Category: Uncategorized

It’s Beastly, but is it Gluten-Free?

If you have kids who love Mr. Beast, you may know his Feastable food products are beastly, but are they gluten-free? My grandchildren have philosophical conversations about whether Feastables chocolate bars are better than Hershey’s. Of course, with Mr. Beast’s name right there on the package they believe them to be better. They’re happy to let me compare.

package of hershey bars and package of mr. beast jacklinks

Before I can, I need to know the ingredients. A visit to the website shows nutrition facts are easy to find. https://feastables.com/

The milk chocolate bars do not have any gluten containing items in the ingredient list, but the allergen statement says they may contain wheat. That’s enough for me to avoid them.

Milk crunch again looks deceptively okay. The crunch is rice based. But the allergen statement says they may contain wheat.

Cookies and Cream sounds like it would contain gluten, but it’s made with rice flour. Exciting. But only for a moment. It also lists the possibility of wheat in the allergen statement.

Caramel, peanut butter, almond, dark chocolate, and dark chocolate sea salt contain the same allergen statement.

I don’t worry as much if an allergen statement says processed on equipment that also processes wheat, but they may contain verbiage concerns me.

Peanut Butter and Hazelnut Butter Cups as well as the Yoshi Eggs may contain wheat as well.

All flavors of Sour Strikes appear to be gluten-free. The only questionable item in the ingredient list is natural flavors. Use your judgement and previous experience to determine whether you’re comfortable trying them.

The chocolate milk is gluten-free. I’ll grab a bottle of that and wash down my disappointment that I don’t feel comfortable consuming more of the products.

On an entirely separate website, you can find Mr. Beast Jack Link’s. These are beef sticks that come in original and teriyaki flavor. These seem to be a Mr. Beast branded version of beef sticks that are also sold under the Jack Link’s name. https://mrbeast.jacklinks.com/

A visit to the nutrition facts takes you to the Jack Link’s website. The teriyaki flavor contains wheat. https://www.jacklinks.com/shop/nutrition-facts

The original flavor is a bit of a headscratcher. The label doesn’t list any problem ingredients or contain an allergen statement. But the Mr. Beast side of the website indicated gluten-free products will be clearly labeled gluten-free and these are not.

A little additional poking around on the Jack Link’s website suggests that anyone who is gluten-free should only consume products linked to a specific blog post. The original flavor beef sticks are not linked. Seems like it would be safest to avoid them. https://www.jacklinks.com/blog/10-gluten-free-snacks-to-buy-right-now/

For those who maintain a gluten-free diet, many of Mr. Beast’s snacks are beastly. Sorry for the disappointing news on a holiday!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Down Time

The more you push, the more you need down time. Also, the more you push, the more difficult it can become to justify slowing down. Momentum breeds momentum.

Girl blowing dandelion with trees in the background.

Even if you can physically manage overworking for an extended period, you may begin to notice it has become harder to stay emotionally engaged, creatively inspired, or highly motivated. Emotional exhaustion can cause you to slowly detach from tasks and friends. Or you may procrastinate in a way you have not previously.

Each step of a project may be preceded by dread or fatigue. You may feel like you’re in slow motion. Or you may make more mistakes than usual, even when you think you’re paying attention and trying your best.

You may be trying your best. There could be some underlying problem that needs to be addressed with a professional. But it could be you need time to rejuvenate.

We have vacations for this reason. But do we have enough vacation days to create balance? Are we able to relax or do we approach vacations like another to do list? I participate in many more discussions about working too much than about embracing stillness.

Perhaps if we explore the benefits of down time, we can begin to explore and embrace it.

Here are some valuable things to be gained:

Your body can relax. This helps heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels which helps you relax. See what’s happening here?

Your mind can drift. Someone recently asked me how you start writing a book. My first answer was stare out the window a lot. I often come up with a book idea or a plot resolution when I’m in the shower. Why? Because I’m focused on something else (hopefully, sometimes I forget to shampoo my hair when I have a great idea) and my mind is wandering freely.

Your to-do list can pause. Of course it can pause at any time, but when you deliberately enjoy down time, the pause doesn’t come with guilt.

Your mood can shift. If it’s been a long time since you’ve truly relaxed, you may wander through some difficult emotions before you get to some that feel better. This is especially true when you’ve been through a season of caregiving or loss. A dramatic shift is not always bad because it can help get us past numbing. And it’s unlikely that you’ll have no response to such a big change.

Your sleep can improve. If your mind is constantly churning and keeping you awake, down time can help break this cycle.

You can gain perspective. When you’re in the middle of something, it’s hard to see it clearly. It’s hard to make good decisions because we can’t quite get enough distance to be objective. If we’re worn out on top of this, it can feel impossible to have the perspective we need to keep from sabotaging ourselves.

You can make room for fun and/or joy. Keeping ourselves overly busy leaves no room to feel carefree during pleasant activities.

You can be more present for friends and family. If our minds are always rushing on to the next problem, we’re not really able to be present. Down time can give us the luxury of engagement without being in a hurry.

That’s a lot of pluses. Research says down time may make us more productive and more creative when we reengage. Even so, it may not be easy. But down time is worth pursuing.

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Raspberry Bread

I’ve been choosing raspberry bread for breakfast. My system rebels against so many packaged products now that it’s hard to find gluten-free bread that doesn’t cause a major, itchy rash. Itching makes it hard to sleep. It makes it harder to work. A rash means I have to alter my wardrobe. I just need to bake something.

three raspberries on white with fingers picking up the middle one

Breakfast is hard. I used to eat unsweetened, homemade yogurt, raw almonds, and fresh berries. Now that fermented food is a problem for me, I’ve been looking for the best alternative. Muffins could be a good choice.

I didn’t want to mess with a muffin tin or measuring cups for that matter. I decided to dump some stuff in a bowl, throw it in a baking dish, and hope for the best.

Here’s what happened. I started with a large bowl and a small baking dish. After setting the oven to heat to 350°, I sprayed the baking dish with olive oil spray.

Then I started dumping things in the bowl – sweet potato flour, tapioca flour, almond flour, taro powder, baking powder, maple syrup, vanilla, ground cloves, salt, olive oil, eggs, and milk. I added a little hot water, stirred in some fresh raspberries. I baked it 30 minutes. It was quite tasty and satisfying.

I tried again with larger quantities of everything. I had used all of the sweet potato flour I had on hand. Sweet white sorghum flour or gluten-free oat flour could work instead. I could also use melted butter instead of oil, add some molasses, or honey. I dumped away and baked longer. The result has been my breakfast the past two days.

The bread has a dense crumb with a pleasant texture and flavor. I was thinking of calling it spoon bread, but the egg holds it together well enough to slice. I can even toast it.

The raspberries are such a treat to bite into. They’re bright and a little sweet, but also a little tangy. That contrasts with the cloves and taro in a nice way. I think this bread is a keeper.

Before it can become a Cooking2Thrive recipe, I’ll need to devise actual measurements, test the recipe, tweak it, and test again. There will be enough dirty dishes to more than make up for the dump and bake method I’ve used up to this point.

Measuring will bring more consistent results, but it’s good to remember cooking is an art as well as a science. Inevitable differences in heat, humidity, and ingredients will tell a trained eye that the batter may need an additional tablespoon of water. The observant nose will detect an insufficient amount of vanilla.

This bread started as me playing with ingredients in the hope of creating a breakfast food that wouldn’t make me itch. The trial was successful enough that I wanted more.

Your favorite dish may not be raspberry bread, but it may come from playing in the kitchen. Enjoy the process! Devour the rewards.

So Few Answers

If we don’t know how to filter information, a search can give us lots of it and so few answers at the same time. But how do you filter information effectively these days? It’s harder literally every day. Which, by the way, is why we’re talking about it so much.

African American man sitting on bench smiling while searching on phone.

Don’t rely on an AI summary. Yes, it may cite sources, but that doesn’t mean it has generated an accurate answer. The other day, I lifted some 2 cu ft bags of soil onto a wagon to move them. Later, I was curious how much weight I lifted. I searched for the weight of 2 cu ft of garden soil knowing that it varies depending on the amount of moisture in the soil, etc.

Citing two sources that looked legitimate on the face, AI told me the bags weigh 150 lbs each. Um, I may not be particularly weak, but I can’t heft 150 pounds onto a wagon.

A day or two after that, AI generated a list of recent activities for someone I know is dead, has been dead for years, and so far as I know, has not been resurrected. If you’re saying duh, I know not to believe AI, are you certain you know the difference?

Accept that you may not be able to spot fraudulent information simply by the manner in which it’s written, displayed, or broadcast. A friend assumed he was hearing content that was generated by AI because it pronounced something differently than a human. It was simply a machine voice reading content generated by a human. In other words, his understanding of indicators of generative AI weren’t indicative of that at all.

Writers constantly tell me they can always spot AI writing, but I recently read a text comparison in which the difference was not clear at all. That may be because AI learns exponentially. Last month, or last week you may have been able to tell the difference. This week, it may sound just like your mother.

Some AI generated content may be accurate. Some human generated content is fraudulent or reaches inaccurate conclusions. We have to develop a vetting process that’s more nuanced than assuming we can always spot AI and should always ignore it.

Go to real websites. If something is pushed to you through an ad or social media, go to the website yourself rather than using a link from an ad. It’s not bad to keep a list of the actual http:// address for sites you use regularly. The easiest way to do this is to bookmark them in your browser.

Check with human experts. I don’t mean experts like your sister or best friend (unless they are experts). Something some platforms have given us is access to the top researchers and thinkers in the world. What are they saying as opposed to what you’re seeing on TikTok or Reels?

For history, choose historians. For medical and health concerns, look at a combination of research, best practices, and science facts from degreed professionals – M.D., Ph.D., PharmD, DCN, MPH, PsyD and others. Explore who follows each one, what kind of reputation they have among their colleagues.

Avoid the influence of influencers. I’m not saying all influencers are wrong. They may not be. It’s fine to gather information from them and make lists of resources, books, or products. Just understand there may be a financial incentive for them to promote certain things.

Read real books. There’s a world of nonfiction with valuable information. Take your list of vetted professionals and read their books. You’ll get a lot more depth than online summaries.

Use your brain. Some things that are solid scientifically may not make sense to you, but it doesn’t hurt to approach claims with skepticism keeping in mind that political influence of any sort or research dollars from sources that will directly benefit create bias.

Often, we filter information to give us the fastest, easiest sounding solution. There’s nothing wrong with that per se. But it’s important to remember there are no shortcuts without side effects. A side effect might be that you have to give up something to afford the convenient solution. The side effect could mean you eat prepackaged food that isn’t as healthy as fresh.

When it’s time to review your current habits, remember you may find a ton of information but still get so few answers. Unfortunately, that’s the moment we live in, but we’re here to help!