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The Benefit of 'Healthy Fats' & Protein Bars
As a patient living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I try to be conscious about eating well and exercising as much as I can. That said, exercising beyond just walking my dog is becoming a lot more difficult as my disease progresses, so a balanced diet is even more important to me as part of a healthy lifestyle.
As a result of the magnitude of medications I take, sometimes I struggle with having an appetite but I know I need to eat in order to give my body the energy it needs to make it through each day. Since starting on my anti-fibrotic medication, my taste buds are “off” and there are certain flavours that I no longer enjoy and other tastes in foods that are overbearing to me, such as sodium. I struggle to eat the most at breakfast, and I know many of you can relate to this. Back in July, I wrote a forum topic on food preferences when we’re struggling to eat and many of you shared that you also struggle with having an appetite since being diagnosed with IPF.
Please note: I am not/cannot endorse these bars, but I did want to share a healthy protein bar that I am enjoying as I’ve finally found something both satisfying and relatively healthy for me for breakfast and I thought it might help you too! Suzie’s Good Fats (known as Love Good Fats in the US) bars are keto-friendly, and follow the new ‘high good fats, low carbs and refined sugar’ diet that is very popular right now. In fact, I spoke with my transplant dietitian about protein bars recently and she said these are among the best on the market for me and my health issues right now (please consult your own medical team if you want to know if these are good for you too).
When talking to my dietitian about protein bars in general, she of course endorsed them over grabbing a burger, or slice of pizza for a snack but she did highlight the amount of preservatives that can come in protein bars. If you think about it, many of them can be on the shelf of months on end, which makes me wonder what is in them. The Suzie’s Good Fats bars have a relatively quick expiry date and actually taste best in the fridge because the first ingredient in them is a blend of healthy fats (oils, etc). They are also just sweet enough to satisfy my cravings at nighttime, which prevents me from reaching for an unhealthy snack! In the morning, I love the peanut butter bars (from the fridge/freezer) with a coffee, as the texture is similar to a truffle due to the fats blend and they melt in your mouth.
Again, I cannot endorse this product but I know I’ve benefited from other healthy recipes and foods shared on this forum, so I thought I’d let others know about these bars. They’ve really been wonderful for me; allowing me to want to eat breakfast again and giving me a healthy go-to snack to help satisfy my sweet tooth cravings as well. I also like that I recognize the ingredients in these bars, and that my dietitian says these are a good solution for me right now.
Have you heard of these bars before?
Do you find protein bars/shakes helpful in ensuring you’re able to eat when your appetite is off due to IPF/PF-related medications?
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4 Replies
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Hi Charlene,
I’m having a lot of trouble eating. I often feel weak, and know I need to eat,but just can’t get the foods down. Many have no taste or are bland.
I am drinking vitamin shakes and also a protien drinks. The protein drink comes in a powder and I get from the GNC. It is mixed with water and tastes pretty good. Athletics use it for body building. It is not expensive.
I have not tied the bars, but will soon try the ones you are using. Probably be better than the shakes having fiber. What a delimia this is, being hungry and finding it hard to eat.
I am getting off O2 tanks as the VA gave me the Simply Go cocentrator. It’s a heavey machine, but lots better than tanks and will provide pulsed or continueous oxygen.
My O2 levels show no progression over the last ten months and stays about 96% when not mvong around. Still having some issues with feeling breathlessness at night. Sadly my brother-in-law was diagnosed with IPF this week. I pray that soon some of the research will develop into a cure. After a year now I am getting weary of this and looking to the Lord for strength. -
Hi Cooper,
Great to hear from you, thanks for writing and giving me a bit of an update on how you’re doing. That said, sorry you’re experiencing the struggle of not wanting to eat. Knowing we need to in order to give our bodies energy, but not being able to is such a frustrating balance, isn’t it? I struggle with tastes and textures now too, since starting certain medications, and this is not something I have ever experienced before.
I’ve heard good things about GNC stores, so I am glad you’ve found a protein shake that seems to work well for you. I find the Good Fats bars (the ones I wrote about) quite filling, which is nice when I don’t want to eat a lot because I’m not hungry again in an hour or two like I find I am with other types of foods. If you try them, please let me know what you think of them. It is a strange texture at first due to the good fats blend, but I compare them to a truffle and find they melt in my mouth with a coffee. They also aren’t sweet as there isn’t sugar in them, which I like because I find a lot of protein bars to be far too sweet! It is a dilemma, I really agree with you.
I’m glad you’ve gotten your concentrator now, the Simply Go machine is the one I use as well. It is heavy, that is my only complaint with it.
Sending prayers and good thoughts to your brother-in-law, I’m so sorry to hear of his diagnosis. I am with you, in just hoping a cure or better solution comes around soon for us. It is such a tiring disease, to say the least, isn’t it? Hang in there and feel free to write any time Cooper.
In my thoughts,
Charlene. -
Looks like this is what I am looking for.I have lost weight and find I have little appetite so I take protein shakes add a half banana some peanut butter. This fills me up and allows me to take my Ofev pill.I am told to add more calories to my diet so am always looking for tips from these pages.Thanks
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Hi Brian,
Thanks for writing and sharing your thoughts on this topic. I really find these bars helpful for me, not only when I have just a little appetite and want to eat something healthy, but also when I am craving something sweet. I know how bad sugars are to our system and thus, really struggle with eating things that are sweet so knowing the limited amount of sugar in this is good for me. The texture takes a bit of time to get used to, as it is similar to a truffle and not like any other protein bar I’ve ever had. That said, I find my body craves them now! The peanut butter ones are the best in my opinion and taste the best if they’re cold – ie. out of the fridge/freezer. Such a good treat! Let me know if you try them and what you think 🙂
Charlene.
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