Notes on why some ingredients are used and others are avoided

Acacia Gum and Fiber Levels In a previous version, Keto Chow utilized Psyllium Husk powder for fiber. I’m very happy that we switched over to Acacia Gum. It’s water soluble so it has no texture and has some great benefits for ketosis and general gut health. Notably, it’s fermented by gut bacteria into short chain fatty acids that make keto happy. What you won’t find in Keto Chow is the FDA recommended 28g of dietary fiber per day. I had considered adding additional acacia gum but was reminded about some fun fiber facts on the HighSteaks site The simple idea that we should be filling our digestive systems with something indigestible is utter madness. Seek out the evidence for yourself – here’s a hint, there’s none whatsoever that fiber is something you should be consuming much of (if any), and almost certainly should NOT be supplementing. Sure, eat some foods which happen to be rich in fiber if you like them and can tolerate them well, but it’s not the fiber that makes them worth eating. The go-to line about it all: “Fiber is great – if you live on junk food.”

Artificial Sweeteners Keto Chow uses 0.08g (80mg) of sucralose, most commonly known by the brand name Splenda but without the maltodextrin you get in store-bought Splenda. Why? Otherwise, it’s rather bland. If you’re concerned, you can read the Wikipedia page regarding sucralose and draw your own conclusions. We don’t use any other artificial sweeteners (Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame, Saccharin). We also do not use Maltitol or any other sugar alcohol. We don’t use anything but sucralose because there really isn’t a need to do so. By limiting the number used, it simplifies things greatly – fewer questions to answer. It should be noted that if you do not like sucralose or want to use your own flavoring, we have the “Natural Strawberry” which uses monk fruit as a sweetener, and we have the Keto Chow Base Powder available as an option. It contains all of the vitamins, minerals and other ingredients EXCEPT for the protein, the sweetener, and the flavoring. You mix it with a protein of your choosing.

Peanuts Our primary manufacturing facility has an employee that’s allergic to peanuts – producing the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor (which contains actual peanut flour, not just peanut flavor) at that facility was not an option. Instead, the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor is mixed and packaged at a different location. The result is that all of our flavors, except chocolate peanut butter, are completely peanut free. Note: if you have a previous version (1.0.4, 1.5, or 1.9) of Keto Chow, it was mixed on the same machine that did the peanut butter flavor and should NOT be consumed by anyone with a peanut allergy. We did do a bang-up job cleaning the machine every time we did peanut but it’s not worth the risk.

Electrolytes and Saltiness Depending on your taste and how long you let Keto Chow “rest” in the fridge after mixing (30 minutes minimum, overnight preferred), you may find Keto Chow rather salty at first. This isn’t by accident, it’s an essential feature. When you do keto, your body will burn through electrolytes rather quickly. There are several mechanisms at work that cause this but the end result is that you need higher than normal electrolyte amounts. If you don’t get enough you may experience nausea, cramping, fatigue and other flu-like symptoms. This is why the condition is commonly referred to as “Keto Flu”. The fix is easy: get some sodium, potassium, and/or magnesium. Keto Chow, by design, should allow you to completely avoid the Keto Flu, so long as your other meals (if you’re eating other keto food) contain sufficient electrolytes. Most people find that the saltiness goes away after letting it refrigerate overnight (or longer). You may also actually start to crave the saltiness as your body adjusts to ketosis and the higher electrolyte requirements.

No Soy Protein or Soy Lecithin Soy is a funny thing. There’s a lot of “well I heard it from a dude at the gym that soy gives you cancer” information running around. There is very, very little scientific information based on studies to back up the concerns about phytoestrogens in soy protein causing problems in vivo with humans. Regardless: Keto Chow does not use any soy protein (which is the problem-child and what people can be allergic to) or soy ANYTHING.

United States FDA Dietary Reccomendations Here are the official United States Food and Drug Administration RDI and DRV amounts. By law, these are the amounts that must be used to calculate Daily Value percentages and recommendations on product labels. Some are an improvement over the previous numbers but I feel they are still influenced too much by lobbying groups (like the sugar industry). Nutrient Unit of measure Adults and Children ≥ 4 years Infants through 12 months Children 1 through 3 years Pregnant women and lactating women Fat Grams (g) 78 30 39 78 Saturated fat Grams (g) 20 N/A 10 20 Cholesterol Milligrams (mg) 300 N/A 300 300 Total Carbohydrates Grams (g) 275 95 150 275 Sodium Milligrams (mg) 2,300 N/A 1,500 2,300 Dietary Fiber Grams (g) 28 N/A 14 28 Protein Grams (g) 50 N/A 13 71 Added Sugars Grams (g) 50 N/A 25 50 Vitamin A Micrograms RAE (mcg) 900 500 300 1,300 Vitamin C Milligrams (mg) 90 50 15 120 Calcium Milligrams (mg) 1,300 260 700 1,300 Iron Milligrams (mg) 18 11 7 27 Vitamin D Micrograms (mcg) 20 10 15 15 Vitamin E Milligrams (mg) 15 5 6 19 Vitamin K Micrograms (mcg) 120 2.5 30 90 Thiamin Milligrams (mg) 1.2 0.3 0.5 1.4 Riboflavin Milligrams (mg) 1.3 0.4 0.5 1.6 Niacin Milligrams NE (mg) 16 4 6 18 Vitamin B6 Milligrams (mg) 1.7 0.3 0.5 2 Folate Micrograms DFE (mcg) 400 80 150 600 Vitamin B12 Micrograms (mcg) 2.4 0.5 0.9 2.8 Biotin Micrograms (mcg) 30 6 8 35 Pantothenic acid Milligrams (mg) 5 1.8 2 7 Phosphorus Milligrams (mg) 1,250 275 460 1,250 Iodine Micrograms (mcg) 150 130 90 290 Magnesium Milligrams (mg) 420 75 80 400 Zinc Milligrams (mg) 11 3 3 13 Selenium Micrograms (mcg) 55 20 20 70 Copper Milligrams (mg) 0.9 0.2 0.3 1.3 Manganese Milligrams (mg) 2.3 0.6 1.2 2.6 Chromium Micrograms (mcg) 35 5.5 11 45 Molybdenum Micrograms (mcg) 45 3 17 50 Chloride Milligrams (mg) 2,300 570 1,500 2,300 Potassium Milligrams (mg) 4,700 700 3,000 5,100 Choline Milligrams (mg) 550 150 200 550 Nordic Nutrition Information 2012 Strangely enough, Norway seems to have better-documented science behind their dietary recommendations. You can peruse the full PDF for detailed information about each nutrient. Want to know the upper tolerable limit for Iron and why that’s the limit? It’s all in the PDF. They do still have some rather silly stuff about saturated fats and carbohydrates but they’re moving in a good direction. We’ll see what the 2020 report says =) Info about the 2012 recommendations at https://www.norden.org/en/publication/nordic-nutrition-recommendations-2012-0

21 meal bag bulk packaging

2.5 Savory Flavors