Review: POM Wonderful

POM Bourbon Marinated Tri-Tip. YUM!

This review is long overdue. Shortly before having Lily (yeah, that would be two years overdue!), I received a nice email from a POM Wonderful representative asking if I would be willing to review the company's pomegranate juice in exchange for a free case. I said yes, adding that I would have to disclose that I received the juice for free when my review was published. The case of juice arrived the week I was to be induced. Suffice it to say, I've had other things on my mind for the last two years. But a promise is a promise, so I'm making good on my word here.

This was not the first time I had tried POM products. The idea of cold pomegranate juice that I didn't have to squeeze myself sounded like the greatest thing since the wheel when it first hit the marketplace, and I bought a few to try. I won't lie, it's the nectar of the gods.

Headquartered in Southern California, POM grows its Wonderful variety pomegranates in the San Joaquin Valley, where I have lived my entire life. POM is the largest grower of pomegranates in the United States and according to its website, supplies the majority of the nation's fresh pomegranates and ships to more than 55 countries. Oh, and they've been generous donors to UC Merced, which already puts them on my short list of favorite corporations.

Now that you know a little about the company, let's talk about what I did with all of that juice. A case of juice goes a long way in the home of a post-WLS woman. As a sugar-sensitive post-op and reactive hypoglycemic, juice is at the top of my long list of banned foods. However, the timing of my gift was perfect. Arriving days before Lily's birth, the juice was like a gift from God. And in the end, it literally saved my life.

Allow me to explain. If you've read Lily's birth story, which you could also call my labor story, you know it didn't all go according to plan. We walked into the situation knowing that a severe hypoglycemic episode had the same symptoms of what people call "transition" in labor. We knew that when (forgive the pun) push came to shove, I would need glucose support. And that's why I had my husband pack four bottles of that delectable POM Wonderful juice in our hospital bag.

At the hospital, I tried my best to be a good patient. They had juice they wanted me to have. Too bad that "juice" wasn't really. Looking at the label (labor hadn't really started yet so I had time and energy for label-reading) left me nonplussed. The box the nurses gleeful offered me was 10 percent juice and 90 percent high-fructose corn syrup and other additives. But I'm a good soldier. I politely accepted the fake juice from the nurse and as soon as she left, ask my husband to instead dilute some of the POM juice into my ice-water cup. One container of POM Wonderful juice lasted throughout my labor experience. It provided the sugar my body needed to get through the marathon of childbirth. Their were some complicating factors along the way, as my loyal readers know. But the complications would have been much more dire had the diluted POM juice not been available to me.

Diluted POM juice was my primary source of glucose support throughout my hospital stay and during my first days home as I was learning to juggle motherhood, breastfeeding and healing.

Even through all of that, I still had six bottles of juice left. No longer needing the juice to keep my blood sugar stable, I found myself wondering what to do. It had been given to me free of charge for personal use so I didn't feel it would be ethical to give it away. However, drinking it no longer was healthy for me.

Around that time, I signed up for a freezer meal exchange group. Created for busy moms, the group focused on each member making multiple batches of the same dinner to freeze. Then once a month, the group got together to exchange meal. You walk into the exchange with five of the same meal and walk out with five different meals. Functional and fun.

Our local grocery happened to have a great sale on beef roast that month and I visited the POM website to see if I could find a way to incorporate the juice into that month's exchange. What I found was an incredible recipe for POM Bourbon Marinated Tri-Tip.  I have since followed the recipe to the letter and must tell you it's even better than the picture above implies.

However, for my freezer meal exchange, some adjustments were needed. I decided to make this as a crock pot meal. So instead of using tri-tip (a California-specific cut of meat only beginning to gain popularity in other states), I used a ball-tip beef roast. I put the raw roast in a giant resealable freezer bag with the marinade contents and froze it. Well, I did this five times, since I was part of the exchange. I gave everyone instructions to thaw the contents in the bag, dump it into a crock pot and cook on low for 8-12 hours. I also included a small baggie of pomegranate arils I had purchased from the store and instructions on boiling down the cooking liquid to make a sauce for serving.

Every single person in my group raved about this dinner dish. The bourbon prevented the marinade from completely freezing and served to continuously tenderize the meat. The pomegranate juice sweetened the marinade enough that even after three months in the freezer, the bourbon flavor didn't overpower the meat. It was a wildly successful experiment and a dish I now make often in my own home because it gives me that wonderful pomegranate flavor without the perils that come from me consuming too much sugar.

The POM site, by the way, is filled with incredible recipes for every taste and time of day. It's worth checking out. But more importantly, if you haven't already, check out a bottle of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice. It's usually found in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store's produce department. It tastes good and is good for you. And if you love pomegranate arils, visit the site today for a coupon. A dollar off makes a big difference.

Product Review: Better Balance Protein Cereal

The folks at Kay's Naturals sure do know their stuff when it comes to protein snacks. I was lucky enough during ASBS to sample a variety of their products, but the Better Balance Protein Cereal exceeds expectation. During the conference, I snacked on the Honey Almond and French Vanilla flavors right out of the bag. This morning for breakfast, I enjoyed the Apple Cinnamon variety mixed with my Fage 0% greek-style yogurt.

Though I like all of the varieties, Honey Almond is my favorite. It reminds me a bit of Smart Start, which was a cereal I regularly enjoyed as a pre-op. Apple Cinnamon tastes like Apple Jacks, and French Vanilla has a great vanilla flavor.

The O-shaped cereal comes in 1 oz. packages, providing 9 grams of soy protein in 100 calories with 1.5 grams of fat and 15 grams of carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber; 3g sugar). The cereal is sweetened with inulin.

Hit or Miss? A definite hit. The Kazemzadehs, who own the company, were nice enough to let me try almost all of their products at the convention tradeshow. Awesome product!

Product Review: Micellar Milk

Photo courtesy of BariatricEating.com

Nature's Best Micellar Milk is a relatively new addition to the ready-to-drink proteing supplement market. I had heard of it from other post-ops on the BariatricEating.com (which sells it) message board last year but hadn't gotten around to ordering any before getting sick in January.

While I was in the hospital, a member of my local support group, Tammy Coursey, smuggled a container of vanilla and chocolate into the hospital for me. She swears by it as helping her get in her required protein since having surgery last Thanksgiving. She enjoys the vanilla poured over ice, saying its thin milk-like texture is perfect for her pouch -- not too heavy like blended supplements can be.

Aside from being thin and easy to drink, Micellar Milk is also nutrient-rich. A 17-ounce container provides 40 grams of protein with 220 calories, 2 grams of fat and 4 grams of sugar.

My favorite flavor is vanilla, which reminds me of rice pudding in taste. My husband is in love with the newest flavor, strawberries & cream. He says it's just like Strawberry Quik. Micellar Milk also comes in chocolate.

Having the consistency of milk makes Micellar Milk a perfect protein-rich substitue for milk in many recipes. When I was recovering from my bowel obstruction and restricted to a full-liquid diet, I used it in lieu of milk to make Sans Sucre instant chocolate mousse. I also used it in vanilla custard (with a dash of sugar-free Torani syrup). It was a tasty way to make sure I met my protein needs without overtaxing my digestive system.

If you visit the BE.com message board's recipe thread, you'll find all sorts of recipes that incorporate what members affectionately call Mice Milk. One favorite is Mice Cream, a protein-rich version of ice cream.

Personally, I enjoy Mice Milk by itself or with a few variations. One of my favorite ways to serve it is to make ice cubes out of leftover coffee and pour either chocolate or vanilla Mice Milk over the cubes for a cool treat at the office. One weekends, I'll use vanilla Mice Milk as creamer in my coffee with a shot of Torani sugar-free Irish Cream syrup for an Irish Cream protein latte that puts Starbucks to shame.

Hit or Miss: Definitely a hit. I have two cases at home right now, but they are going fast.

Product Review: Better Balance Pretzel Snacks

Kay's Naturals Better Balance Cinnamon Toast Pretzel Snacks
• $2 for a single-serving bag

These thin soy-based snack sticks resemble cereal twigs, but they don't taste nearly as good. According to the package, a bag of these snack sticks offers 120 calories, 9 grams of carbs, 6 grams of fat and 10 grams of soy protein.

At first taste, the crunchy sticks offer a good cinnamon-sugar flavor but the heavy soy aftertaste and sandy texture ensure they won't be something I eat again.

Hit or miss? Definitely a miss.

Product Review: Water Sensations Liqui-Packs

Water Sensations Clear Liquid Flavor Enhancer for Water
• About $4 for a box of 16 Liqui-Packs
• Comes in the following flavors: Mixed Berry, Natural Peach, Natural Kiwi-Strawberry, Natural Grape, Natural Lemon and Natural Orange

Each Liqui-Pack is meant to flavor a standard 16.9-oz. bottle of water. The flavoring packets have no calories and are sweetened with Splenda. In fact, the ingredient list is pretty minimal: filtered water, natural flavor, citric acid, ptassium citrate and sucralose (the official name for Splenda). The idea behind the enhancers is that you can take them with you to use anywhere. Instead of hunting down a vending machine with Propel or Fruit2O, you can just order a glass of water or buy a bottle somewhere and flavor it yourself.

I've tried the mixed berry and natural peach Water Sensations, both in about 20 oz. of water, because I'm not one for super-sweet drinks. The natural peach flavor tasted as if I had sliced a peach into my water. I didn't find it overly sweet, and I will admit that I slurped down my 20 oz. of water faster than usual.

I didn't like the mixed berry nearly as much, but I've never been one to enjoy berry-flavored water. I don't know why, but berry seems like an odd flavor for water to me. I actually ended up dumping it out because it was just too weird for my liking.

If you check out the Water Sensations Web site, www.watersensations.com, you'll find that the flavor packets aren't just for water. There are suggestions for using Water Sensations to flavor iced tea, yogurt, warm beverages and sparkling water. And I'm sure as these little packets gain popularity, the site will offer even more ideas.

Hit or miss? Definitely a hit. I've already bought a box of the peach flavor and look forward to trying the lemon and orange ones as well.

Product Review: Herbalife Products

At the recent ObesityHelp conference in Visalia, I received a sampler pack of numerous Herbalife products from one of the convention attendees.

For those unfamiliar with Herbalife, it's a line of nutrition products available for purchase through independent distributors. The company offers various lines, from weight management to general wellness products.

I haven't yet had the opportunity to try all of the products I received in my sampler pack, but I've tried enough to offer an opinion on them.

Protein Bars ($16.95 for a box of 14 bars)
These bars are fairly standard as far as protein bars go. They have a clay-like texture and are coated in either a chocolate or white candy-like coating. Though calorie count varies according to flavor, each bar offers 12 grams of protein, about 6 grams of fat and about 15 grams of carbohydrate. The bars are sweetened with sugar alcohols, so they are safe for sugar-sensitive post-ops.

I've tried each flavor -- peanut butter, chocolate fudge, lemon and chocolate coconut -- and consider them to be decent. Peanut butter was my favorite. Of all the flavors, I think it had the least protein aftertaste. Lemon was my least favorite. The other two flavors were middle of the road to me.

Personally, I wouldn't consider buying these for myself. They are so dense that I can't eat more than half of a bar, which only gives me about 6 grams of protein -- not nearly enough to make it pouch worthy.

Roasted Soynuts ($10.95 for a box of 14 packets)
These are no different than the average roasted soynut, except they are seasoned with Cardia salt, a low-sodium seasoning. I thought the Cardia salt had a strange taste so I emptied about half a packet of Splenda into my packet and shook it up to give the nuts a salty-sweet taste similar to kettle korn.

I don't think these soynuts are any different or better than the varieties available at the grocery story, but the single-serving packets are handy -- especially if you have a tough time regulating your portions when it comes to snack foods. Each packet provides about 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein -- a very nutritious snack for anybody but especially good for a post-op. And they definitely satisfy any craving for crunch.

Peach Mango Beverage Mix ($10.95 for 7 packets)
This is an instant beverage mix that offers about 70 calories, less than a gram of fat, 2 grams of carbs and 15 grams of protein. I was really excited to try this, and it seemed like it would be good. the powder mixed well in water with a few stirs of a spoon. The finished product was a little cloudy, but it didn't seem too bad. Then I took a sip, which I promptly spit out into the sink. I can't offer any specifics on what I didn't like, apart from everything. The initial taste wasn't good, and the aftertaste was terrible. There was an overbearing protein taste to the beverage, and I couldn't think of anything to improve it. In hindsight, mixing it in a blender with ice and fruit may have made it drinkable, but that would have defeated the purpose of having a convenient drink mix that can be made anywhere.

Herbalife herbal concentrate ($19.95 for 1.8 ounces)
I first tried this product, a thermogenic drink mix that contains green tea, about seven years ago. To this day, it's still my favorite product and it makes a tasty sugar-free drink. I favor the original flavor. The single serving packets are great when you're on the go. Just dump it into a standard bottle of water with a few packets of Splenda mixed in.

Product Review: Tropical Oasis Liquid B-Complex

Tropical Oasis Liquid B-Complex Supplement-$23 for about 32 ounces

I was excited to try this vitamin b-complex supplement. I use Tropical Oasis' liquid calcium supplement, and I love it. It's tasty and provides a large amount of calcium in a small dose.
I wish I had similar praise for the B-Complex supplement. Unfortunately, the liquid vitamin B supplement is icky. It contains all B vitamins, so I hold each dose under my tongue for a minute to allow my body to absorb the B-12 before swallowing it. That may be why I think it tastes so terrible. Most liquid vitamins are only in your mouth for a moment, but when you're letting a dose sit in your mouth for a minute, the nasty flavors are more noticeable.

In talking with some fellow post-ops, I've discovered that all liquid B-complex supplements are gross. The consensus among my friends is that one of the B vitamins (everyone's assumption was that it's B1, or thiamine.) has a disgusting flavor that cannot be masked.

Most gastric-bypass patients don't need a B-complex supplement. Those who are diligent will get all needed vitamins and minerals by taking a specialized multivitamin, about 2,000 mg of calcium, iron and a weekly B-12 supplement (monthly if injected). However, there are increasing numbers of post-ops who have become deficient in thiamine. And supplements such as this one are an unfortunate necessity for those people.

The smartest thing any post-op can do is take all required vitamins daily to avoid ever getting deficient so yucky supplemetns are a requirement.

Hit or Miss? Miss this one, unless you truly are deficient in one of the B vitamins.