Nutrition Nugget! Bite-sized bonus episodes offer tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about Biena Edamame and whether this crunchy, protein-packed, roasted soybean snack deserves a spot in your healthy snack rotation. Are these little bites truly a nutritional powerhouse, or is the marketing just noise? Jenn digs into the ingredients, the nutrition facts, and even the sourcing of the soybeans to give you the full picture. Is this an airport find worth tracking down at your grocery store, or are there enough red flags to give you pause? Tune in to find out where Jenn lands on this one. Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full-length episodes of new releases every Wednesday. Have an idea for a nutrition nugget? Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/

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KEYWORDS: Jenn Trepeck, Nutrition Nugget, Salad With A Side Of Fries, Health Tips, Wellness Tips, Healthy Protein Snacks, Biena Edamame, Roasted Edamame, Plant-Based Snacks, High Protein Snacks, Healthy Snacking, Edamame Snacks, Chickpea Snacks, Avocado Oil Snacks, Non-GMO Snacks, Gluten-Free Snacks, Vegan Snacks, Portable Snacks, Airport Snacks, Snack Label Reading, Nutrition Facts, Serving Size, Net Carbs, Dietary Fiber, Naturally Occurring Sugar, Sodium Content, Himalayan Pink Salt, Glyphosate, Organic Soy, Soybeans, Rule Of Five, Nutrient Dense Foods, Legume Snacks, Weight Loss Snacks, Wellness Snacks, Clean Ingredients, Snack Portion Control, Protein Per Serving, Low Sugar Snacks, Crunchy Snacks, Salty Snacks, Convenience Foods, Travel Snacks, Snack Comparison, Detoxification, Food Marketing, Best High Protein Plant-Based Snacks, How To Read Snack Nutrition Labels

[00:00:26] So I've known about this brand. Bridget, have you seen the Biena chickpeas? Like the chickpeas?

[00:00:33] Jenn Trepeck: Okay. So I've had their roasted chickpeas. I've seen them in the grocery store, in the airport and that kind of stuff. Then in March I was in the airport flying out of LaGuardia and saw really Stephanie, my friend, who, you know, if you're a long time listener, you've heard Stephanie.

[00:01:09] And so I added them to our list for us to talk about. So. Like I said, I have had their chickpea snacks, but I never really looked into the company, so I did that for us. So I may be butchering this woman's name. Forgive me. I apologize if I am, but the founder is Povi Petia. Is maybe how we say it. The emphasis is probably on the wrong salala, but thank you.

[00:02:05] These were unlike anything else in the snack aisle. I think she's spot on. I mean, some of this is probably written more focused on the chickpea snacks because the edamame snacks are new still. I think it totally applies. The edamame, I think, is totally on brand. Anyway, she says, no matter how much we grow, our mission stays the same to to better fuel your life with real food, real protein, and zero compromises.

[00:02:57] And now if you're here listening to salad with a side of fries. [00:03:00] You're likely looking at things as one of a variety of snacks versus an either or piece. Still, I think it's a great tool for perspective for people who are potentially less familiar or you know, less savvy than are salad with a side effects.

[00:03:40] Like I get where they're going. It just feels, I don't know a little out of place if you don't know what the ick is. Don't worry about it. It's not really important. I do think they're spot on on some of those selling points though. Portability. No need for refrigeration. Convenience, perks for sure. Like they traveled with [00:04:00] me to Miami, back from Miami.

[00:04:33] Now, they're not calling out organic on the edamame, so I'm curious. What we see in the ingredients, it's possible they just didn't wanna pay for the, you know, certified organic label. But we'll see in the ingredients. So let's start. I know I normally start with the nutrition facts, but let's start with the ingredients on this one.

[00:05:20] I also, for what it's worth, I checked out their FAQ just to see if they talked about it anywhere on their site, and they don't, so it's not a deal breaker, it's just an awareness piece. You can decide if that's a deal breaker for you. The only seasoning I could really taste was the salt. I like that they're using Himalayan pink salt because then it has some minerals in there.

[00:06:08] Where they make sure that not every bite tastes exactly the same. It's part of keeping you coming back for more. So the indication there is this might be a little more challenging to have a sense of the quantity that we're having when we're eating these. For the rest of the ingredients, I think we just have to look at the nutrition facts so we can see what's there.

[00:06:53] In that we get 130 calories, five grams of fat with 0.5 grams of saturated fat, nine grams of [00:07:00] total carbs with five grams of fiber, and two grams of sugar, zero grams of added sugar. Then there's 13 grams of protein. Now, I don't normally note this, but I want to here because of the salt flavor. It says 240 milligrams of sodium.

[00:07:43] And again, I think some of this is also a function of using Himalayan salt versus like table salt. Okay. With the nutrition facts, if we keep it to one serving. Kind of everything checks out, right? The fat checks out with our usual guidelines. The rule of [00:08:00] five. And if you wanna go back, we have episodes on reading labels for that one.

[00:08:31] Not that they've sort of added sugar into that seasoning mix. On the net carb count, our net carb is four. Again, checks out with our usual guidelines. So all in, I think I'm a hell yes on the Biena edamame with two caveats. So my first caveat is the serving size, because these are probably also simple to overeat.

[00:09:17] Like I said, I wish that they let us know, like something can be glyphosate free and not organic. So I sort of wish they let us know maybe Biena Snacks or Poor V. If you're listening, maybe that's the next upgrade or information that you can add to your website. And again, it's not that we need to live our lives in a bubble, but I do think we wanna manage that glyphosate intake and support our detoxification pathways.

[00:10:01] Bridget Walton: We're on the same page. This is something that I would love to eat next time at the airport next time I'm at the airport.

[00:10:24] Jenn Trepeck: stressed

[00:10:33] Jenn Trepeck: Yeah. And I could also see too, like if you're one of those people who likes to munch on, you know, something salty, crunchy while watching TV or at night or whatever, like this would be a great option to kind of fit those needs, especially just because it's so nutrient dense, like it's giving you more.

[00:10:49] Bridget Walton: That is really interesting though, that they don't have anything on their website about organic or anything like that. Just 'cause it is,

[00:10:57] Bridget Walton: This is a pretty good like branding picture towards [00:11:00] that kind of target market, but

[00:11:01] Bridget Walton: you know, yeah,

[00:11:05] Yes. 'cause that, especially when it comes to soy, that's a big piece, but.

[00:11:10] Jenn Trepeck: there you have it. The Biena, edamame, snacks. Well, as always, everybody, I'm your host, Jenn Trepeck. Connect with me on all social media. I'm at Jenn Trepeck. J-E-N-N-T-R-E-P-E-C-K. Website is a salad with a side of fries.com. Pick your platform, send a message because I love hearing from you.

[00:11:40] Bridget Walton: Thanks for having me.

[00:11:50] This shows your support for this podcast, this community, but most importantly, it supports your health. On top of this week's episode, in full video with Behind the Scenes content, your 24 7, ask Me [00:12:00] anything on the community board. You'll get this week's recipe for shamed Spring vegetable and apple salad with Ginger Dijon dressing well, friends, that's it for today's episode of Salad with a Side of Fries.