach, beets, zucchini, cucumber, sunflower seeds, olive oil, red cabbage, and probably a few more ingredients that I’m forgetting.  If you haven’t been to a Sweet Tomatoes salad bar, give it a try.  Talk about getting your VEGGIE FIX ON!

Afternoon was full of more running around.  I had to splurge on a little Silk Soy NOG.  MSP loves eggnog this time of year, and I wanted to join in on the fun in my own way!

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Dinner was leftover pad-thai-style rice noodles from Noodles & Co., half of which seemed to be mung bean sprouts (and 2 whopping pieces of shrimp!)

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This morning I got up and did 30 minutes of a total body weight training circuit.  It’s one I developed for training clients, so it’s not listed here publicly (SOME things have to be kept sacred for my paying peeps, you know!)  :)   Followed by 45 minutes of DOG WOGGING!  Have you noticed how lacking my life has been of wogs?  My poor pups must feel so neglected.  And of course Riley collided with another dog at full run while they were being playful and came up limping.  (She has hip dysplasia and arthritis, yet thinks she’s still a spring puppy!)  She seems ok at the moment – but of course in the back of my mind I’m thinking she’s never allowed out of the house again if she keeps hurting herself!  If it’s not poking her eye out on a hike, then it’s dislocating a hip!  Crazy dogs!

And now I am taking in a PROBIOTIC overload because I am off to a hospital soon to visit a post-surgery family member and want to give my immune system all the boosts I can in case I pass someone in the hall that has swine flu (or some other nasty bug that I don’t want taking a free ride home with me!)  :)    Two probiotic pills and a probiotic-rich BUBBLY!!!  mmmm Gingerberry!  I can feel the forcefield all around me already!  ;)

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Enjoy your Thanksgiving EVE and I’ll be back tomorrow with a Thanksgiving Day post for those of you who will be reading!

Also, send good Turkey Trot vibes out to everyone you know who will be racing in various charitable Thanksgiving Day races tomorrow!  Reader CARRIE will be participating in a 10K (and has a bet with her man that she can beat him, go Carrie!!)   And my good friend and client Lynn will be racing tomorrow in a local HILLY 5K!  I know you ladies will show ‘em all how it’s done! 

– Shari B. =)

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