Soyjoy Bar, Strawberry, 1.6-Ounce Bars (Pack of 24) rating: asin: B0010ZL4ZE binding: Health and Beauty

As I mentioned on Newsletter - Seven Months Old, How To Post an Adoption Blog, Money, I have been looking around amazon.com for Christmas present ideas. And I found a funny and useful present for my mother. It is a box of Strawberry SoyJoy Bars. (Scan to the end of the blog if you want to see why these are a funny present.)

They are gluten free, artificial colors free and trans fat free. They are 130 total calories, 50 fat calories, 4 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. Bummer for people trying to avoid peanuts and tree nuts.. they are manufactured on equipment that also process peanuts and tree nuts.

I wasn't going to post about them because they aren't adoption related. But then Natasha said something on Sunday that gave me a light bulb moment. She said, "Mom you could take those to Ukraine. I would have loved them when I was 3. SoyJoy gives me joy."

Natasha was adopted at 3.5 years of age from Ukraine. I took all kinds of snacks with me during my adoption trip. I took them for me. But I also took them to aid with attachment. At the root... attachment is about trust. Until a child trusts you will provide the basics (food, shelter, clothing, safe place) they aren't going to trust you. So I took food to help with attachment. I took crackers and cookies and M&Ms.

What I didn't know is how much entertainment the snacks would provide. Natasha spent a lot of time counting and moving Gold Fish Crackers between different bags. And Natasha loved helping hand out snacks to her friends. 

Anyway... SoyJoy bars would have been very helpful. Because they have so much protein.

Protein is the nutrient that tells the brain you've had enough to eat, said Dr. Michael Tamber, an endocrinologist at The Everett Clinic.

from: Protein shakes quell hunger pangs, with differing results

And until Natasha didn't feel hunger pangs she didn't feel safe. For Natasha's first year home, I would feed her a snack at bedtime because she was afraid to feel hungry. She couldn't go to sleep without a bite of food and a drink of water. She was in survival mode. Soyjoy bars would have been useful at that point too.

Recently my mother discovered SoyJoy bars. Natasha had a playdate with her Grammie (my mother) last month and also discovered SoyJoy bars. Natasha ate every bar in the house. Next Grammie playdate she was restricted to one SoyJoy bar. (grin)