Product: Unismack Cheese Bites Parmesan Crackers – $1.80+
So…here’s the thing.
In February, I’ll be hitting my 2 year milestone of being completely gluten-free. Yep. Two full years. And it has been a learning experience. One thing that I can certainly claim is that I have definitely been going out on a limb and trying a variety of gluten-free products. One of the numerous gluten-free products out there is crackers.
Crackers went gluten-free with a vengeance. There are so many brands out there to choose from now. And flavors as well. Imagine that…options.
Well, one place I have learned to look for different gluten-free foods is Big Lots. I have found a wide variety of different snacks and foods from various parts of the world on the shelves of Big Lots. At a decent price. Labeled gluten-free. You know how I feel about labels on my products!
One such product was this week’s afternoon snack at the office. They are simply called Cheese Bites, made by the Unismack SA company in Greece. This particular box that I selected is the Parmesan cheese variety of cracker. Right on the front of the box is the gluten-free label that assured me this would be okay to purchase and consume. So…I did.
With the plethora of snack crackers out in the gluten-free market, something like this really needs to stand out. The actual shape and texture of these did catch my attention. They are simple puffy triangles that are bake, which keeps them light and airy. The ingredients are simple…without anything that makes you hop on the internet and search for what that chemical might be. It’s simple…potato startch, edam cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg yolk, yeast extract, milk proteins, and salt. Bam. A simple cracker and not a single ingredient I didn’t recognize. I love that. In addition, these crackers are not only gluten-free, but also wheat free, MSG Free, GMO Free, rich in calcium, and also produced in a nut-free factory.
But…how do they taste?
Well…they are good. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t turn down buying them again. The fact of the matter, however, is that I have had so many flavor-popping crackers before these that they just don’t quite live up to my expectations. I’ve had fantastic cheese crackers (Hello Schär!) and other such crackers…and while these taste good, have a good texture, and definitely deliver that Parmesan flavor…they just seem bland compared to other gluten-free crackers out there. I loved the puffed up triangles, keeping the snack light so as not to be too heavy in the afternoon before heading home for dinner. I just feel that there are better, more flavorful crackers out there.
A serving of these is 1 cup (or 29 grams if you weigh your portions like I do). This will set you back 120 calories and 4.5 grams of fat for the day. These are relatively low in sodium (only 300 mg) and provide 4 grams of protein in a serving. Not bad for a cracker. There are, mind you, only 3 servings per box, however…so you don’t get a whole heap of these at a time.
Unixmack SA has created a good, cheesy, gluten-free snack cracker…but there are others out there that I have eaten that I’ve liked far better. They aren’t bad…they just can’t compare to other cheese crackers lining the gluten-free shelves. But…I’d eat them again if they were offered to me.
The Celiathlete 