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Review: Honey Stinger New Gluten-Free Waffles

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Long time no blog! I promise I didn’t fall off the face of the earth. I have been busy with my personal training clients and life. I have been sharing some gluten-free finds, reviews, and information on my Gluten-Free is Life Facebook page. In fact, that is probably the best place to “follow me” to stay in the loop. 

Last week I received some samples of the new gluten-free Honey Stinger varieties. 

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Organic Vanilla & Chocolate Flavored Waffle – This waffle was really good. The outside is vanilla and in the inside is chocolate. The flavors blended well together and were just what I expected. 

Inside of the waffle:

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Organic Chocolate Mint Flavored Waffle – While I really enjoyed this waffle, there was very little, if any, mint flavor. I shared with a friend who loves chocolate mint anything and she agreed that this waffle was lacking the mint. If you like chocolate this waffle would be a great choice, but don’t expect any mint flavor. 

  • Honey Stinger also offers 3 more gluten-free waffle varieties:
  • Salted Caramel <——My favorite!
  • Wildflower Honey
  • Cinnamon

Honey Stinger products can be found in select retailers across the US and online. Please be sure you are choosing the “gluten-free” waffles as they do make varieties that are not gluten-free. 

*These products were sent to me free of charge for review purposes. The thoughts and opinions shared here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything. 

Review: Honey Stinger New Gluten-Free Products

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I have been a long-time fan of Honey Stinger Gels and Chews. I use them before or during my runs or long workouts. Many friends recommended the Honey Stinger Waffles as well, but they weren’t gluten-free at the time. Now Honey Stinger has introduced Gluten-Free Honey Stinger Waffles along with a new flavor of Gel and a brand new product: Honey Stinger Protein Chews. 

Honey Stinger Blog

There are three different varieties of Honey Stinger Gluten-Free Waffles (also dairy-free):

  • Organic Salted Caramel Waffle 
  • Organic Cinnamon Waffle 
  • Organic Maple Waffle

I immediately fell in love with these and don’t know that I can live without the Organic Salted Caramel Waffle. This may be my new go-to fuel for workouts. I can’t thank Honey Stinger enough for making these gluten-free! *It is important to note that not all flavors of the Honey Stinger Waffles are gluten-free. The gluten-free waffles are clearly labeled. 

Honey Stinger Blog

I have liked all of the previous Honey Stinger Gell varieties and this one is no different. The Mango Orange Gel is smooth and not overly sweet or too thick or thin. It is a nice addition to the line-up of gels. All of the Honey Stinger Gels are gluten and dairy-free. 

Honey Stinger Blog

The new Honey Stinger Raspberry Protein Chews are the first of their kind. The previous Honey Stinger Chews didn’t have added protein. These new chews are made with organic pea protein, so they are also free of dairy in addition to gluten. They contain 5 grams of protein per package. There are two more flavors debuting this month:

  • Cherry Lime Protein Chews
  • Juneberry Protein Chews

The protein chews are tasty, though I was able to detect a slight pea protein taste. This didn’t detract from the product for me, but wanted to mention in my review. I will definitely be buying these again in the future along with the GF Honey Stinger Waffles.You can purchase Honey Stinger products in select retailers across the US or online directly from their website. 

*The products mentioned in this post were sent to me free of charge for review purposes. The thoughts and opinions shared here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything. 

Workout Tracking – Garmin vs. Apple Watch vs. FitBit Charge HR

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Since I began exercising consistently in 2008, I have used some sort of gadget to track my workouts. I started with a Polar watch (heart rate monitoring) to track my workouts, but then switched to a Garmin once I began running on a regular basis and wanted GPS to track my mileage.

Earlier this summer I purchased a FitBit Charge HR. I wore the FitBit Charge HR 24/7. I also wore my Garmin Forerunner 620 along with the FitBit Charge HR when I was running. I found the FitBit Charge HR to be somewhat accurate for tracking distance (without GPS) and within a beat or 2 for the average heart rate when compared to the Garmin. The FitBit Charge HR does have the capability to use the GPS via the FitBit app on my phone for more accurate distance tracking, but I never used it for that.

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On Black Friday I ended up getting an Apple Watch and knew that there was no way I would wear all 3 devices at once, but wanted to figure out which was the best for the information I wanted to track. I knew I would continue to wear my Garmin for coaching MIT and speed work, but I didn’t figure I would continue to wear the FitBit Charge HR. I committed to wearing all 3 for one week to compare data and then I would make my choice.

As far as distance is considered, the Garmin and the Apple Watch were pretty much spot on. The downfall is you have to be carrying your iPhone in order for the GPS to work with the Apple Watch, just like GPS for the FitBit Charge HR. For me that isn’t a big issue, as I always run with my phone. As far as heart rate data is concerned, all 3 devices were within a beat or 2 of each other when comparing averages. The big deal here is the method of monitoring the heart rate…both the FitBit Charge HR and Apple Watch have wrist heart rate monitors and don’t require the chest strap the Garmin 620 does. It is important to note that the device must be tight on your wrist in order for the heart rate to be accurate. 

The device you choose is dependent upon what your preferences are. For my daily runs, I have been wearing only my Apple Watch and have been completely satisfied with the data it tracks and records. As I stated above, for coaching MIT and speed work, I use my Garmin. I no longer wear my FitBit Charge HR. My daily activity tracker of choice is the Apple Watch. It has more capabilities that I use than the FitBit Charge HR. The only missing piece is the sleep tracker, which you can do using an App on the iPhone if it is important to you.

  • FitBit Charge HR – Monitors steps, heart rate, sleep, and has caller ID. Recently received some bad press regarding a lawsuit about inaccurate heart rates. MSRP = $149.99
  • Apple Watch – This is the only one of the 3 that measures how much you stand throughout the day. It encourages you to stand for 1 minute out of an hour 12 times per day. You can also use Siri, the alarm clock, your calendar, maps, instant heart rate, weather, texts, emails, and a number of apps. MSRP – $349 (38 mm – women’s version); $399 (42 mm – men’s version)
  • Garmin Forerunner 620 – Lots of bells & whistles, including GPS, heart rate, recovery time, and VO2 Max predictor. Does not monitor other daily activity or sleep. MSRP – $399 w/ heart rate strap

So there you have it. If you have any questions regarding any of the devices I shared above, please leave a comment below.

Warning: Whining Ahead

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I apologize in advance for the whining, but I need to get this out. Today I am bitching about my stomach and the foods that seem to bother it. Unfortunately, the number of food that make me feel bad seems to be increasing. Or – maybe it is the same number, but I am just at a higher frustration level? Whatever it is, I’m becoming less willing to deal with my diet limitations. 

 

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These days I truly feel like I am just eating to live. While I love food, I don’t like how a lot of it makes me feel.  I am left with minimal choices that get boring despite trying new combinations of foods that play nice with my body. It isn’t even a matter of finding foods that I like…there aren’t many foods I won’t eat (aside from papaya and oysters), but there are many that don’t agree with me:

  • Gluten – Celiac Disease
  • Dairy 
  • Eggs – ok in baked goods, upset stomach/GI with scrambled/fried/boiled
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Sesame seeds
  • Poppy seeds
  • Peppers
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Cauliflower
  • Tomatoes – recent…really flare up reflux
  • Carbonated beverages

 

There are times that I wonder what the hell is wrong with me? How I would love to not have to think about how to safely feed myself! I try to remind myself that at least none of my food issues result in anaphylaxis, but that doesn’t make me feel better or solve my problem. However, it does make me thankful that I haven’t been cursed with a life-threatening food allergy. 

 

So how do I pull myself out of this funk? In the past I would just focus on eating my meals and snacks and not allow myself to skip a meal. Having a history of an eating disorder makes me very aware of what my body needs to not only survive, but thrive. Perhaps eliminating dining out for the time being would be a good place to start. We don’t eat out very often, but enough to know that even while I may not be ingesting gluten or dairy, I am possibly getting some of other things I listed above in some way. Considering how restaurants prepare food, the seasonings and marinades they use, and how some of the foods come prepackaged, the odds are good that I am eating something that will bother me. Making all of my food in my own kitchen is the safest way I can think of to feed myself. I think I am going to go back and re-read my own post on Mix & Match Meal Bowls for some inspiration. 

 

Do you have to avoid any other foods in addition to gluten? If so, please share your experiences and how you cope.