Review: Smart For Life Products; Cookie Diet; cupcakes, cereal, smart crunch, smart bagel, UnderWay

I'm sure we've all heard about the infamous "Cookie Diet", and the many subsequent copy cat versions. A while back I posted pictures and possibility of a review for the Under Way (Dr Sass and the Hero Fiber). Of course, this goes along with the rest of his 'diet' products. They all contain something he formulated called 'Hero Fiber' which apparently is 9x of regular fiber per 1gram. Here is what he says on his website:

HeroFiber™ is a super fiber made from a combination of fibers including ForteFiber™, a Soluble Dietary Fiber which helps to maintain cholesterol, glucose and insulin levels that are already within the normal range.***


It does this by keeping blood and insulin levels from spiking and your chance of getting hungry are reduced. Dr. Sass likes to say: "For people who don't get enough fiber, 1 gram of HeroFiber™ is like 9 grams of other normal fibers. Everyone should try to get at least 30 gram of fiber or more per day.”

I rarely eat foods with added sugar, as my blood sugar is really effected by it, and I just end up eating the entire pack and craving more. I usually would eat foods with sugar, but was feeling slightly nauseated and needed some dry carbs.

I first cracked open the Smart For Life Smart Bagel. There are like thin, dry, bagel crisp crackers. I actually enjoyed these a lot! They were 'chewy' in a weird dry cracker way. They didn't spike my blood sugar and actually made me slow down and eat more mindfully. The entire mini 35g pack has the following nutritional information:

 Calories:80

Fat: 0.5g

Carbs: 17

Fiber: 4

Protein: 6

These were crunchy but chewy/moist? I know it sound odd, but imagine Grissol Bagel Crackers of Melba Toast (super crunchy) that had gotten a little moisture and gotten 'chewy'. Not in a gross way; I know it sounds unappetizing, but they were actually really good!

Next I tried their SMART CRUNCH. These were like little homemade cookie/oatmeal nuggets: Soft, chewy, dense and filling! Although the Fiber content doesn't look particularly high or impressive, I have to say that it definitely filled me up. What I really liked about all the products I tried (and I tried a lot!) is that they weren't sweet! The Smart Crunch contained little crisps, which I later found out was the basis of most of their products. I think they were chewy/crispy soy crisp nuggets.

The Nutritional Information for the Smart Crunch:

Serving Size: 1 mini single serve packet.

Calories: 90

Fat: 2.5

Carbs: 12

Fiber:1.5

Protein: 5

From the website: Smart Crunch is the easy take-along that you can pop in your mouth when you’re on the go. It contains SASSON Technology™ (Smart Appetite Suppressing Sustained Organic Nutrition) and HeroFiber™ which suppresses your appetite. Just one gram of HeroFiber™ contains the benefits found in nine grams of ordinary fiber.

Ingredients:

Smart Crunch

Triple Filtered Water, Vegetable Glycerin, Doctors Protein BlendTM (Milk Protein, Egg Protein, Organic Whey Protein), Hydrolyzed Collagen (Gelatin), Organic Whole Oats, Organic Seedless Raisins, Organic Crisp Rice (Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Molasses, Calcium Carbonate), Organic Whole-Grain Wheat Flour, Vegetable Gum, Organic Soybean Oil and/or Enriched Organic Golden Flax Meal (Organic Flax Meal, Fish Oil), Organic Fractioned Palm Oil, Raw Organic Oat and/or Wheat Bran, Organic Invert Sugar, Organic Brown Sugar, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Pure Tahitian Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Sea Salt, Natural Flavoring, Organic Nutmeg. Contains at least 60% Organic Ingredients.

Next I tore open their package of 4 mini Cupcakes. I was sent Carrot Sunshine Cupcakes  and Chocolate Mountain Cupcakes. These were tiny and had icing drizzled on top. I was impressed with how filling these were. They're 60% organic, and definitely aren't easy to scarf down like ordinary Cup Cakes.
The Chocolate ones had the little crispy nuggets in them again, as well as mini chocolate chips.

The Nutritionals Are:

Per Cupcake:

Calories: 90

Fat: 3

Carbs:10

Fiber:3

Protein:7

I enjoyed both and really liked that they weren't sweet. I could imagine this in a Yogurt Mess, or with milk! Definitely left you thirst!

Triple Filtered Water, Doctors Protein Blend™ (Milk Protein, Organic Egg Protein, Organic Whey Protein, Hydrolyzed Collagen), Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Whole-Grain Wheat Flour, Soy Crisps, Organic Soybean Oil, Raw Organic Oat Bran, Cane Sugar, Enriched Organic Golden Flax Meal (Organic Flax Meal and Fish Oil), Organic Cocoa, Modified Cellulose, Natural Flavor, Plant Sterols, Doctors Herbal Blend™ (Fennel, Sage, Rosemary Oil, Thyme, Turmeric), Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, Baking Powder, Salt, Kernel and Palm Oil, Soybean Lecithin, Nutmeg, Cultured Wheat Flour

Next I tried the 2 flavors of cookies I had: Oatmeal Raisin and Chocolate Chip.

The Oatmeal Raisin wasn't sweet at all, and the raisins really helped the taste. Here are the stats:

Serving Size 34g, Servings per Container 6, Amount per Serving: Calories 105, Fat Cal. 20, 2.5g Total Fat 4% DV*, 1.5g Saturated Fat 5% DV*, 0g Trans Fat, 0mg Cholesterol 0% DV*, 120mg Sodium 5% DV*, 15g Total Carbohydrates 3% DV*, 1.5g Fiber 6%, 5g Sugar, 5g Protein.
Triple Filtered Water,Vegetable Glycerin,Doctors Protein BlendTM (Milk Protein,Egg Protein,Organic Whey Protein),Hydrolyzed Collagen (Gelatin),Organic Whole Oats,Organic Seedless Raisins,Organic Crisp Rice (Organic Brown Rice Flour,Organic Molasses,Calcium Carbonate),Organic Whole-Grain Wheat Flour,Vegetable Gum,Organic Soybean Oil and/or Enriched Organic Golden Flax Meal (Organic Flax,Fish Oil),Organic Fractioned Palm Oil,Raw Organic Oat and/or Wheat Bran,Organic Invert Sugar,Organic Brown Sugar,Organic Cinnamon, Organic Pure Tahitian Vanilla Extract,Baking Soda, Baking Powder,Sea Salt,Natural Flavoring,Organic Nutmeg. Contains at least 60% Organic Ingredients



Chocolate Chip had a bit of the icing drizzle on top (which I really liked):

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size 29g, Servings per Container 6, Amount per Serving: Calories 100, Fat Cal. 30, 2.5g Total Fat 6% DV*, 1.5g Saturated Fat 7% DV*, 0g Trans Fat, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 0mg 0%, 135mg Sodium 6% DV*, 9g Total Carbohydrates 3% DV*, 2g Dietary Fiber 8%, 3g Sugar, 6g Protein. Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 0%, Calcium 4%, Iron 6%

Triple Filtered Water,Vegetable Glycerin,Doctors Protein BlendTM (Milk Protein,Egg Protein,Organic Whey Protein),Hydrolyzed Collagen (Gelatin),Organic Whole Oats,Organic Seedless Raisins,Organic Crisp Rice (Organic Brown Rice Flour,Organic Molasses,Calcium Carbonate),Organic Whole-Grain Wheat Flour,Vegetable Gum,Organic Soybean Oil and/or Enriched Organic Golden Flax Meal (Organic Flax,Fish Oil),Organic Fractioned Palm Oil,Raw Organic Oat and/or Wheat Bran,Organic Invert Sugar,Organic Brown Sugar,Organic Cinnamon, Organic Pure Tahitian Vanilla Extract,Baking Soda, Baking Powder,Sea Salt,Natural Flavoring,Organic Nutmeg. Contains at least 60% Organic Ingredients

They also have a great sounding and looking Blueberry, which I didn't get to try.


Like their Cupcakes and Smart Crunch, these tasted wholesome and didn't have a lot of flavor. You could definitely smell the Cocoa and Cinnamon scents! These were dense, and a great snack.

Lastly, I had their Chocolate Berry Cereal. These again were the Soy Nuggets (moist), with Cocoa, chunks of freeze dried strawberries and blueberries.

They describe these as "Crunchy and Chewy at the same time", and I have to say that they're right! Again, not sweet at all.I added some SF syrup, and microwaved it for 25seconds.

The Stats:

Per Single Serve Cup:

Calories: 180

Fat:4.5

Carbs:25

Fiber:3.5

Protein:10

I was also sent Momma's Chicken Noodle Soup, which comes in a single serve-just add water-portable cup, and one of their prepacked ready to grab (just add liquid) shakes.

Overall, I was really impressed at the satiety level. I was skeptical at first, but they really would help regulate blood sugar and tame cravings! I recommend drinking a lot when you eat them- they are really chewy and dense. All the products-aside from the Bagel, had a bland taste due to not being overly sweet and artificial. I actually appreciated this fact, as it did not cause a sugar crash.

As for the Under Way drinks themselves: They are really hard to describe. I love Grape and Acai Pomegranate. They are THICKER and taste kind of like a melted Popsicle. I think it's the Vegetable Glycerin. Either way, they're really hydrating, and definitely sit well in the stomach. They have a nice sample pack HERE.

You order these in "packages" ie 5day, 21 day variety, Healthy Eating Pack, Soup and Cereal Pack, Hot Cocoa, Shakes etc