Kay’s Naturals was thoughtful enough to send us a generous sampling of many of their varied gluten free (GF) products.  We behaved like excited children opening gifts on a holiday when the large cardboard box arrived.  Having done online product reviews in the past for Qwowi.com, we were pleasantly surprised at how much Kay’s Naturals sent us; it was the most liberal product sampling we’ve ever been sent.  On that note, we can certainly understand how Kay’s Naturals must be very proud of their products.  They were excellent.

Dr. Massoud Kazemzadeh created these products with his own wife in mind, who happens to have juvenile diabetes. It is no secret that many tasty treats that happen to be GF or low in carbohydrates also happen to be of low nutritional value.  This fact concerned Dr. Kazemzadeh (Dr. Kay) and that is how Kay’s Naturals was conceived.  We appreciate Dr. Kay’s insights, because it is a noteworthy product line of high fiber, high protein snacks, which also happen to be GF.

For those of you out there who follow a GF diet, you know how agonizing it can be to approach a dessert buffet or tray at a restaurant or party.  While in one moment you are just praying that there is a fruit salad because you know it will be the only thing you can even eat, you would really rather have a gooey slice of chocolate cake.   Eating healthy is, well… eating healthy.  Snacking on fruit is not the same as savoring a piece of cake.  Kay’s Naturals strikes a balance in this notion of healthy eating.  Honestly, some of Kay’s snacks taste “healthier” than others, and we will be honest in our renderings.  Here’s the thing… Kay’s Naturals are healthy… some of the snacks are just “naughtier” tasting than others—and we mean naughty in the good way!

1. Veggie Pizza Protein Puffs: Yum!  All of Kay’s Protein Puffs have a wonderful crunch and a nice texture.  The flavor in this one really comes out, and it’s a much healthier, yet still tasty version of “a Dorito meets a cheese puff.”
2. Jalapeño Honey Mustard Pretzels: Surprisingly spicy!  I know, it says jalapeño, but it really does pack a punch!  For me, these didn’t feel or taste like pretzels, yet they were yummy all the same.  They were too crumbly and the wrong texture to be a true pretzel.  Overall, it was good flavor, but I could tell they were healthy.
3. Honey Flavored, Almond Filled Cookie Bites: These little gems have wonderful flavor, in which the taste of cinnamon and almond really come through, yet the texture is airy.  While tasty and crunchy, they cannot honestly be called cookies; they are more like scrumptious cereal.
4. Almond Delight Protein Puffs: As mentioned earlier, all of the Protein Puffs were a hit.  Their texture stands up to the non-GF snack world, and for anyone who appreciates a sincere almond flavor, these are perfect.
5. Apple Cinnamon Protein Cereal, French Vanilla Protein Cereal, and Honey Almond Protein Cereal:  These products are lighter versions of Cheerios.  They are lighter in both texture and in flavor than Cheerios, although much higher in nutrients, so you be the judge.  For us, the flavor didn’t really come through as much as we would have liked, yet the cereal is good, and something we would purchase again.
6. Cinnamon Toast Pretzel Sticks: These were a hit in our house, and this might have been our favorite product of the samples sent along.  To us, these pretzel sticks actually tasted like cinnamon toast, with a decent texture, and outstanding flavor.
7. Lemon Herb Protein Chips: Let’s preface this aspect of the review by saying that we love lemon-flavored snacks.  It is rather easy to infuse a food with lemon flavor, too.  Unfortunately, we must be honest and say this snack was not our favorite and we can’t recommend it.
8. Tomato Basil Protein Puffs: These puffs were surprisingly sweet, and almost tasted more like a sugary, tomato-y BBQ flavor.  We didn’t even notice the basil flavor coming through, which was disappointing.  They are yummy, though, and perhaps should be re-named.  Like all of the Kay’s Protein Puffs, they have nice texture and a great crunch.
9. Nacho Cheese Protein Chips: If you are in the mood for a much healthier version of a smoky, chili-inspired version of a Dorito, these are the chips for you.  This chip is a fantastic example of a “naughty” tasting snack, which is actually delicious and healthy.
10. Crispy Parmesan Protein Chips: Awesome!  The taste is perfect, they provide an excellent crunch and texture, and these chips are another example of a yummy snack that you would never believe is healthy, yet carries tremendous nutritional value.
11. Sweet BBQ Snack Mix: This was another of our favorites.  This was simply great!  It provided a lovely BBQ taste, and varied, exceptional textures, which is rare in the GF snack world.  This was another hit in our household!

One last note—for anyone out there who follows a GF diet, and who is also desiring to lose weight, the Kay’s Naturals website provides a Diet Plan.  We think the Diet Plan is a realistic, affordable, healthy option for GF or non-GF folks to shed pounds.  For anyone searching for a convenient, scripted weight loss program, which is high in fiber, protein, and other nutrients, this may be a viable choice.  The program combines Kay’s Naturals cereals and snacks with other healthy, commonly-available items such as yogurt, lettuce, and canned soups, to make the diet an easy and quick way to step up one’s health, while remaining GF and low-carb.

As you can tell, we really enjoyed, and will continue to enjoy, Kay’s Naturals.  We are glad to have found some nutrient-filled GF foods!  We all know what can happen when you overindulge in GF goodies!