Snack time! I do benefit from a well timed nibble. The chasm between breakfast 6:30am and a 1pm lunch absolutely must get filled, no question of that. No matter how nutritious or filling my breakfast is my tummy starts rumbling before nine thirty and if left beyond half past ten I'm just about in need of smelling salts. The same goes between lunch and dinner, especially if we're eating after seven, which is most nights. I lead a fairly-to-really active lifestyle and regularly undertake exercise after work but before my dinner and always have to find something to eat to keep me going.

I can't lie, I sometimes have a round of toast and jam, which for someone who doesn't often keep bread in the house is amazing even though I know it's not the best choice. Recently, I've been trying to fit more fruit and nuts into my snacking instead of junk. Fruit is nice, that's no hardship... but nuts are distinctly unappealing for a sweet-toothed little monster like me.

Finding a compromise is hard, or so I thought. But here's the thing; you can get the best of both worlds too. While browsing through the GoNutrition site I found some super tasty sounding protein snacks which I just had to try out for myself.



The first thing to catch my eye were the protein balls. In my mind I thought these would be one of those gobstopper type dense balls of protein which sounded pretty good in sweet chilli flavour (I've only heard of sweet ones before so savoury sounded interesting). Nope, I was wrong. These are dinky little puffed balls about the size of garden peas with a scrummy coating of sweet chilli, it was perfect for my taste, with a bit of a kick. If you buy 10 bags at a time they work out at £1.29 per bag, probably a little high in terms of price but still something I would hanker after.



I tried the Muscle bar in mint chocolate flavour and while it smelt brilliant, I found it so filling that it was a bit too big for me to eat a whole one in one go (never though I'd be saying that!). They come in a box of 12 and equate to £1.50 per bar which is about average for this kind of product.


When I heard about Go Nutrition's protein cookies I got pretty excited. A cookie that delivers both taste satisfaction and fills you up a while as well as being 'guilt free' is something special. A regular cookie does feel naughty but a protein cookie is a treat that I want to look forward to! The three flavours are triple chocolate which did taste of rich chocolate which I enjoyed, cherry bakewell which I liked an awful lot and the mouthwatering chocolate orange which were my favourite. They smell delicious and taste delicious. I'd choose to have a mix of all three so that I could vary my treat. Pricewise, they come in a box of 12 and work out at £1.42 each which does sound a lot for a cookie, but compared to other bars and snacks I think it compares well especially considering just how good they taste.

Have you used GoNutrition before?Do you mix up your snacks to include a good amount of protein?

Sophie
Thanks to GoNutrition for sending me this fabulous selection of snacks to review! All content and opinions my own.

Finding that balance of a good, healthy diet and a sensible exercise regime is difficult. I know that over processed grains and sugars are no good in quantity and that lean meats and plenty of greens are good for you, but it's the finer balance of things that I struggle with.

Food is fuel.

It pains me when I hear people almost boasting about how little they've eaten. Seriously, you need to eat sensibly to fuel your body to be able to do what you're setting out to. You need a certain amount of fat and salt in your diet, it's vital to keep you healthy.

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I'm in limbo at the moment between doing the bare minimum exercise (two one-hour boot camp workouts a week) and as much I can fit in (up to three runs as well, averaging 5k each). In order to make the most of my hard work I've taken to drinking a protein shake straight after exercise in order to stop me feeling hungry as well as to top up my protein intake. Muscles need protein to repair and maintain themselves, especially after exercise so it's really important to ensure that your diet includes plenty of protein to ensure you reap the rewards of your workouts. Monkey nutrition have this Whey Protein Isolate called Primal 26 which I've been enjoying in wild strawberry flavour. You can make it up with either water, milk or a milk substitute like almond milk, I prefer using semi skimmed milk and using a little less liquid than recommended so it's nice and thick. Protein shakes are notorious for tasting odd but I rather like this flavour, it's pleasant to drink. Having not heard of Monkey before I've had a snoop around their website and I'm impressed; I like their ethos and product range, which puts emphasis on getting lean and building muscle tone the healthy way.

The other important factor I've not yet mentioned about a healthy lifestyle is sleep and getting plenty of it. I'm working on it.

Sophie

Thank you to Monkey Nutrition for sending me this product to review. All content and opinions my own

Ideally I'd like to run at least two other days during the week but I've had to make some compromises lately which I don't mind particularly as I'd prefer to keep running as something I love and enjoy as opposed to forcing myself to go out in a rigorous and unforgiving schedule. I don't think I've done a 10k run since May come to think of it, because they do take so long and it's much quicker and convenient to nip off for a 5k. The 'no pressure' approach to my running goals is paying off; it's been fun and has kept me entertained. I'm so lucky that Chris is thoughtful enough to run with me (for at least the first 3.5k anyway) as it's that little bit nicer even if we don't say a word except CAR!



In a fit of determination and enthusiasm for making a solid run last week I somehow managed to knock out a personal best time which I can't quite believe, ten seconds faster than my previous best around a month ago (which was slightly overshadowed a couple of days later when Chris announced he'd run a sub 20 minute 5k, what a git).

Getting the balance of exercise and nutrition is an on-going trial and error experiment but what's new. The last few weeks I've been stricter with myself about the unnecessary snacks that had started creeping back in to each day; seriously, biscuits are a no-no and just three can cancel out a workout which is not worth it to me at all. Making better choices is my on-going aim; fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meats, fish and whole grains are the name of the game. With a few treats kept as treats.



I'm pretty sure I'm now getting more protein into my diet than I used to which is really important for recovery, don't underestimate how much your body needs this. For lunches I ensure I get a good bit of protein in with my salad; either mackerel, chicken breast, bacon, corned beef or cheddar cheese. For our dinner there is always a good element of protein too. Personally, I'm partial to the odd protein bar, shake or extra portion a couple of times a week too. I tried a new protein drink called Upbeat this week which is a high protein fresh dairy drink, a great way to up your protein intake without chomping through some meat. The strawberry one was scrummy and I'd happily drink one of these a day if someone bought them for me; they are cute little bottles with a really straightforward message; whey protein and real fruit for a healthy, low fat drink. They are found in the chiller cabinet with the ever expanding collection of health beverages and the only negative is the price: £1.75 for 250ml, but it compares ok to similar products.

Do you make the effort to get enough protein in to your diet?
Do you keep up your exercise regime when life gets busy?

Sophie

I was sent Upbeat for the purposes of an impartial review, all opinions my own as always