[00:00:00] Welcome to Salad with a side of Fries. I'm your host, Jenn Trepeck, talking wellness and weight loss for real life. We're here to clear up the myths, misinformation, bad science and marketing to teach you how to eat and how to cheat. Are you ready? I'm having salad with a side of Fries. This week we're talking about mosh bars.

[00:00:26] Have you had them? Maybe you've seen them. So my mom asked me about them and she saw members of the Kennedy family promoting them, and she wasn't sure if you know they made them or what the story was. Then of course, because we talked about them, they were all over my social media because of course, you know.

[00:00:46] Big Brother is listening. So anyway, added them to our list for us to look at them together. So here we are now. As always. I started with their website. They say What's inside? Brain supporting [00:01:00] ingredients. Then they call out Cognizant, a patented acetylcholine. Vitamins B12 and D three Lion's, mane, ashwagandha and omega threes.

[00:01:10] Then there's a banner that says, family founded gives back supports brain health award-winning mindful ingredients. Now, all of this sounds appealing. Let's talk about that acetylcholine for a minute. So it's naturally found in the brain, the cognizant. Is, you know, a patented ingredient of the acetylcholine and it is a clinically studied ingredient that in the studies, well, I suppose on their website they say it helps the brain stay sharp.

[00:01:41] They tell us. So some of the studies talk about how it supports healthy mitochondria, which is responsible for our brain's energy, higher levels of a TP in brain cells, and. They say can also help fuel mental performance, mental processing. Enhanced focus and [00:02:00] concentration. And there's definitely some interesting research on this as a nootropic, which is, you know, brain supporting ingredients.

[00:02:10] Now the studies that I saw, people were given about 500 milligrams of day of that acetylcholine in a capsule. And so I'm curious how much of this ingredient we're really getting from this 'cause. 500 milligrams. I know it kind of feels like a lot. We'll look at that in a minute, then I see in their site.

[00:02:31] So yes, Maria Shriver and Patrick Schwarzenegger are behind the product. They say Your mind, our mission, and I'm reading right from their site. It says, after seeing a loved one's battle with Alzheimer's, we created Mosh the Brain brand to inspire and educate you to proactively maintain your brain health together with your purchase.

[00:02:51] We fund Alzheimer's research to make a difference for all generations, so I love that. I think we really need to look at our [00:03:00] particular label to dig in and see exactly what we're getting. About all of these ingredients. So I went to the page for their best sellers, and I picked the peanut butter chocolate crunch because that's probably the flavor that I would try or at least try first.

[00:03:15] So on the package it says brain and body fuel, 13 grams of protein, three grams of sugar brain super foods. Then a little certified gluten-free badge. Then their description says, see how mosh turns? Chocolate peanut butter cups into peanut butter, chocolate crunch, sweet and creamy chocolate chips pair perfectly with a freshly ground peanut butter crunch.

[00:03:40] Fusd with cognizant C choline. Our signature brain blend is sharper than ever offering a brain boosting indulgence, whether it's a pre-workout fuel. A snack between meals or late night treat. Each bite promises satisfaction without compromise. Then they say, great for breakfast, [00:04:00] replacement, post-workout, refuel, quick snack on the go.

[00:04:05] And I have to admit, this is probably where they're potentially losing me because for me, I have different nutrient balance that I'm looking for in, you know, those different uses. So, oh, this is funny. So then on their website, they not so subtly compare themselves to go macro bars and RXBARs, and they don't name names, but it's very clear, you know, what they're comparing themselves to with the pictures.

[00:04:34] Now we talked about RXBAR before in a nutrition nugget, so you can go back to that one. They tout that they are mission-driven less than or equal to 180 calories, less than or equal to three grams of sugar, six plus brain ingredients, clinically proven support for focus, and they have a scientific advisory board.

[00:04:54] Then they again highlight their ingredients. The cognizant acetylcholine lion's mane. So we've talked [00:05:00] about lion's mane in our episodes about mushrooms, vitamin D three and B12. We've talked about in our supplementation episodes, ashwagandha, we have a nutrition nugget on, and omega threes we've talked a lot about in our supplementation when we talk about quality fats and we have a nutritional get at omega sixes where we also talked about.

[00:05:22] Omega threes in there. So the real question to me is how much of these ingredients are in there? Okay, so taking a look at the specific product so then we can decide for ourselves. Here we go. It's the peanut butter chocolate crunch, one bar, 170 calories, nine grams of fat with two grams of saturated fat, 15 grams of total carbs of which we have seven grams of fiber, three grams of sugar, including two grams of added sugar, three grams of sugar alcohols, and then 13 grams of protein.

[00:05:56] So, okay, before we get to the ingredients, the fat is a [00:06:00] little higher than ideal, which it kind of makes sense to me though because it's a nut flavor. Now we'll see when we look at the ingredients, where that fat is coming from. Hopefully it's coming from peanuts. The net carbs are five, which we like. So that's the 15 total carbs, less the seven grams of fiber, less the three grams of sugar alcohols.

[00:06:22] That checks out. And then the 13 grams of protein is almost two ounces, more or less. So from this, if I'm only looking at these macronutrients, you know, the nutrition facts there, I think this would probably last me about two hours before I need to eat again. Again, provided the ingredients, checkout for us.

[00:06:41] I'm with you on the snack, on the go. I don't think I would use it post-workout. I think you could maybe use it as a pre-workout. If it was in the morning, I wouldn't really call it breakfast. I'd call it starting the day with a snack. And then you'd [00:07:00] probably need something else mid-morning like this would not take me all the way from.

[00:07:07] Breakfast to what we would think of as lunchtime. Now, I will always have to say, I'm hopeful about the quality of these ingredients and I'm crossing my fingers for some quality doses. So let's see the ingredients. Read peanuts, protein blend. That's whey protein isolate. Whey protein concentrate, grass fed milk protein isolate.

[00:07:30] Tapioca fiber, organic agave, natural flavor, vegetable glycerin, unsweetened chocolate urethra, ol cocoa butter, brain blend, that's flaxseed. Organic lion's mane, acetylcholine as cognizant. Then vitamin B12, vitamin D three. Ashwagandha is KSM 66, which is the patented ingredient of the ashwagandha sunflower, lessen sea salt ol [00:08:00] glycosides, monk, fruit extract, tapioca starch, and calcium carbonate.

[00:08:04] So, huh, okay, I like that. The first ingredient is peanuts. I'm a fan of their protein sources. I wish sweetener, so in this case, agave wasn't the fourth ingredient. Although all in with the amount of sweeteners and things in there, it's not terrible in total. They have four different sweeteners in there.

[00:08:26] The sugar alcohols and the natural flavors may be deal breakers for some people. So you get to decide and frankly, I don't know. I wish they told us how much ashwagandha, lions mane in instead of choline we're getting. I also feel like. I wish they gave us the sources of the vitamin B12 and D three so that we could better assess.

[00:08:49] Now, back on the nutrition facts label. Looking at the micronutrients part, it says we're getting three micrograms of vitamin D. This is not a [00:09:00] lot. We're in a day. We're really looking for like 125 to 150 micrograms per day. So the three from here, we're not really doing much. Then it says 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12, also.

[00:09:17] Not a lot. We don't know if it's the active form, and frankly, I doubt it is because I feel like if it was, they would tell us that. Then, as we've talked about with B vitamins, they kind of all need to be present for them to work effectively in the body, and they're not here. So those ones are, I don't know, kind of neither here nor there to me.

[00:09:38] The omega threes they mentioned. So that's likely coming from the flaxseed. Again, we don't really know how much we're getting. So when it comes to the claims about the cognitive improvement. All I can say is really you have to see how you feel when you taste it. Again, we don't know for sure, but I'm kind of doubting [00:10:00] that they're close to that effective dose of the 500 milligrams per day of the acetylcholine that I saw in those studies.

[00:10:07] And you know, nevertheless, all of that said, if you notice a difference, have at it. You know, be sure that the other ingredients work for you. And like I said, I think this is more of a snack than a meal. There you have it, friends, mom, our take on mosh bars. Of course, be sure that you read the label of the flavor that you are going to try, and then you get to decide if it meets your needs.

[00:10:35] Well, as always, everybody, I'm your host, gen Tropic, connect with me on Instagram or all social media. I am at Jenn Trepeck J-E-N-N-T-R-E-P-E-C-K website is a salad with the side of fries.com. Pick your platform, send a message. I love hearing from you, your ideas, your takeaways, your questions. This is also the easiest way to learn more about working with me as your health coach, Sarah Wragge.

[00:10:59] Thank you. [00:11:00] Thank you again for joining us. Thank you. So nice to see you, Jen. You too. We'll talk soon. Friend, if you are not already join us in the Happy Healthy Hub, you'll go to a salad with side of fries.com/membership. This shows your support for this podcast, this community, and of course, your health.

[00:11:19] On top of this week's episode, in full video with behind the scenes content, you'll get 24 7 Ask Me Anything Access and this week's recipe for the roasted cauliflower with kale. So until next week, remember, connecting with others is all about how we feel. Which may or may not require an alcoholic beverage or special foods, so we can move away from having fear of having fun, away from feeling like the holidays are happening to us and move into a place of empowered health choices.

[00:11:55] Well, friends, that's it for today's episode of Salad with a Side of Fries. Congratulations for [00:12:00] making yourself and your health a priority. Thanks so much for joining us. Be sure to click subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast platform. Share us with a friend and we'll be back next week. Always remember you deserve it and you are worth it.

[00:12:13] Happy, healthy.