Do you have kids? Have you ever been in charge of snacks? Vegan snacks, gluten-free snacks, fat-free, sugar-free, nut free, seed free, carb free, and the list goes on. You resort to bringing a bucket of ice and celery sticks. Now, you are no longer the cool parent. What if you could bring vegetarian, gluten-free, healthy, high protein, snacks that fit all the food requirements and also fit all the taste preferences? Luckily, you can!
Yes, we are proudly stepping up to say we are the next soccer tournament snack choice.
We also thought we would take a moment to say why pea puffs should be on your snack list! IWON was never about following market trends and pumping out what’s popular. These are snacks and breakfast cereals that were designed out of a real family’s needs for better treats, high-quality fast grab food, and crunchy craving reductions. The results tasted so good, the snacks became a business.
These snacks are free of soy and gluten. They are non-gmo, organic, kosher, vegetarian, and even have vegan options. You get kid favorites like nacho cheese and mesquite bbq, or more sophisticated flavors like caramelized onion and sweet dijon. You get the sharp crunch of stix and the airy pop of puffs. You can even opt for cinnamon, berry, or chocolate crunchies swimming in your favorite milk of choice to start your day with tasty and nutritious.
So why do you feel like you just read a long ad?
Because you did! We are so excited about how good these protein based snacks really are, and we are not afraid to shout it from the rooftops or the blog page. However, we also like to share solid information on health, fitness, and food, so let’s go back to that “pea puffs” comment and take a look at how your soon to be favorite snack also packs in yellow peas, green peas, navy beans, and brown rice. Trust us. If we didn’t tell you these dense, whole foods were in your snack bag, you wouldn’t even know!
So why peas? The answer is simple, protein! Peas are one of the few plant foods that have all nine essential amino acids. Let’s break that down. There are nine amino acids that the body must have, and it cannot produce on its own. These essential aminos are found in animal proteins, but for those restricting animal based foods or cutting them out entirely, getting all nine essential amino acids needs to be a focus when mapping out your meal plan. It just so happens that peas have them all, though they are low in methionine. That should be taken into consideration when choosing your foods.
When IWON first got started, pea protein was a natural choice. Yet, the goal was to make high protein snacks that give the body exactly what it needs, so the low methionine had to be considered. This is where the brown rice comes in. According to the World Health Organization, a food must have 1.6% of the daily methionine to be considered a complete protein. Brown rice contains 5.1%.(1) This makes it the perfect compliment to the deficiency in the pea protein! However, brown rice falls short when it comes to lysine. In walks the navy beans!
Navy beans, like many legumes, are high in lysine. They also have a neutral flavor and are readily available, making them the perfect partner for a high quality, vegetarian, protein packed snack! Between the peas, navy beans, and brown rice, a bag of Korean BBQ Protein Stix is going to give you a whopping 10 grams of pure protein with all nine essential amino acids. With all those veggies and grains, you also get 5 grams of fiber. Since they are baked and not fried, you get to indulge in the entire bag at only 180 calories. Those are some big wins when it comes to diving into a bag of chips!
Let’s put a bit more perspective into this. If you were to bring a bag of potato chips, the average nutrition profile would look a bit different. For the same 1.5 oz portion, you’re looking at 225 calories, 3 grams of protein, and 1.5 grams of fiber. The average bag also has 15 grams of fat versus the 7 grams in your BBQ protein stix. This is a snack swap that will make even the most particular eater pretty happy!
The last question we want to answer about this dynamic snack option is, “Why protein snacks?”
Protein is the one macronutrient everyone seems to agree on. We may quibble over how much protein each person needs, but we all agree it’s needed. Carbs and fats initiate giant debates, but protein is a solid choice for any nutrition based lifestyle. So why shouldn’t it be the foundation of a really great snack?
Protein is literally the building blocks of your entire body. We are a collection of cells, and protein is what helps to create and build new cells as well as repair damaged cells. This goes for scraped knees, muscle building, gut repair, and just the daily cellular roll-over in your body. Protein helps your skin to stay healthy and to heal, your nails to grow strong, your hair to grow longer, and that’s just on the outside of the body. It is also responsible for repairing and building muscles after a workout, replacing old cells and building new ones for organ repair, and even fortifying the cells in your bones.
Protein is one of the three macronutrients; fats and carbohydrates are the other two. All three of these nutrients play key roles in keeping us alive and our bodies in top physical and mental shape. Books are written on the major roles protein plays in the body, so suffice to say, it was a natural focus for a truly nutritious snack choice.
So the next time you are in charge of snacks, don’t sweat it. Grab a Puffs and Stix variety pack, and you’ll have every kid covered as well as your own conscience! What other parent is going to bring kid approved flavors, while meeting all their primary nutrition needs?
Sources:
https://vegfaqs.com/brown-rice-protein-amino-acid-profile/
