There are a lot of snacking options in today’s market and it can be hard to choose what to buy. Real Handful is a company which sells small bags of mixed dried fruit, nuts and seeds (with sometimes chocolate or yoghurt). The idea was based on the American trail mix and combines fibre with slow-releasing energy from the nuts and seeds. The company is run by a couple, Carly and Joe, who are based in the North West. Here, I will explore some of their range.*
The Range
4 Real Handful snack bags
There are 6 ‘flavours’ in the range:
- Blueberry Blitz
- Go-Go-Goji Berries
- Strawberries and Cream
- Mixed Berry Crunch
- Blood Orange and Dark Choc
- Mochacinno
Each pack weighs at 40g and are under 200 calories each. I was sent the first four to try.
Review
The Blueberry Blitz contains jumbo raisin (30%), cashew nuts (25%), dried blueberry flavoured cranberries (25%) and apple infused blueberries (20%). I really enjoyed this mix, but felt the cashews could have benefitted from a little dry roasting to help bring out the flavour more. I would have possibly halved the cashews too, but this is minor. If you love blueberries, you’d enjoy this.
This pack contains 154 calories with 5.2g of fat (1.0g saturated), 23.3g of carbs (20.2g of sugar), 2.3g of fibre and 2.3g of protein.
The Go-Go Goji Berries contains jumbo raisins (20%), dark chocolate (18%), goji berries (17%), blanched peanuts (17%), almonds (13%) and pumpkin seeds (12%). This was my favourite from what I was sent, but also the most calorific at 196 calories, due to the larger proportion of nuts and seeds. I liked that this was less sweet and preferred the texture of this mix as everything was of a similar size.
As mentioned, this pack contains 196 calories with 11g of fat (2,3g saturated), 16.5g carbs (14.2g of sugar), 2.9g of fibre and 6.2g of protein.
Strawberries and Cream contains strawberry infused raisins, cashew nuts, pineapple juice infused cranberries, grape juice infused strawberries and white chocolate. I thought this would be my favourite as I really love strawberries and with cream it’s a winning combo. I was unfortunately disappointed as I found the mixture too sweet.
The pack contains 163 calories, 6.0g of fat (1.9g saturated), 24.4g carbs (21.1g of sugar), 1.3g of fibre and 2.2g of protein.
The Mixed Berry Crunch contains yoghurt blueberry flavoured raisins, normal raisins, pineapple infused cranberries, grape infused strawberries and almonds. This one is similar to the Strawberries and Cream and I found the same issues with it being slightly too sweet for my liking.
The pack contains 165 calories, 5.8g of fat (2.0g saturated), 25.2g carbs (21.8g of sugar), 1.9 of fibre and 2.1g of protein.
Overall comments
I think these are an interesting alternative to snacking but be wary of the sugar content; one of these has more sugar than a bar of Cadbury’s flake. It does contain some fibre and more protein than some breakfast bars, so nutritionally better for you despite the sugar. As part of a balanced diet, these can work well. You can even add a pack to your porridge on those cold winter mornings! They retail for £1 a pack so maybe not an everyday addition, but a good one if you are going to be moving around a lot as the protein will help keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Porridge with Real Handful’s Go-Go-Goji Berries
Information
Real Handful can be purchased from Boots, Holland and Barrett, Ocado and Sainsbury’s and retail for £1 per pack.
Website: http://www.realhandful.com/
Which one of these packs appeals to you the most? What do you do for a healthy breakfast?
Leave your comments below!
*I was sent these products free for review, all opinions my own.
1 Comment
Lacey Houghton
11th February 2018 at 12:53 pmNever been a fan of nuts, but these look super colourful and springy!