chris

chris.bair

About Chris

Chris Bair is a technology and computer geek. He became involved in the nutritionally complete "future foods" movement in January 2014, originally with a conventional recipe and later switching to a high fat, low carb "ketogenic" variant on October 2014. In January 2015 he created the recipe for Keto Chow and released it without restriction for anyone to use, at the same time he began mixing the recipe up for people that wanted a finished product and has seen steady growth in the business every month since.

KetoCakesUtah.com – tested them out with my glucometer, seems legit

There’s a bunch of (almost) local ladies doing “Keto Cupcakes” – you order them online and then pick them up at pre-arranged pickup points around Northern Utah. It fills my need to feel like I’m buying drugs, so we bought a bunch and picked them up in the Scheels parking lot. The nutrition page isn’t as specific with details as I’d like, so we decided to try testing our glucose for 30 minutes before, and then an hour after eating one, it’s something I’ve done before with my own product to make sure it’s not spiking my blood sugar. “We” being myself and my wife, who was going to fast today but decided she was willing to eat a cupcake for science. We tested our glucose twice and then each ate two halves of a cupcake (so we could try both) at 10 am (roughly 13-16 hours of fasting) and tested every 15 minutes for an hour.

Except for one aberrant reading, our glucose went down – which seems to indicate they’re legit keto. Glucose going down may be the result of an insulin response without an influx of glucose for it to take care of – which is typical for non-caloric sweeteners, erythritol in this case. My blood ketones before the test were the same 0.4mmol/dL as after the test. So, we’ll likely order more in the future. It’s always good to support small businesses, especially local ones catering to the low carb/keto market.

By |2018-03-29T14:31:06-06:00March 29th, 2018|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: |1 Comment

Keto Chow 2.1 Update March 29: apparently still waiting on Acacia Gum, delayed a week

The place doing the manufacturing and packaging for Keto Chow 2.1 ordered all of the ingredients over a month ago and the last ingredient (the flavor) arrived earlier this week… or so we though =( Turns out the Acacia Gum had not even shipped yet and wouldn’t be in stock until April 6, add 4-5 days for transit from New Jersey and the earliest it would be in production is April 10 or 11, which sucks.

We happen to have a guy that drinks Keto Chow who works for one of the largest (if not THE largest) acacia gum distributors in the world. We contacted him and he has an exact match for the stuff that’s out of stock from the other place, a few hours earlier and it might have even shipped today but their cut off time for today’s shipments had already passed. It would have shipped tomorrow but their warehouse is closed for Good Friday. So it’s shipping on Monday, April 2. It’s going to take somewhere between 3-4 days in transit plus a few days for the testing, mixing, and packaging when it arrives. We may see stuff as early as Friday, April 6 but more likely is the following Monday: April 9.

So we’re delayed a week. It’s not the end of the world but it most certainly stinks and will leave a bunch of people disappointed. I was personally counting on 2.1 chocolate for breakfast tomorrow =( I guess that’s life, but I don’t have to like it.

By |2018-03-29T14:46:46-06:00March 29th, 2018|Categories: Keto Chow|Tags: , |2 Comments

Keto Chow 2.1 Update March 26: flavorings arrived, Chocolate and PB on track for Friday

This entry is part 118 of 131 in the series Ketogenic Diet

Just got a call: all of the flavorings for Keto Chow 2.1 just arrived and are headed into QA right now! That actually puts us a day ahead of schedule (don’t worry, something typically will happen that delays production by a day =) and the likelihood of having Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter 2.1 available by Friday, March 30 is looking really good right now. In case you’re wondering, here is the order we’re planning on for 2.1 production:

  1. Chocolate
  2. Chocolate Peanut Butter
  3. Cookies and Cream
  4. Strawberry (Sucralose)
  5. Salted Caramel
  6. Mocha
  7. Vanilla
  8. Banana
  9. Savory Chicken Soup
  10. Natural Strawberry (monk fruit)
  11. Rootbeer Float
  12. Orange Cream
  13. Eggnog
  14. Raspberry Cheesecake
  15. Snickerdoodle
  16. Pumpkin Spice Caramel
  17. Chocolate Toffee
  18. Chocolate Mint

Base Powder is going to be squeezed in there somewhere as space opens up. Samples for the 18 flavors are supposed mixed after Peanut Butter and packaged on a different line concurrent with the rest of the packaging. Dunno when that will arrive but it should be around the time we get Mocha or Banana. More information about 2.1, what has changed from 2.0 and more can be found on the 2.1 Information Nexus page.

For a historical perspective: April 24, 2017, we received the initial shipment of Chocolate Keto Chow 2.0.0 – took 4 months longer than was expected, about the same as 2.1 =)

 

By |2018-03-26T13:54:57-06:00March 26th, 2018|Categories: Keto Chow|Tags: , |4 Comments

KetoFest 2018 update – Live Stream Access option added (only 5 days left to sign up!)

I posted last week about KetoFest 2018 – since then they’ve added a “Live Stream Access” pass for $100.

This reward gives you access to the live stream during Ketofest Science Sunday, and possibly the cooking demos on Social Saturday if we can figure out the tech! You also get to download the Powerpoint slides. This reward also includes a T-shirt.

If you can’t physically come to the event (July 20-22 in New London, Connecticut), this is a great way to get access to the content remotely. The KetoFest Kickstarter only has 5 days left and is (as of this writing) at $71,007 of its $80,000 goal. I’m really happy to say that a nice portion of that $71k has been pledged by Keto Chow. Carl messaged me last week and asked if we wanted to be sponsors, we were already planning on going and had tickets to the VIP dinner, now we’re going to have a booth at the Social Saturday and Science Sunday events! The sooner the Kickstarter passes the 80k mark, the sooner I can book the airplane tickets and accommodations =)

By |2018-03-26T10:03:31-06:00March 26th, 2018|Categories: Ketogenic Diet|Tags: |0 Comments

“Flavor” of the Week March 26-April 1: 10% off sale on all flavors of 2.0 samples

This week’s a bit odd but we’re going to do it anyway. For the next week, you can get 10% off the single meal “sample” size of all the flavors. Unlike most of the “Flavor of the week” sales, this one I actually can show a “you got 10% off” message in the cart, it’ll be nice to not have to answer that question for a week =)

You should check out our store reviews on Google, and the reviews of Keto Chow. Here’s a “taste”:

I love ordering Keto Chow, I’m kept up to date on every step of my order and they ship lightning fast. Everything is always packed safely and arrives in perfect condition.

Here’s another, should be noted that I publish all of the reviews that come in – bad or good – as they are, typos intact. The only ones I remove are spam posts from people wanting you to buy pills to “enhance performance” and such. This review actually comes from Facebook:

I’m not on a keto diet, at least not yet. Rather, I wanted something convenient that would also be filling while I attempt to keep my blood sugar under control and not antagonize issues I have after losing my gallbladder. And it had to be non-tortuous to consume. Not a simple task. In the search for a meal replacement shake that could help me, I discovered Keto Chow. I ordered some sample packs to try and I was more that surprised…

Keto Chow, as it turns out, checks all my boxes.

I can prep it the night before and it’s ready for when I need it, which is great. The flavor gets better and doesn’t suffer, like some other shakes, with that time to sit. But if I’m in a rush, letting it sit for a half hour works. You do have to let it sit for optimal flavor, but that’s not hard.
I feel full after consuming it for a substantial amount of time afterwards, which keeps me from snacking on things that otherwise goof me up.
My blood sugar is freakin’ stable! (HUZZAH!)

And, in regards to not having a gallbladder and little TMI — I have dumping syndrome. But I’m free of having to be near a bathroom when I eat Keto Chow. Yes, even with the high fat content from the heavy cream. I can’t guess how other people who lack a gallbladder and have this issue will respond, but I get dumping syndrome mostly from sugars/carbs, seemingly not solely fat content. I think Keto Chow’s protein content and use of Acacia Gum for fiber all works for me here but this is anecdotal theory. I have had other shakes that send me over the edge and into a deep state of regret 30 minutes post consumption. Keto Chow had no such issues, even when I drank two meals in a day. Keto Chow for the win.

Over my little trial period with Keto Chow I had some initial issues with how delicious it is. I eat when I’m hungry, not to snack, so it’s exceptionally deceiving to me that I’m actually not drinking a milkshake or other goodie. It took me awhile to kind of ‘trust’ it wasn’t going to put me in danger of adopting another chin, entering a diabetic coma, or having an Al Roker In The White House level incident.

Frankly, eating Keto Chow can feel like borderline gluttony and that I’m getting away with something, which is pretty humorous.

I highly advise trying the flavors first. I found some flavors to be more to my liking than I thought I would. Now I’m excited to try the other flavors coming out, too, and buy a larger quantity to keep stocked up on this.

To the people at Keto Chow — just keep up the good work. This is a delicious product and it’s really a convenient meal replacement. This works for so much more than just strict keto, in part because it’s well made and yummy.

By |2018-03-26T06:09:46-06:00March 26th, 2018|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , |0 Comments

We have a couple hundred Chocolate Keto Chow 2.0 in stock

This entry is part 117 of 131 in the series Ketogenic Diet

We’re getting closer to Keto Chow 2.1 being available… until then, our inventory of Keto Chow 2.0 is getting alarmingly low. Fortunately, we got a bit of a reprieve today: our manufacturer was able to put together one last, final, run of Keto Chow 2.0 with the remaining ingredients so we had them do Chocolate. Ended up with a couple hundred and they just passed our Quality Assurance tests. For realsies: when our current stock runs out, there won’t be any more of the 2.0 until 2.1 comes out. So if you want some Chocolate 2.0, head over to the “Week” page and order some before it’s gone.

By |2018-03-22T12:57:28-06:00March 22nd, 2018|Categories: Ketogenic Diet, Keto Chow|Tags: , , |0 Comments

KetoFest 2018 – Coming up this July in Connecticut

Richard and Carl of the “2 Keto Dudes” Podcast hosted a really great keto conference last year (which we attended) nearby Carl’s home in New London, Connecticut. They’re planning on doing it again this year on July 20-22 – but it will only happen if enough people sign up for the Kickstarter to make it happen. They’re at 66% of their goal with 11 days left.

If you are near that area and want to attend (or you’re like us and are planning on attending, despite living on the other side of the country) please check out their campaign. There are only 15 of the “VIP Party” slots left – we missed out on that last year; we’re stoked to be going this time.

We’re also going to be at KetoCon in Austin, Texas – June 15-17 if that’s close to home for you.

By |2018-03-20T10:04:36-06:00March 20th, 2018|Categories: Ketogenic Diet|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

Keto Chow 2.1 Update: Chocolate should be arriving March 30

This entry is part 116 of 131 in the series Ketogenic Diet

OK, so this is all very early and subject to change and all that so don’t mortgage your house or anything, but… We are scheduled to be getting the week bags of Chocolate Keto Chow 2.1 on Friday, March 30 – also known as “Good Friday” =).

Right now we’re waiting on one final ingredient for Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter: the flavoring. Chocolate has actual cocoa powder but it also has a chocolate flavoring that gives it the “I let a Wendy’s frosty melt and I will now drink it omnomnomnomnom” flavor. It’s scheduled to ship on March 22nd with Chocolate (and by extension, Chocolate Peanut Butter which is just Chocolate + delicious peanut flour) going straight into production on March 27th and finished product delivered to us by the 30th. Ideally, we may have stuff arriving a bit earlier than that and it’s entirely possible I may assemble a troop of elite infiltrators to sneak down there and grab boxes a bit early but March 30th is the promised date. If all goes well, I should have the product up and ready for sale on the site later that evening for shipping craziness on Monday, April 2nd.

Let’s look at the handy “Shipping speeds via USPS Priority Mail” map…

Looks like much of the US could be getting Chocolate Keto Chow 2.1 by Wednesday, April 4.

 

 

By |2018-03-19T15:43:17-06:00March 19th, 2018|Categories: Keto Chow|Tags: , |6 Comments

Flavor of the Week March 19-March 25: 10% off sale on Vanilla 2.0 week packs

For the next week, you can get 10% off the 21 meal “week” size of Vanilla 2.0. Didn’t we just do vanilla a few weeks ago? Yes, we did, but that’s what we have the most in stock, so that’s what’s on sale =) Check out the reviews of 2.0 Vanilla!

Speaking of reviews, you should check out our store reviews on Google, and the reviews of Keto Chow. Here’s a “taste”:

Fast shipping. Great product. Love the transparency of the creator and his accessibility through social media.

Here’s another, should be noted that I publish all of the reviews that come in – bad or good – as they are, typos intact. The only ones I remove are spam posts from people wanting you to buy pills to “enhance performance” and such:

I appreciate the well thought out nutrition, ease of preparation, and taste of Keto Chow! The flavors are not too sweet. Because of the quality, it is easy to fit Keto Chow into my daily routine. Nicely done!

By |2018-03-19T05:32:57-06:00March 19th, 2018|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Chris on the FanPress podcast – the history of Keto Chow, nutrition, and more

This entry is part 115 of 131 in the series Ketogenic Diet

This podcast was recorded a while ago (January 28, 2018 to be specific), took Steve a while to get it posted – probably because it went kinda REALLY long. I have to say: this is by far one of my favorite podcast interviews so far. Steve let me (over) indulge myself and give a rather complete history of Keto Chow and my journey thus far. It was also nice to be talking to someone who really likes what I’m doing. I just checked my email and I have one from him way back from May 2015! This one will be tough to beat. It goes on rather long at nearly an hour and a half but if you’re up for it, I recommend checking it out!

http://fanpress.co/show3/