DailyLife GoNuts Spread - Protein Cocoa Hazelnut

What is DailyLife's GoNuts spread?

DailyLife GoNuts is a cocoa-hazelnut spread reformulated to be high in protein and very low in sugars. Per 100 g it provides 25 g of protein and less than 1 g of sugars. The jar holds 350 g.

DailyLife is an Italian brand specialising in reformulated snack products — the idea is not to invent a new food, but to take a product everyone already knows and change its nutritional profile. Here the benchmark is obvious: a classic spread contains around 55 g of sugars per 100 g and 6 g of protein. The ratio is reversed.

What makes that possible is replacing the sugar with maltitol and adding whey protein. It is a deliberate formulation choice, with its advantages and its limits, and we set out both further down. The rest of the brand can be browsed in our DailyLife section, and the other spreads and nut butters in our peanut butter section.

What is in GoNuts?

25 g of protein per 100 g is a quarter of the jar. That is what genuinely sets this product apart from an ordinary spread, and the figure is accurate. In practice a generous slice takes about 20 g of product, so 5 g of protein: a worthwhile top-up at breakfast, not a main source. Do not count on it to cover your needs for the day.

We have to be blunt about what the manufacturer does not publish: fat, energy value and fibre do not appear in the data available to us. That is awkward on a high-fat product, and we would rather write it than line up a figure found elsewhere. Refer to the table printed on the jar you receive. What the ingredients list does tell us, on the other hand, is that two oils are present — shea and sunflower — and that there is no palm oil.

The point that deserves the most attention is maltitol. It is the first ingredient on the list: it is what replaces the sugar and what explains the “less than 1 g of sugars” line. Maltitol is a polyol; it does not count as sugar in regulatory terms, but it still provides calories and it is poorly tolerated in large amounts. The manufacturer flags it itself: excessive consumption may have laxative effects. That is not boilerplate, it is the reality of this family of sweeteners — and it is why we talk about slices of bread rather than one spoonful after another.

On the regulatory side, one point worth knowing: the wording “source of protein” is a controlled nutrition claim, which a product may carry as soon as 12% of its energy value comes from protein. No promise of results, on the other hand, is permitted. This product is a reformulated spread: pleasant, higher in protein than most, and nothing more.

Ingredients list

Sweetener: maltitol, whey protein (MILK), shea oil, low-fat cocoa powder, sunflower oil, milk powder, SOYA flour, emulsifier: SOYA lecithin, flavouring.

Allergens: MILK and SOYA. May contain traces of NUTS. No palm oil, no added sugars. Excessive consumption may have laxative effects.

How do you eat GoNuts?

Serving: 15 to 20 g at breakfast, 10 to 15 g as a snack. Base: wholemeal bread, crispbread, or as a recipe ingredient. Timing: morning or snack. Frequency: one to two servings a day. Duration: no notion of a course, it is a food.

Stir the jar before first use. The oil naturally rises to the surface during storage, as it does in any nut butter without a stabilising additive. One turn of a knife and the texture is even again. Without that, the first slice is oily and the bottom of the jar turns dry.

It cooks as well as it spreads. A spoonful in fromage blanc, in a bowlcake, in a protein pancake batter or as a muffin topping: that is often where it is at its most interesting, because it brings the cocoa-hazelnut flavour without the usual sugar load.

Keep the quantities sensible, and not for diet reasons. Maltitol is well tolerated in small servings and much less so when you get through half the jar in front of a film. Start with a 15 g serving to see how you tolerate it, since digestive sensitivity to polyols varies enormously from one person to another.

One last thing, and it is an obvious point that deserves writing down: this is not a main protein source. It rounds out a breakfast, it does not replace one. If your goal is protein intake, a scoop of protein powder does the job far more efficiently.

Who is GoNuts for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at someone who likes spreads and is looking to cut the sugars in their breakfast without giving up the taste. It is a substitute product, and it is well designed for that. It also suits people who make their own snacks and want a low-sugar cocoa-hazelnut ingredient.

It is not suitable for people allergic to milk or soya, both of which are in the recipe. Traces of nuts are possible: if your allergy is severe, bear that in mind. Nor is it suitable for vegan diets, since the whey protein and the milk powder are dairy-derived.

It should be avoided if you digest polyols badly. Maltitol causes bloating and intestinal discomfort in some people, and the tolerance threshold varies a great deal. If you already know that chewing gum and “sugar-free” products upset you, this product will upset you too. With children, adjust the servings.

What not to expect from it. It does not make you lose weight, it replaces no meal and it is not a food supplement despite the 25 g of protein on the label. It remains a treat food, higher in protein and far less sugary than a classic spread — that is already reason enough to choose it, and no other is needed.

Protein spread or peanut butter?

That is the real trade-off in this section, and it is settled on composition more than on taste.

A pure peanut butter contains a single ingredient: peanuts. No sweetener, no emulsifier, no flavouring. It provides around 25 g of protein per 100 g, exactly the same order of magnitude as here, with higher fat but entirely plant-based and unprocessed. If your criterion is the simplicity of the ingredients list, our peanut butter section wins hands down.

GoNuts wins on cocoa-hazelnut flavour and on texture. A peanut butter, however good, does not replace a chocolate spread for someone who grew up with one. That is the need this product addresses, and answering it with a lecture about natural products has never convinced anyone at the counter.

A third option, often the smartest one: if it is the sugar that bothers you on your morning toast, a zero-sugar jam brings the fruit flavour with no fat at all, and combines very well with a nut butter. And if you are simply after a sweet snack that fits in a bag, protein bars answer that need better than a 350 g jar.

Frequently asked questions

How much protein in one slice?

About 5 g for a 20 g serving, on the basis of 25 g of protein per 100 g. That is a reasonable top-up at breakfast, not a main source. For comparison, a standard scoop of protein powder provides five times as much.

Why so little sugar?

Because the sugar is replaced by maltitol, a polyol that does not count as sugar in regulatory terms. It still provides calories and can cause digestive discomfort in large amounts. That is the accepted trade-off of this type of recipe.

Does the product contain palm oil?

No. The two fats in the recipe are shea oil and sunflower oil. It is a point on which the formulation stands clearly apart from classic spreads, almost all of which rely on palm oil.

What are the allergens?

Milk, through the whey protein and the milk powder, and soya, present as flour and as lecithin. The manufacturer also flags possible traces of nuts. The product is therefore unsuitable both for people allergic to milk or soya and for vegan diets.

What is the energy value per 100 g?

The manufacturer does not disclose it in the data available to us, any more than the fat or fibre content. We are not going to invent it. Refer to the nutrition table printed on the jar you receive: it is the only reliable source on this point.

Why does it need stirring before use?

Because the oil rises to the surface during storage, the recipe containing no heavy stabiliser. One turn of a knife is enough to restore an even texture. Without that, the first slice is greasy and the bottom of the jar ends up dry and compact.

Can it be heated or cooked with?

Yes, it works well in a bowlcake, in pancakes or in muffins, and that is often its best use. Add it towards the end of the preparation or as a topping: long cooking at high temperature degrades the cocoa flavour and hardens the texture.

Where to buy DailyLife GoNuts?

The 350 g jar can be ordered from this page, and we ship anywhere in France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is a product we happily suggest to anyone who wants to lighten their breakfast without giving it up — but we always mention the maltitol, because tolerance varies and it is better to know beforehand than afterwards. The rest of our snack ideas can be browsed in the protein snack section.