Fitness kit I’ve tested this week: Mariani beef jerky

If there’s one thing people tend to know about bodybuilders, it’s that we love our protein. That and the fact that we wear stage tan when we compete, of course (a person’s first question about bodybuilding will inevitably address the topic of The Tan. It seems to hold endless fascination!)

It’s not always hugely practical – or easy – to find protein snacks when out and about. It’s very easy to find crisps, chocolate bars, biscuits… but protein? Not so much.

Beef jerky to the rescue! More and more places are selling jerky nowadays, from supermarkets to corner shops and even petrol stations.

New to the UK market is soft beef jerky from Mariani, leading producer of premium Australian beef jerky. At 35g protein per 100g, it’s certainly a good option.

So, what’s in Mariana soft beef jerky? Beef, obviously, but grass-fed beef, which is an important detail. That’s the good bit. However, I wasn’t as enamoured with some of the other ingredients on the label: sucrose, dextrose, maltodextrin, rapeseed oil and soya protein. The first few explain this jerky’s relatively high carb count (15.3g per 100g, all of which is from sugars). This is a shame, if you ask me, as great quality beef tastes amazing just as it is, no sugars needed.

That said, this is certainly a good option if you are out and about and stuck for a snack. Most of us could do with eating more protein, and more red meat come to that. It would be worth getting a few bags and keeping them in your bag or in the car (or even in your gym bag) for times when you are likely to be stuck without a snack and liable to start looking around for something. If you’ve got a bag of jerky on you then there’s no excuse to reach for unhealthier options.

In terms of taste, I really liked it. It’s a little bit spicy but not hot, and is certainly nice and soft. You know how some beef jerky takes forever to chew, needs a gallon of water to go with it and leaves you feeling like you have dislocated your jaw? Not so with Mariani jerky. It’s got a bit of chew (as you’d expect from meat) but really is very soft, probably the softest pre-packaged jerky I’ve tried in fact.

Stats per 50g bag (because I don’t believe anyone would eat 1/2 a bag):
112 kcals
17.6g protein
7.6g carbs (from sugars)
1.2g fat (0.6g saturates)
0.2g fibre
0.2g sodium

It’s also high in iron, as you’d expect from beef.
 
It does say that one serving is 25g but I have to say I ate the entire bag with no problem at all and I can’t really see myself only eating half and folding the bag away for another day (it’s not resealable apart from anything else). Perhaps you’re meant to share?

The verdict? Soft and tasty, and a good option if you’re tempted to reach for a pre-packaged snack. Just a bit of a shame about some of the sugars on the ingredients list.

The RRP for Mariani Soft Beef Jerky is £1.99 and is available in Tesco, Costco and some petrol forecourt shops. The company do a lot of other jerky products, including exotic meats, and I hope they bring those over to the UK too!

You can join Mariani Beef Jerky on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Thank you for the sample, Mariani Jerky people!

Fitness kit I’ve tested this week: Mariani beef jerky is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

May Foodie Penpals reveal

Last month I told you about a fun new (to me) thing I took part in: “Foodie Penpals”, a blogger food-swap (the UK “branch” of which is organised by Carol Anne at This is Rock Salt.

I took part again this month, so here we are with my reveal post for the month of May!

As I get deeper into bodybuilding prep (and therefore diet), the sound of teeth being gnashed grows ever louder, as my hapless FPP partners struggle valiantly to send me something I can eat and enjoy! I have to say, both of my FPPs have outdone themselves, and I’ve been really very touched by the thought and effort they’ve put in.

This month’s wonderful parcel was from Christine. Christine doesn’t have a blog or Twitter (yet) but is working on it! She told me I could refer to her as an “aspiring blogger”, but secretly I hope she won’t aspire for too long… get your blog going, Christine, so we can all have a read!

Christine sent me a lovely letter in which she explained her choices and wished me well for my competitions.

Inside the parcel was this bar of dark chocolate from Starbucks (I love dark chocolate, the darker the better!) and also a cute tin of Starbucks Via and another of Green Tea tips.

I’d told Christine I love good coffee and also drink a lot of green tea. She said in her letter that she likes Starbucs Via and thinks it’s one of the better brands of instant out there. I totally agree and, as it happens, I always have some of the sachets of Via in my bag. This tin is really cute though. In fact, when my coach Kat left the UK to go travelling, I bought her one of these tins! Great choice, Christine, thank you! I’m really looking forward to trying the green tea, too. (I like loose leaf tea, there’s something lovely about the process of brewing it.)

Christine had also added a generous tub of her very own spicy seed mix - delicious! Seeds are definitely OK in my diet, and having flavoured ones is a lovely treat. These are great: Christine has flavoured them with cayenne spices and soy sauce, so they’re a lovely savoury, salty, spicy crunch. Yum!

Evidently Christine is a bit of a whizz in the kitchen because she also makes her own granola! I told her that granola is something of a dangerous area for me: portion control+granola=does not exist. So she sent me a small amount (thank you!) and also very sweetly boxed mine up before she added dried fruits to the main batch (I don’t eat dried fruit). I have had this granola, after a heavy leg session, and it was gooooood! So much better than any shop bought stuff! It was crunchy and toasty, not too sweet and full of nuts. Christine, you should go into business!

Come closer…

Look deep into my eyes…

Christine’s final gift was a bag of habas fritas, another savoury crunchy treat (anyone would think she’d listened carefully when I said I have a savoury tooth…) Thank you so much Christine for such a thoughtful parcel! I loved opening it and will continue to enjoy the goodies! X

Oh, and I’m not the only one who got spoiled… thefitdog has his own little treat inside the parcel, a gift from Christine’s dog, Coco.

What is it?

Stop taking photos of it and let me eat it…

Sniff

Chomp!

If you want to join in on UK Foodie Penpals, head over to this link. Head here (the site of the original Foodie Penpals idea) for all the May FPPs posts!

May Foodie Penpals reveal is a post from the Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

April Foodie Penpals reveal

Some of you “in real life” (love that expression) know that “real life” itself has thrown some hefty challenges my way recently. So, anything which is just out-and-out nice, kind and designed to make me smile is appreciated more than ever.

What good timing, then, for me to have signed up to “Foodie Penpals”, a blogger food-swap organised in the UK by Carol Anne at This is Rock Salt. Find out more (and join!) here.

The idea is that you get matched up with a fellow blogger or a blog reader in one big jolly round-robin of food parcel loveliness. With a set budget in mind, you put together a parcel based on an email Q&A with your recipient. Then you await your own parcel! (The recipient of my parcel was Carol Anne, actually, so keep an eye on her blog This is Rock Salt to see how I did – really hope she liked my choices!)

The person who sent me my parcel doesn’t have her own blog but her name is Emma. Emma’s parcel arrived just at the right time for me, when I really needed cheering up. I was actually so delighted and excited to receive it (I’d kind of forgotten it was on its way), I chose to leave it sitting on my table, unopened, until I had a nice relaxing evening ahead of me. I then opened it carefully, enjoying a kind of mini-Christmas.

Poor Emma, I think she got the short straw when she got matched up with me. After all, it can’t be easy to put together a foodie parcel for someone who’s dieting for bodybuilding competitions. She did great though! Her choices were thoughtful and personal. Here’s what she sent:

A beautiful parcel and hand-written (hand-made?) card (put my scribble to Carol Anne to shame!)

Let’s delve deeper…

Yummy cracker bites and fruit strips, great size for travelling or gym bag and a lovely treat to look forward to on carb-up days! Also some delicious-sounding trail mix full of things like cacao nibs (my favourite), and a Bounce protein ball in peanut flavour (good choice!) That’s not all…

Some herbal tea called “Love” which is soothing and comforting – just what I need – and some kale chips! I sometimes make my own, or try to, but they never turn out that great and certainly nothing like these (yes I have already eaten this item from the parcel and they were delicious!)

Two bars of very dark chocolate, one with chili in… oh yum, Emma couldn’t have got it more right! These have been relegated to my “treats” box but will certainly be enjoyed when the time’s right.

So thoughtful – broad beans from Emma’s garden. These have already been eaten, just lightly steamed and mixed through a chicken salad. Gorgeous. Thank you Emma!

There was something else in that parcel though… what was it… I’ll pass you over to thefitdog who will show you how much he enjoyed the treat Emma kindly sent him

Chomp, chomp, slurp!

Thanks so much Emma, what a fun thing to be part of! I hope your parcel was just as wonderful as the one you sent me.

If you want to join in on UK Foodie Penpals, head over to this link. Head here (the site of the original Foodie Penpals idea) for all the April FPPs posts!

April Foodie Penpals reveal is a post from the Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.