Plant-powered prebiotic puffs
One small bag of Uplift’s prebiotic puffs gives you 8 grams of fiber. Not a bad way to snack, right?
That depends. Why are you snacking?
Do you crave a salty, cheesy puff? You might want to stick with a Cheeto. It’s much larger and cheesier than the Uplift puffs—and messier, too. Grab a napkin (or use your shirt sleeve—we don’t mind). We know—not a healthy choice, but still a choice, right?
Are you snacking out of habit or simply eating mindlessly? Turn to Uplift—less guilt, but also less flavor. These teeny tiny puffs don’t punch any big, cheesy flavor notes, but they are crunchy. And just like a Cheeto cheese puff, they are guaranteed to stick in your teeth! :)
Plant-powered cheeze was the first Uplift puff we tried. Our IMBHO crew just didn’t find the goodness in this flavor profile. “Reminiscent of eating cardboard,” was a notable comment. These puffs had a severe lack of cheesiness and overall flavor.
The sea salt + apple cider vinegar puff did have a tang that tingled the tongue. Unfortunately, that was about it—it was mostly flavorless.
Finally, the sweet and spicy flavored puff had a hint of sweetness (very light hint) and a spicy kick, but there weren’t any specific flavor notes that could be depicted, and beyond the spice it was simply uninteresting.
Although most of the IMBHO crew dismissed these puffs and do not intend to purchase them beyond our tasting, a couple did indicate they could be a good snack for kids. They are less messy than the cheesy Cheeto and the most obvious positive is they are a healthier snack option. Thus the rating of IMBHO-Maybe. It’s really a “you decide” moment.
We were a bit confused with these puffs being called “prebiotic”, when the ingredient label clearly stated “Probiotic (Bacillus Coagulans GBI-30, 6086).” There is a difference between a prebiotic and probiotic.
According to Professor Google, a prebiotic is a specialized plant fiber that acts as food for good bacteria—it stimulates growth among pre-existing good bacteria. This product does have a lot of plant fiber in it, including fava bean flour, green pea flour, red lentil flour, chicory root fiber, pea fiber and barley fiber. So perhaps that’s where the prebiotic claim comes from.
Probiotics are living strains of bacteria that add to the population of good bacteria in the digestive system. (Thank you, Professor Google.) The probiotic strain used in the ingredients “is a highly efficacious and safe spore-forming probiotic with research backed digestive health, immune support and protein absorption benefits. Used by product makers to create probiotic-fortified products, functional foods and beverages that contain BC30 are widely available around the world, making it easier than ever to fuel your entire day with the health benefits of probiotics.” (source: bc30probiotic.com)
So there you have it—a prebiotic puff with a probiotic ingredient. Who knew?!
Should you decide to purchase these puffs, you can shop the UPlift website where you’ll find “good mood food” beyond the puffs. This company also has a line of Gut Happy Cookies. We tried these, too, and they weren’t worth writing about—big thumbs down. You’ll also find Prebiotic Bliss Bites, which look like snack bars. We didn’t try these, and according to the website they are sold out at the moment. (Psst… Let us know if you tried the bliss bites—we’d like to know if it’s a yay or a nay.)
Puffs: $12 / 6pk — This is what we purchased. 12pks also available for $21.59.
Cookies: $22.40 / 6pk ($4.16 per pack) — 12pk and 36pk also available.
Bliss Bites: We can’t price check because they’re sold out.
Behind the Uplift company is Prebiotic Expert Dietitian, Kara Landau. Her credentials indicate she’s well-qualified in this healthy snack food space, so we’re hopeful she’ll figure out the flavor connection to “Happy Snacking”, too.
Our advice? Figure out how to bring health & happiness together for the perfect puff—then you’ll have a winner!
