Review: GG Scandinavian Bran Crispbread

At first glance the GG Scandinavian Bran Crispbreads don’t look like much. They are brown, flat and resemble the chipboard my dad used to pick up at the lumber yard when I was a kid. They seriously look like they should taste like cardboard.  Thankfully they don’t. They actually remind me of the All Bran cereal I used to love, minus any sweetness. They have that cereal texture too.  While pretty dry by themselves, these little babies are a tasty way to transfer some of your favorite toppings.

If you like crackers and cheese, these will do nicely. Add some sliced meat and you have a nice little snack. (Keep in mind these are not going to be like your average saltine or buttered cracker. ) When I was a carb addict, I used to love peanut butter and jelly on toast.  I tried the same mixture (sugar-free of course) atop one of these little crackers and was pleasantly surprised at how close it was to my old favorite.  Right now my favorite way to enjoy these is with a little Nature’s Hollow Sugar Free Strawberry Preserves.

Other uses for these crackers could include serving them with soups, homemade cheese spreads, hot dips, sour cream or cream cheese based dips, and salsa – pretty much anything you would use a regular cracker or chip for. Granted the texture is a bit different and might take some getting used to, but if you really are jonesing for a cracker substitute, I think this will work just fine.

One whole, somewhat large, cracker gives you seven carbs, with five of those being fiber. That’s two net carbs per slice since fiber isn’t digested by the body.  These servings are filling too. With all that fiber it won’t take much to tame the snack monster. And fiber works as a natural laxative, so if constipation is an issue for you, this is another option for handling that.

Each slice contains 12 calories, 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, 30 mg of sodium, 7 carbs, 2 fiber, and 1 gram of protein. Each package will give you 10 slices. The ingredients in these crispbreads are pretty simple: unprocessed wheat bran, rye flour and salt. It nice to see a product without lots of crazy chemicals added that we can’t even pronounce, let alone understand without looking them up on Google. Do keep in mind this is not the kind of product you’d eat on induction, or most other low-carb beginning phases. These should most likely be saved for pre-maintenance and up, depending on what is allowed on your chosen plan. Since some people are less tolerant than others with grains, this is certainly an item you want to gage your personal reaction to. The saying your-mileage-may-vary definitely applies here, so be smart about it.

Over all I give this product a thumbs up. With your favorite additions or condiments, it makes a nice treat. If you are missing that crunch in your snacks, these should fit the bill.

Disclosure: I was provided this product free of charge in order to review it. It in no way effected my opinion of the product.

Win a CarbSmart gift basket

Snacking can be a tricky thing when living the low-carb lifestyle.  What do you eat? In our high-carb days we ate chips, candy, french fries, cookies…. the list could go on and on. Most snack foods marketed to the general public are awful nutritional choices. Low-carbers find it difficult sometimes to find a snack that doesn’t require cooking or refridgerator. Not exactly practical considering we all don’t spend a majority of our time at home. And if we do spend lots of time at home, life generally keeps us busy enough that we have little time to stop and cook up a snack.

CarbSmart has assembled some of the best low-carb snacks on the market and put them in one basket. This assemblage of munchies will help keep you on track and satisfied. The Low Carb Snack Pack Basket contains the following:

  • Kitchen Table Bakers Aged Parmesan Gourmet Cheese Crackers
  • Just the Cheese BBQ Crunchy Baked Cheese Rounds
  • CiaoCarb High Protein Almond Cookies From Italy
  • CiaoCarb High Protein Coconut Cookies From Italy
  • CiaoCarb High Protein Coffee Cookies From Italy
  • CiaoCarb High Protein Orange Cookies From Italy
  • CiaoCarb High Protein Lemon Cookies From Italy
  • CiaoCarb High Protein Chocolate Cookies From Italy
  • R. W. Garcia Spicy Lo Carb Tortilla Chips
  • La Nouba Sugar Free Marshmallows
  • Judy’s Coconut Almond Brittle 4 oz. Round
  • Doctor’s Low Carb Diet Bar – Chocolate Mint Cookie
  • Foods Alive Original Flax Crackers
  • Powdered Baja Bob’s Original Sugar Free Margarita Mix
  • Atkins Endulge Caramel Nut Chew
  • Maine Cottage Foods Sugar Free Milk Chocolate Bar
  • Maine Cottage Foods Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Mint Bar
  • Ross Chocolates Milk Chocolate Bar
  • Ross Chocolates Dark Chocolate Bar with Almonds
  • Chocolate Dreams & Wishes Milk Chocolate Mint Cup

There is a little bit of everything in this great basket! Thanks to CarbSmart one reader will win this awesome basket! Enter by Midnight tonight to have the opportunity to win!

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Win Atkins Bars

Atkins Nutritionals offers a variety of products to assist you with your low carb lifestyle.  One of the most popular items Atkins sells are the protein bars. The draw for most is the ability to carry them with you without worry about the need for refrigeration. With a high protein and fat content, they make a convenient and easy snack. Below are a brief description of some of their newest offerings:

Atkins Advantage Sweet And Salty Almond Crunch Bar:  Crunchy almonds and sunflower seeds with a sweet, delicious coating. Acceptable in phases 2, 3 and 4. Contains 6 grams of sugar alcohols.

Atkins Advantage Caramel Chocolate Nut Roll: Loaded with caramel, peanuts and chocolate for a satisfying candy bar taste. This is a healthy alternative to candy bars and packed with plenty of protein and fiber. Acceptable in all phases. Contains 8 grams sugar alcohols.
Day Break Chocolate Oatmeal Fiber Bar:  Start your morning with the taste of wholesome rolled oats drizzled with sweet milk chocolate. Made with an optimum blend of protein, fiber and calcium, it’s perfect for breakfast or a mid-morning snack. Acceptable in phases 2, 3 and 4. Contains 5 grams of sugar alcohols.
Day Break Fruit Crumble : It is like a crumb cake yet packed with nutrition. Whole grains with a blueberry-apple-plum top layer, creamy white frosting drizzle and yogurt-flavored bottom coating. Acceptable in all phases of Atkins. Contains 4 grams sugar alcohols.
Endulge Nutty Fudge Brownie: Eat a rich, fudgy brownie on a diet – and still lose weight. Endulge Nutty Fudge Brownies are moist and chewy with walnuts, a chocolate coating and only 1 gram of sugar. So there’s no guilt – just amazing taste and smart nutrition. Acceptable in phases 2, 3 and 4. Contains 6 grams of sugar alcohols.
Endulge Chocolate Caramel Mousse Bar:  Whipped chocolate center, topped with a layer of caramel and a rich, chocolaty coating. The new Endulge Chocolate Caramel Mousse Bar tastes like a guilty pleasure. Acceptable in phases 2, 3 and 4. Contains 11 grams sugar alcohols.
Atkins Nutritionals has generously offered to send 3 of my fortuitous readers a sample pack of all of the above bars. If you’d like an opportunity to win these tasty bars, or any of the other prizes up for grabs, be sure to enter by midnight tonight!
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