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.

Results of 2.1 Taste Testing Extravaganza

This entry is part 114 of 131 in the series Ketogenic Diet

I put out a call for people nearby to come taste test Keto Chow 2.1 – SnowMason on Reddit asked what the results were so I thought I put together an update. There were a few things that needed fixing but most turned out fantastic.

  • Eggnog – nailed it.
  • Rootbeer float – nailed it.
  • Pumpkin Spice Caramel – Nailed it though one person thought it had too much pumpkin spice and not enough pumpkin.
  • Orange Cream – nailed it.
  • Salted Caramel – they used the rootbeer flavor by accident. It was pretty funny. I got another tester and that one was great.
  • Savory Chicken Soup – the riboflavin being used to color it yellow added a weird flavor. It’s now gone. Unfortunately, this means that drinking the savory chicken soup will no longer give you neon yellow urine =)
  • Snickerdoodle – nailed it.
  • Strawberry – tastes great but needs to be more pink, we’re adding more beet juice extract but the color fades after refrigerating overnight. We could add artificial color to keep it red but with the whole “Natural Strawberry” version using monk fruit that’s a no-go.
  • Raspberry Cheesecake – tasted good, there was a disagreement over whether the raspberry was overpowering the cheesecake or the other way, seems people have different tastes. Also uses the same coloring as the strawberry so it starts looking raspberry-ish but fades to a purple-gray. Still working on that.
  • Banana – tastes fantastic, more like a banana cream pie and actual bananas and less like banana laffy taffy
  • Cookies and cream – has more of a chocolate flavor, the 2.0 C&C (to me) tasted more like vanilla wafers.
  • Vanilla – has a more distinct vanilla, which is weird since it’s the same flavoring.
  • Chocolate Toffee – this was REALLY good, probably my favorite of the batch.
  • Chocolate Mint – needs more mint. We’ll see what we can get done before it’s time to roll into production.
  • Chocolate – needed a little more chocolate flavor to match 2.0, I should be driving down to grab another test batch either today or tomorrow morning to verify that it’s dialed in.
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter – see above.
  • Mocha – they actually forgot to send a sample of this one for the testing, I’m suspecting it’ll need to have the chocolate component tweaked as well. I think coffee smells like burnt popcorn so I wouldn’t have tasted it anyway. I also think cucumbers and cantaloupe smell like ammonia.

I took them down to our manufacturing place when I got the salted caramel that wasn’t root beer and the other tweaked ones so they could try them too. For most, it was their first time trying the actual finished product. It’s always funny for me to see people try Keto Chow for the first time – “wow, that’s actually REALLY good!” is pretty much the universal response. It’s like they think I’m going to give them stuff that tastes bad =)

There was a little (like 1/8 a meal) of Rootbeer, Snickerdoodle, Orange, Eggnog, and Pumpkin left over so that’s what I just had for lunch today =)

So, there you have it. The protein for the Chocolate and Choc PB batch is enroute right now. The packaging should be done any day. The big order of chocolate flavoring is supposed to be arriving in about a week. Things are looking pretty good for Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter 2.1.0 arriving before April.

By |2018-03-15T14:04:39-06:00March 15th, 2018|Categories: Keto Chow|Tags: , , |11 Comments

Local Utah Ketonians: Come taste Keto Chow 2.1 tomorrow@10 am!

This entry is part 113 of 131 in the series Ketogenic Diet

This is a bit of short notice but: Tomorrow, March 13, we’re going to do a taste test of the final samples of Keto Chow 2.1. I got a sample of each flavor for final testing before production and wanted to get some public feedback. I already tested the ones for Cookies & Cream, Strawberry, and Banana – sorry =( If you happen to be near our warehouse (114th and Redwood in South Jordan, UT) and are available around 10:00 AM, please come by!

Location:
11279 S Redwood Rd, Suite B
South Jordan UT 84095

10:00 AM

By |2018-03-12T19:59:01-06:00March 12th, 2018|Categories: Keto Chow|Tags: , |0 Comments

Flavor of the Week March 12-March 18: 10% off sale on Mocha 2.0 week packs

For the next week, you can get 10% off the 21 meal “week” size of Mocha 2.0.1. Check out the reviews of 2.0 Mocha!

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

These flavors are great! I got mocha, banana, strawberry and vanilla. The banana was a little too sweet for me, with the heavy cream, I might cut down on the cream next time and possibly replace it with either milk or water. But all the other ones were amazing

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:

What can I say? Keto Chow rocks! It’s extremely easy to mix, making meal prep simple. Great for getting in enough calories for intermittent fasting, and really helps round out my macros. vanilla is probably my favorite, followed by cookies and cream, and chocolate peanut butter.

By |2018-03-12T06:22:09-06:00March 12th, 2018|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , |0 Comments

Keto Chow 2.1 update

This entry is part 112 of 131 in the series Ketogenic Diet

OK, it’s about time to do an update on how things are looking for Keto Chow 2.1. We just had lunch at Bam Bam’s BBQ with our co-packer (not quite as good as Black’s BBQ in Austin but MUCH closer!) – we’re not their only client doing keto stuff, though most of the other ones are all about exogenous ketones so we got to school him on topics related to those =). Anyhow, I got some great info – here’s what’s going on:

  • The packaging for the large bags ran into an issue late last week, one of the rolls got damaged before it went to the “poucher” and they had to reprint it… but before that, they had to wait for more of the media to print it on. The reprinted roll should be done today (March 7) and delivered to the finisher tomorrow. From there it’ll take a few days to make into pouches and be delivered to our co-packer.
  • Priority #1 is getting Chocolate (and Chocolate Peanut Butter by extension) completed. There are a few ingredients they’re waiting on:
    • The first of several nearly full truckloads of protein powder is supposed to arrive early next week.
    • Choline-L bitartrate has been difficult to find because everyone keeps wanting to ship the DL version instead of the L. With some compounds that wouldn’t be a problem but:
      1. DL smells gross
      2. DL contains both the D and L isomers but only the L can be used by life on earth – that makes it only 50% effective – the problem is DL has also been shown to cause kidney damage which L does not.
    • The flavor supplier is expediting a batch of the “Chocolate Milkshake” flavor that is used along with cocoa powder to make the Chocolate (and Peanut Butter). This one is a bit of an unknown since we haven’t actually confirmed when it’ll be done.
  • Once those two are going, Priority #2 is mixing up sample batches for the other 16 flavors. The plan is to get that over to packaging and done so we can have the “Sample the NEW things” for the 10 new flavors (plus the 2.1 samples of the old flavors) already available as the remaining large “week” bags are completed.
  • Priority #3 is Strawberry and Cookies & Cream – this one is interesting. The place we were getting the Strawberry, Banana, and Cookies & Cream flavors got weird about some compositional changes we wanted to the flavoring. Ultimately it was easier to get a different flavor place to replicate the flavors – I tested those 3 last week and I’m fiddling a little with how strong they are, that should be complete before the choline shows up.
  • The Remaining flavors will come in over a month or so, several hundred units of each flavor at a time.

A quick note about the lack of pre-order ability. We don’t do backorders or pre-orders. That’s somewhat for our own sanity but also to keep our payment processors happy. If we go longer than 30 days after taking money without shipping a product, they get rather upset. Do I think we’ll go longer than 30 days? No, but you never know with a new product line like this (see above =).

Besides that, pre-orders would be necessary only if we were getting in a limited quantity and you had to worry about not getting some. Going off past experience, when we get Chocolate, Peanut Butter, the Samples, and the rest of the flavors; we’ll be getting a massive quantity of each. Like 3-4 pallets worth of each. So there will be enough that pre-orders won’t be necessary.

If you’d like to know more about the upcoming version 2.1, check out the Keto Chow 2.1 information nexus where I’m posting updates and additional information.

By |2018-03-07T15:30:57-07:00March 7th, 2018|Categories: Keto Chow|Tags: , , |2 Comments

Keto Chow at the Low Carb Breckenridge 2018 Conference

This entry is part 111 of 131 in the series Ketogenic Diet

We returned yesterday from the Low Carb Breckenridge. It was really an awesome time. We met a lot of great people, hung out at the “cool kids” party house, ate some yummy fat (along with a little protein =) – I consider it a rousing success and I still haven’t even gone through the stack of annotated business cards to follow up with people yet! Photo Gallery:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/tvZBAtxJoqfjR8qH3

I had a chance to do a “5 Minutes of Fame” quick presentation about my most recent experiment – ended up at 2:47 which left extra time for Siobhan Huggins to go 6:57 =)

Flavor of the Week March 5-March 11: 10% off sale on 2.0 Sample Bundles

Alright, this week we’re doing it a little weird: for the next week, you can get 10% off the “Sample all the Things” bundle of Keto Chow 2.0. It’s the perfect way to try out all the flavors and see which ones you like the best. It comes with one sample of each flavor (8 total), plus a Keto Chow Blender Bottle to get you started mixing. Been wondering about Keto Chow? Love it and want to share with someone? This sale is for you! Check out the reviews of 2.0 flavors!

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

I ordered two sample packs to give me a head start on trying the product before I committed to purchasing the larger bag. The blender bottle was a great bonus. I am using Keto Chow as a meal replacement for my lunch at work and a weekend breakfast now and then. Some flavors are better than others, but so far I have liked all of them. The best part is it helps me stay on target with my macros. Not having to pack a lunch for work is great, too! It fills me up and I’m good to go until dinner time.

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 is my 4th keto chow purchase. By far the best tasting keto meal replacement shake out there, the price per shake is great too. Always happy with the service. They get the best shipping prices for you.

By |2018-03-05T06:13:01-07:00March 5th, 2018|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , |0 Comments

Clinging with all their might

This entry is part 110 of 131 in the series Ketogenic Diet

OK, so I recently did an experiment where I consumed the same 2000 kCal a day for 6 weeks. I was messing around with the source of the bulk of those calories, mostly using different fats but the final week I substituted out all of the saturated fat I ate the week prior, and instead ate candy. Remember – still the same 2000 calories. I had been losing weight pretty consistently the 5 weeks I was living on fat. I gained weight the week I was eating the same 2000 calories from carbohydrates. It’s all documented ad nauseum on the experiment page, with data, graphs, DEXA scans, and more. I posted about it on reddit and have gotten some rather interesting comments from people who insist that the type of calorie is irrelevant and the only cause for weight gain is eating too many calories and not exercising enough. I’m rather forthcoming with my views on the subject (I think sugar is fattening and fat is not).

Today I got the best one yet. I said:

It’s like saying “Bill Gates is rich because he saves more money than he spends” or “The room is crowded because more people entered than left”. Sounds rather silly right? That’s because it’s the EFFECT and not the CAUSE.

To which they replied:

Bill gates isn’t rich because he saves more money than he spends. He’s rich because he takes in more money than he spends… which sounds an awful lot like calories in calories out.

Wait…. what? I’ve never had anybody actually think that “he makes money” is the CAUSE and REASON Bill is rich (as opposed to his ruthless business acumen and the lucky break he got with licensing QDOS, among other things) but if that’s what someone wants to believe, that’s what they want to believe.

By |2018-02-26T15:37:14-07:00February 26th, 2018|Categories: Keto Chow|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

Flavor of the Week February 26-March 4: 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”:

I got the “Sample All the Things” about a year ago (version 1.9 I think) when I made my first adventure into Keto. Getting back into the swing of it in 2018, I of course came back to this product. I love having a convenient way to pull out a pack, and the bottle was a nice bonus this time around! I like all the flavors and will probably be a repeat customer all year :)

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:

Currently going through my first package of Base Powder, and first try using KetoChow as a meal replacement in busy days.
The packaging, instructions and general presentation are absolutely top-notch. I was pleasantly surprised with how everything comes well together, and mixing it is a cinch.
I do need more time to give a complete review about the product itself, but so far, the meals I have subbed with KC have been amazingly great. I haven`t felt weakness or undue hunger yet at all.
Lastly, the customer experience has been nothing short of perfect. The initial contact during purchase was swift and polite, and the package arrived halfway across the world in jaw-dropping time.
So far, I`m convinced to be a long term customer of KC!

By |2018-02-26T06:00:49-07:00February 26th, 2018|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , |0 Comments

Keto Chow 2.1 update – packaging is printing right now!

This entry is part 109 of 131 in the series Ketogenic Diet

Like literally this very moment. One of the guys sent me a photo of the “Sample all the NEW things” bags that are on the press right now. There was a huge storm this weekend here and the media was delayed, a bunch of their production team came in today (Saturday) to get it rolling out in time. The way they’re rocking it we might have the finished bags by the end of this next week.

So, what does that mean for Keto Chow 2.1? The protein was ordered and should be coming soon. The flavorings are supposed to be on the way as well. Ostensibly everything should be coming together for a relatively quick production cycle but I haven’t been able to get definitive schedules for the filling and such. They are supposed to be doing Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Cookies & Cream first but as with anything of this sort, it could get delayed for random reasons (like snow storms!)

By |2018-02-24T12:38:17-07:00February 24th, 2018|Categories: Keto Chow|Tags: , |1 Comment

Results and conclusions from 6 week fat experiment (42 days of Keto Chow)

This entry is part 44 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

I have my analysis done on the data from my 6-week experiment doing Keto Chow for all my meals and swapping out different types of fats to see how they impact my lipid panels. It’s all chronicled over on the page about the experiment, along with an extensive array of graphs and other fun stuff.

I also proved that at least in me: eating 2000 calories a day of mostly fat with some protein I’ll lose weight. Switch that to 2000 calories of mostly carbohydrates with a little fat and the same amount of protein (and again, the same 2000 calories), I will gain weight.

Fun stuff!