No artifcial sweeteners have been used. The natural sweeteners erythritol and stevia are in the bikkies. See Ingredients for more info.
Lupins are “beans” and belong to the legume family along with lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans etc. However they are nutritionally superior to other legumes (being much higher in plant protein, fibre, nutrients and much lower in carbs) and have some super health benefits. Lupins are natural appetite suppressants; they help to regulate blood sugars, lower cholesterol, blood pressure and can help improve your gut microbiome. For more info click here.
Dr Kouris has done some pioneering research on the Mediterranean diet in the 1990s where she discovered the importance of regularly eating legumes in meals and snacks for health and longevity. Some of the longest lived people in the world live in the Mediterranean and eat whole lupin beans as a snack. However, legumes are not popular in the Australian diet. To help Australians eat more legumes she decided to “sneak” them into a popular snack food – biscuits!
They are a delicious and easy way to get some nutritious whole foods, especially legumes, into your diet. They will also give you good amounts of plant protein, good fats and prebiotic fibres without too many calories, sugar and refined starchy carbs.
You may also get some health benefits from the lupins and other ingredients and you may find your hunger and sugar cravings are reduced.
Skinnybik contain several ingredients that are natural appetite suppressants such as lupin, oatbran, almonds, cocoa, eggs, coconut, stevia, erythritol and polydextrose.
They reduce appetite by: 1) delaying stomach emptying 2) by have a bulking action in the gut 3) delaying glucose and fat absorption 4) altering appetite hormones in the gut 5) by promoting the growth of good bacteria which produce bioactive compounds that can affect the function of the gut, liver, pancreas and even the brain.
Many of my patients have lost weight whilst on a low carb diet or 5:2 diet and eating up to 4 Skinnybik a day (see testimonials). The overwhelming feedback is that they reduce hunger and are a great replacement for other less healthy snacks. Patients also said they helped to control cravings and in some cases prevented overeating at meal times. PS. The bikkies were called Skinnybik to highlight that they are “skinny” in sugar, carbs calorie and bad fats.
Yes – because of their excellent nutrient profile and whole food ingredients (that’s why they got a 5 health star rating as a snack but also as a breakfast food).
Yes! Up to 4 bikkies (60g total) will provide less than 200 calories with a whopping 10-12g fibre, 10g protein, 10g carbs, under 4g sugar and you will not feel hungry for hours! Combine them with a milky coffee or tea for a perfect quick satisfying breakfast. Did you know that wholesome biscuits were traditionally consumed for breakfast in the Mediterranean.
Yes! 2 bikkies (30g total) are perfect as a satisfying snack mid morning and afternoon, after the gym or after dinner, or when you are looking for that sweet fix without all the sugar and calories.
Skinnybik are a better choice because they have a lot less carbs, sugar and calories, similar protein but much more fibre. Protein balls usually contain a lot of dried fruit contributing to high sugar content; Skinnybik has low-moderate amounts of dried fruit!
60g serving
- Skinnybik are suitable for all ages because they are packed full of wholesome ingredients. However they are particularly suited to people who are:
– trying to manage their weight - following a low carb diet (up to 4 bikkies a day providing 10g carbs)
- following a keto diet (but restrict to 2 bikkies a day providing 5g carbs)
- trying to manage their blood sugars and cholesterol
- trying to improve their gut health and microbiome
wanting a softer textured protein snack
Yes they have. Click here for more info.
Yes you can! The clinical trial showed that Skinnybik did not raise blood sugars when four were consumed in one day – in fact they appeared to improve glycaemic control (i.e less glucose spikes) compared to other lower carb biscuits. Also many of my patients report that Skinnybik have little impact on their blood sugars.
Slow release energy means that Skinnybik does not raise blood sugars quickly based on our clinical study (and other studies on lupin). This in turn means your energy levels and hunger will be more stable. This is not surprising since they are low carb, high fibre and protein and contain several ingredients that have a low glycaemic index and glycaemic load (lupin flour, almond meal, oatbran, dates, erythritol and polydextrose fibre) see ingredients
Even though Skinnybik have slightly more sugar (from the dried fruit) they are still a better choice for people watching their blood sugars as they have much lower total carbs and much more protein and fibre.
60g serving
They should be avoided if you coeliac disease as they contain gluten from the whole wheat flour and oat bran. Also avoid them if you have allergies to wheat, eggs, nuts, lupins, soy. No dairy has been added to the bikkies except for the dairy in the choc chips.
Most of the ingredients used are high in prebiotic fibres and/or antioxidant polyphenols known to promote the growth of the good bacteria in your colon – especially lupin, oat bran, dried fruit, cocoa and the polydextrose fibre. See ingredients.
Skinnybik do not contain laxative sweeteners like mannitol, maltitol, sorbitol or xylitol found in other low carb/sugar free products. Polydextrose fibre may have a laxative effect if you consume 15 bikkies or more in one day! As for the bloating, lupin is a legume which may cause bloating in some people, especially in those with IBS. Diarrhoea and bloating has been rarely reported by my patients over the last 10 years!
Yes, from the wholemeal flour and oat bran.
Most of my customers/patients were buying the gluten free bikkies because they liked the flavours and not because they were gluten free. “Gluten free” flour is typically made from refined rice, tapioca and corn flours which are low in protein, fibre, nutrients and high in starchy carbs. So not that healthy! So I decided I would improve the nutritional and health profile of the bikkies by using beneficial wholegrains like oat bran and wholemeal flour. (see ingredients)
That depends which FODMAPs you are sensitive to. The bikkies have not been officially tested for FODMAPs. However, they only contain about 10% wholemeal flour (a source of fructans). The main flours used are lupin flour and almond meal which are both high in the FODMAP “GOS”. So if you are sensitive to GOS it’s best you avoid them. The bikkies do not have added dairy except for milk found in the dark choc chips so are low in lactose. The dried fruit content is also quite low (6%) so bikkies would be relatively low in fructose (<1g).
Polydextrose is a soluble prebiotic fibre. It was added to enhance the fibre content of the bikkies and for its appetite suppressing qualities. See ingredients for more info.
Cocoa is usually treated with alkaline (known as the “Dutching” process) to reduce bitterness, which results in a 60% decrease in antioxidant polyphenols. Undutched cocoa (also called “Natural cocoa”) used in Skinnybik is not treated with alkaline and therefore has higher levels of polyphenols. See ingredients.
See question “Who should avoid these bikkies”