Menu

Suppress Your Appetite Without Drugs

May 19, 2011   37 Comments

Snack Girl receives desperate e-mails almost every day from people who are hungry and don't want to eat. Frankly, I never know what to say.

GG Bran Crackers

They read something like:

Help! I am out of control! I want to eat everything in sight. What should I do?

So, I say something like, "Eating less and eating healthy is a process! Calm down, and realize you are in this for the long haul." - which sounds kinda psychobabbly and lame.

(maybe a little wise?)

Then, a crazy Norwegian company sent me some almost inedible crackers - GG Scandinavian Bran Crispbread - they call them. It seems that the Gundersen family has been making these crackers since 1935!

Well, I was going to give them away - and then my daughter actually liked them. Huh? And, I realized that this is a solution to the problem of being hungry between meals and not wanting to eat anything.

Here are the nutrition facts for one cracker:

12 calories, 0 g fat, 7 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 5 g fiber, 30 mg sodium, 0 Points+

Ingredients: unprocessed wheat bran, rye flour, salt (salt content 0.4%)

This is seriously like eating NOTHING because it will take your body some energy to digest these crackers. The only thing is that they are kinda DRY plain. That was the mistake I made when I first tried them - I didn't add anything to them.

So, I tried a cracker with 1 tablespoon of hummus and I added this nutritionally speaking:

one tablespoon of hummus = 30 calories, 2 g fat, 2.5 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 0.5 g fiber, 45 mg sodium, 1 Points+

You know something? I actually liked this snack! I did have to wait about 10 minutes to feel full - but overall as far as a low calorie, healthy, and fast way to stave off hunger - this works.

If you don't like hummus, try some peanut or almond butter, cream cheese, or any other of your favorite cracker toppings.

BE AWARE that a side effect of eating a lot of fiber is that you may have to make more trips to the bathroom (if you know what I mean). Most Americans are way behind on their fiber consumption so it may not be an issue for you.

Here is a quote from an Amazon.com reviewer that I think is spot on:

They are sort of like all-bran got stomped by an elephant and made into a wafer. I eat them to stop my pacing the kitchen late at night or to cure the same thing around 3:30 in the afternoon, which allows me to stay on my eating program.

My suggestion is to TRY these and if you find that you like them - hurray!

This product was received for review consideration. No other compensation was provided.

Want to read about snacks?
Low Calorie Comfort Food - It Exists!
"Creamy" Wild Mushroom Soup
100 Calories of Snack From Russia
Why Don't Americans Serve Eggs Like This?

Get Free Email Updates! Yes please!

37 Comments:

Would you recommend giving this to young children?

@Laurel - I don't know if they would like them - but, yes, I would give them to young children! All they are is wheat bran (like All Bran cereal) and rye flour - nothing artificial or toxic here :)

Diet and health gurus recommend 40 grams of fiber per day. Currently, the average American consumes about 15 grams per day. Because fiber provides the feeling of satiety, it is the most powerful "aid" for weight loss and for never having the feeling of being hungry.

A very good high fiber bar is from Gnu Foods. Check 'em out online.

Ken Leebow

http://www.LifeWithoutLipitor.com

I think they'd be pretty good with hummus or a tiny bit of cheese! I'll have to look for these.

Shared!

Kind of reminds me of Wasa flatbread. Wasa isn't that great by itself but with some hummus or peanut butter it is outstanding. And it fills you up too! Wasa flatbread are made in Sweden. Wasa is easy to find too (I live in a small town) since Walmart and Kroger carry them. I guess that part of the world knows how to eat!!!

i make wheat bran protein "cookies" and they're pretty dry but the wheat bran keeps things ... moving and it keeps me full! plus, they're dry so they take longer to eat & increase my satiation.

i like to spread dry crackers like this with nonfat plain greek yogurt. it's cool & creamy & so good! protein + fiber = great snack!

I actually read about these a while back and tried them and with some hummus they are pretty good and quite satifying. I didn't care for them with cheese as they just need more to flavor them but they are great fillers. I'm so glad you posted this, I had forgotten them and could use a lighter snack.

If you didn't mind some "good fat" and a few healthy calories, these crackers would be great with a thin layer of avocado. Crunchy and creamy!

To the person who wants to eat everything in sight. That happens to me when I eat sugar so I stay away from it for the most part. I think it is because my blood sugar goes way up after having a sweet snack and then plummets when the pancreas starts pumping out insulin. It takes some planning to find non-sweet snacks and treats, but once I went through the sugar withdrawal I felt so much better. Now I only have sweets on occasion and my appetite is controlled.

Another thing to try... Yogi brand "Healthy Fasting" tea. When I'd really like a glass of wine & a plate of cheese & crackers in the evening this tea is pretty satisfying (not as much as the wine & cheese & crackers would be, but much better for you.) For some reason this flavor seems to make me seem fuller than other teas.

I would recommend giving these to kids after the age of 3, as fiber can block the absorption of some nutrients for growing little kids. Also, very important to drink sufficient water with them, or you might actually get clogged up, as the presence of fiber in your gut causes water to be absorbed into the gut, need enough water to do that. My daughter eats high fiber like all of my family now that she is 5 1/2, but she does get a "belly ache" (gas) sometimes after eating shredded wheat cereal, so I give her a smaller portion of that, but she eats the beans, wheat bread, fruits and vegetables like the rest of us just fine.

Ry Krisps are similar, they are made from whole rye (is that equivalent to unprocessed?), corn bran, salt and caraway. http://www.rykrisp.com/flavors/natural/

These sound like a great snack for when you are in the mood for something crunchy or when you are starting to crash around3/4 pm like the person above said!

I love the Finn Crisp ones that are rye but 3 of those have 3g of fiber and ONE of these has 5g! Thank you for sharing, I will definitely pick these up especially since they have prime shipping on amazon!

Where do you get this? Usual grocery store? Trader Joe's or heath food store?

@Goldie - here is their website:

http://www.brancrispbread.com/

and here is their retail location locator:

http://www.brancrispbread.com/local-retailers.aspx

I will add to the post - ooops! Thanks!

im from the philippines and want to know if there any specific store where i can buy this brancrispbread? thank you very much and hope to hear from you soon.

Topping these with some Laughing Cow cheese and a slice of tomato.....GLORIOUS!!!!!

http://freckles-fat-be-gone.blogspot.com

wonder if they have this in oat bran, sensitive to wheat.

The nutrition facts don't look correct. Something that has 7 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of protien can not be only 12 calories.

Kathy, the NET carbs are two. The total carbs are 7 because they include the 5 grams of fiber. So the calories are indeed low. I love these, as I actually need around 50 grams of fiber a day to stay regular.

They make good sandwiches with low fat cream cheese and cucumber and dried tomatoes with a little pico de gallo powder for "kick" on the cucumbers.

If most of the carbohydrate is indigestible fiber the calories will be low. 1 gm protein = 4 cal and 2 gm of digestible carb = 8 cal. That is the benefit of eating whole grains and whole fruits and vegetables.

i have been eating these for years.love them!!!

check the organic section in your grocery stores for them.**dorie-you are better off purchasing them on line.check out the GG Scandinavian Bran Crispbread website.

Did anyone mention gluten intolerance . . . these would not be an option for someone with this or celiac disease. Sometimes a little taste of sunflower butter (on celery) satisfies me. You'd have to do the math for your own food program though. (also is not acid ash forming). The two best nuts for best alkaline ash are sunflower seeds & almonds, most others are acid ash forming. Watching pH can be a great investment on future health and/or correcting challenging food related problems. Contact me for more info on pH.

Well I really curious about these, I'm going to buy them online at Amazon and will let you know what I think! :)

Just got my supply from Amazon ... THis morning I was feeling a little hungry....I tried them with a little almond butter...hmmmm not bad and sure took the edge off starving!

Snack girl, do you have a recipe for wheat-free oat crackers? A challenge for you :)

Thx

I always assumed the crispbreads would be dry and gross, until I met a Swedish guy who of course ate this "knäckebröd" every day, and it turns out I loved it! They love to eat it with caviar (which comes in tube form over there), but I stick with just light scraping of butter. Any time of spreadable would work on these breads as they have a fairly neutral taste. My afternoon snack is crispbread with peanut butter and sliced banana. Much better filling-to-calories ratio than any other carb snack. I hardly even eat regular bread anymore. The Wasa (Swedish import) and Ryvita brands are widely available and there are several flavours.

I also find having a big pot of tea gives me a full feeling and if you're careful with the milk/sugar then it's extremely low calorie and extremely good for you.

Another trick is to chew sugar free gum. I find it sends my stomach signals so it thinks it's eating and quiets down, and also fulfills sweet cravings.

Also sometimes you just need to occupy yourself! Nothing brings on hunger quicker than boredom!

I tried the crispbread two different times and my stomach hurt pretty badly for quite some time afterwards. I threw them away because I'd rather be hungry than have stomach cramps for hours! Oh well, back to my 90 calorie Fiber One bars :)

I tried these, bought them through Amazon, but didnt' like them at all. I really wanted to like them :) I put laughing cow cheese on them, but they just were too dry, crumbly and didn't like the taste at all.

I've been eating Wasa and Finn Crisps (which I prefer to Wasa, especially the rye variety made only with rye flour) for years and these are different. There is zero flavor to them. They are very dry. My son calls them "dirt crackers." That said, they do seem to fill you up, whereas the Wasa and similar crackers function more as a healthier crunchy conduit for whatever you are eating.

These crackers are great for feeling full when you're trying to eat less. I like to serve myself a half portion of dinner --lasagne, burrito, whatever-- and crumble a fiber cracker into the hot food.You really don't notice it and it makes it feel like a full serving.

I love the GG oatbran crackers! Looking for their "Sunflower Seed" and "Pumpkin" thins? Anyone have a site to order them?

I got a box of these in the mail I didn’t order??? How did I get them? Was I charged ? By who?

These crackers almost broke my tooth they are so hard and dry. They taste terrible—I’d sooner eat tree bark.

These are great for appetite control, like nothing else. They are way to dry for me so I add some unsweetened applesauce to soften them. 2 3-times a day will keep me full all day - even the 4 Oclock crash. If you see them as a diet aid rather than a tasty treat you will appreciate them for what they are.

I got the gluten free and I seriously wonder if I'm going to break my teeth.

Add a comment:

(required)

(required, never published)


© 2024 Snack-Girl.com