PRODUCT REVIEW: G2G Protein Bars

​Hey Fit Fam,

This review is for G2G Protein Bars. ​I'm not affiliated with this company in ANY way. This is just an honest review!

As you see here... I tried a G2G Bar on top of a 1st Phorm Level-1 Protein Oat Mug Cake .. which was also topped with @crazyrichards PB drizzle! Annnnnd for those wondering that is my daily fruit/1st phorm protein crepe on the side.









Now .. here is my review of the bars!






Off the bat my "eye" went to the product because of the modern/clean packaging. Not a reason to buy a bar .. but good job to whoever designed the packaging!

I'm not a big "protein bar" person. They usually have more protein than I want, contain way too many sugar alcohols or preservatives and often have waaaaaaay too much fiber for ME (I already have a hard time keeping my fiber under 40 a day because I choose healthy high fiber foods. Whaaaat ... #IIFYM is healthy?! LOL.) I find if I do have a protein bar I'm even more bloated than usual .. so when I saw this brand a while back it caught my attention for numerous reasons.

1 - Low(er) protein ... but still PLENTY at 18g. This is a big deal for me because while I get plenty of protein macros each day .. I don't want to use that much on just a BAR. I'd rather use it as a topping on my level 1 protein ice cream, level 1 protein oats, etc. If the bars have more than 20g of protein (as most do) it's not possible for me to do that without taking protein away at another meal.
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2. Low(er) fiber... but still plenty!!! 4g is a GOOD amount! Many bars have like 14+g of fiber! That may work for some of you .. but TOO much fiber can be a BAD thing for me (bloating, etc.)
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3. No sugar alcohols or preservatives - nutrients from REAL FOOD ingredients like oats, coconut oil, peanut butter, honey etc.
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So far I have tried 3 flavors. The Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip (pictured above) and it is a 10/10! I also tried the Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate on top of my 1st Phorm PROYO the other night! I ate it before I snapped a pic ... sorry, lol! I give that flavor a 9.5/10. My husband doesn't usually like "banana" flavored anything and we both agreed the banana notes were very minimal!

And last but not least .. I had the Peanut Butter Coconut Chocolate on top of some chocolate level one "proats" (just oats with Milk Chocolate Level One mixed in.) Also a 9.5/10 on that one. I looooooveeee coconut so I really enjoyed this one! Hubs didn't try it cause he hates coconut!

They all taste like oatmeal cookies... or maybe a no bake cookies. Each one just has a little different "flavor" based on which flavor you buy! You can taste the oat and peanut butter more than anything in all flavors. They are all seriously UH-MAZE-ING! I have tried them straight out of the box, microwaved and baked in the oven on 300 for 10 min. The oven method was the best way for sure! Legit tastes like a warm cookie!! I can't wait to try the other two flavors they sent me!




For those that care .. macros (for all bars) are 298Cals/14F/24C/18P for a large 70g bar.



Because I gave a review they were kind enough to give YOU a coupon code for a discount so you can try them for yourself. I am not getting paid in any way and not affiliated with them. This is just a little something nice for my followers! If you order use code STACY at checkout you will get 20% off!

I highly recommend these .. especially if other protein bars give you any kind of gastric upset! You all KNOW my stomach is A MESS and these caused me ZERO issues! Whoo Hoo!

XoXo
Stacy

For more "Food Fun" follow me on Instagram and follow my "story" on SnapChat (name is just stacymccloud)

Treating Inflammation With Curcumin

Hey Friends, 

I'm still on a ((long)) journey to figure out what is wrong with my stomach other than having Celiac disease. I'll be honest .. once I did the SIBO test back in November and it came back negative I've not really done much .. as doctors don't really seem to have any suggestions or solutions (aside from a new supplement .. which is what this blog is about .. keep reading.) 

I still limit certain FODMAPS .. but after doing low FODMAP for weeks and weeks before my last competition .. adding them back in has really done nothing negative. Just as taking them out seemed to do nothing positive. 

My bloating, gas, pressure, etc., all still seems to be totally random (unless of course I've been glutened ...but that is a different story.) I'm trying to figure out what OTHER than Celiac (gluten ingestion) could be causing my issues. There has to be something. I eat out once a week .. at most. Other than that I pretty much eat the same things and always make my own meals ... which means I know what I'm eating and I know it's free of gluten (however I do eat things that could have cross contamination as I don't adhere to a diet where I only eat foods that are processed in 100% GF facilities.) 

I have been doing ONE new thing. At my last primary care doctors appointment he suggested that I start supplementing with curcumin. I already add Tumeric to many of my meals .. but he said taking the supplement form of Curcumin (the active ingredient in tumeric) is a much more beneficial. Especially since I didn't season with Tumeric DAILY. I've only been taking it CONSISTENTLY (every single day) for about a month now. Research shows you need to take it a minimum of 8 weeks before you will feel/see benefits. So I need to give it some more time before I add in or try anything else ((next up is a NEW digestive enzyme and then after that another natural (but controversial) treatment.)) But the solid research on curcumin is reason enough for me to continue taking it and possibly something you should consider too! 

Researchers say the two key effects that account for most of it's therapeutic effects are it's strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  

Other studies of turmeric and curcumin have shown the following benefits:

* Research has shown that turmeric extract can help alleviate pain and improve function in people with osteoarthritis of the knee. 

* There’s also preliminary evidence that curcumin may help reduce joint pain and swelling in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

* Laboratory studies suggest that curcumin acts as a weak phytoestrogen and seems to have cancer-protective effects.

* Lab studies have also shown that curcumin may help prevent or treat several types of cancers, including prostate, breast, skin, and colon cancer.

* People in remission from ulcerative colitis who take curcumin are significantly less likely to have the disease relapse than those who don’t supplement. 

Further reading helped me discover that neither curcumin nor turmeric taken orally is well absorbed very well unless taken with black pepper or piperine, a constituent of black pepper responsible for its pungency. So when shopping for a curcumin supplement I made sure that it also contained black pepper extract! I got THIS ONE from VITACOST. If you have never shopped with them before that is where I get all my vitamins and lots of other macro goodies. You can go to the COUPONS section of the blog and scroll down to the VitaCost link for a discount on your first order! 

If you want to learn more about curcumin HERE is a great article by Dr. Ax that lists all kinds of other benefits and HERE is another from Dr. Weil. Both of these articles include lots of other tidbits of information and any interactions you may need to be aware of, etc. 

If you suffer from stomach bloating, fullness, constipation, etc., and have found something that works for you ... I'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment or send me an email!

XoXo
Stacy 

I mentioned on Instagram that I also supplement with 1st Phorm M Factor Multi Vitamins and Full Mega Fish Oil. You can click on each supplement mentioned or go HERE to order yours (and get free shipping and 110% money back guarantee.) Please EMAIL ME so I can help you decide what "supplements" are best for YOU!